Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-01-11
SHEEP RAISERS
AFTER THE DOGS
Will Ask Legislature to Pass
Laws That Will Protect The
Farmers From Worthless
Roaming Ours.

The meeting of sheep raisers hel,
III the Court House Tuesday WA.
quite largely attended and interest
ing and enthusiastic.
| Mr.. j. A. Leslie called the meetin,
to order and suggested Mr.. S. j
thompson MS chairman and Prof. w
Archie Thompson as Secretary. b,
request Mr.. Leslie stuted the obiccI
OF the meeting which was stated II,
outlined i'll the call mndc in last is.
sue OF the Clinch Valley News, viz;
TO take such steps rs seemed neccs-
sary to protect sheep from the raw
ages of dogs in this county, and to
this end have the present dog law
amended and enforced. After num-
ber of speeches motion was mndc
by MIR. w. Archie Thompson that n
committee of three be appointed to
draft suitable dog-law, applicable
to the needs and conditions in This
county, and presented to the legisln-
ture now i'll session and to urge its
immediate passage. The committee
was named by the chairman and was
elected by the meeting ns follows.
w. Archie Thompson,
John l.. Ascue,
Robert S. Moss.
Mr.. j. l.. Ascue stated TINT no long
er than last Sunday dogs killed n
number of sheep and chased cnttle
for hours for one of his neiphbors.
JAS. ed. Peery stated that, discour-
hged by the ravages of dogs. he hnd
quit the sheep business. At least one
other large sheep raiscrs in the county
besides Mr.. Pcery has been forced
to discontinue the business on account
OF dogs. The Ascue Brothers arc
large sheep raisers, ua was their IA
ther hetore them, and w.rc cnthu-
slnst:c iGi drastic dog law, ng were
all The aien in the audiencr. There
was hc installing the spirit of this
meeting. The farmers have stood il
MS long as they intend to. The Inv
on the statute books, even inndeountc
ms 1T is, has not been enforced Nv the
Board of Supervisors, il was stat
ed, and little attempt made to do 80,
II enforced, it was stated, was mad
equate to meet conditions, and rem
edy the evil. There were difference fo
opinion as to details, but all agreed
that the law should be sweeping and
drastic. The sentiment was domi
nant to put tax of not less than So
on every dog in the county, and to
make this tax collectable the same MS
any other tax, and failure to pay the
tax through inability or otherwise,
the officers of the county to be charg
ed with the duty of killing the de-
linquent dog, and heavy fines to be
imposed for failure to assess, report
or kill; Another provision was urged
that owners of dogs be compelled to
confinc them on the premises exccpt
when in company of the owner, and
good strong penalty be imposed for
failure
Several striking points were made.
One was that one man should not be
made pay for sheep or cattle killed
by another mans dog.
Another was that there is no case
on record where man had come up
voluntarily and offered to pay for the
sheep Killed by his dogs. Another,
that it is almost impossible to iden-
tify the sheep-killer as he words
generally at night while the owner of
sheep is asleep. Another still, that
the man who owns large number
of dogs is glad for them to roam
around amongst the neighbors and
"fill up" Another, that the sheep
stealer is smart and swift of foot. He
works in the dark, and has way of
letting other dogs in on the deal on
the ground floor as it were, and if by
chance he is caught in the act, he
could dodge bullet and outrun a
load of shot. And so it went. The
marauding, sheep-stealing dogs of
this county, Judging by the temper
of this meeting, are in for it, good
and strong. The helpless, valuable
sheep of this county must be and will
be protected.
The bill to be drawn by the COM
mite will meet the exigencies of the
circumstances and of course he pass
ed by the legislature And it was
further limited that the Office hold
er who stands in the way had better