Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1919-05-06
smond Madison Kentucky, Tuesday Afternoon
MAT COHEN DEFENDS
THE new DOG Law

InE new UUU Law
Commissioner of Agriculture Answers
Article Written BY Woods Walker
of Paint Lick.
Commissioner of Agriculture Mat S.
Cohen has answered the card of Col.
no Moods WalKer hic reSgardh,ng gar Ing hat n G46d
newspapers for publication. Mr.. Cohen
writes as follows:
April 16. 1919
My Dear Mr.. Editor
Complying with numerous inquiries
relative to an article which is now go
ing the rounds IN Of the press over the
the authors views and interpretations
are aired in such a manner as to con-
vey the impression that the Commis-
sioner of-Agriculture is alone RESPONSE
BILE for the new Dog Law enacted by
the 1918 session of the Kentucky Leg
islature, and that the motive which
ture to get behind the enactment of
| such a measure was in order to in
crease the salary of the Commissioner
Err" to the extent Of s1S, 200 annually.
all of which is so ludicrously false and
misleading mi that am forced to reply to
ium, and will ask those papers having
published TAX PAYERS" article to
please give the same consideration to
| the State Department of Agriculture
and publish over my signature this re-
l. ply.
| L am advised that during the fall of
1917 the National Wool Growers Asso-
citation wrote to 5000 farmers in Ken
lucky, asking them if they had sheep
on their farms. if so, how many, and II
not, why not.
were to the effect that they did not
have any sheep on their farms, that
when ewes were worth So and 81 per
head they could afford taking chances
with the dog, but since stock ewes had
become worth SO to s12 per head
,, with no restrictions earthly with the
dog. they felt they could not afford to
take the chance of producing sheep
they were.
Statistics show that in 1860, the year
before the Civil War, when Kentucky's
Kentucky possessed two million and
half (2.500.0O0) sheep, while there were
only $4,000 sheep in the State.
| When this information was conveyed
! to Mr.. Richard Stephenson, president of
the Kentucky Sheep Breeders Associa-
ton, Lexington, KY. realizing the great
but America, and further acknowiedg.
ing the imperative need and crying de-
mand for the greatly increased supply
son issued call to the farmers and
| others interested in the sheep industry
of this state to meet at Lexington, KY,
January 2S, 1918, for the purpose of
taking the necessary steps toward in
creasing the sheep production of this
state. and the reqnired protection to
the industry.
| Prior to the meeting of January %,
and after several conferences of the
Kentucky Sheep Breeders Association,
| a tentative draft of dog law was
drawn and submitted to those present
at the meeting on that date. which. af-
] ter some amendments by committee
appointed by the Kentucky Sheep
r sreedefs Association, the 1913 t KsntHc NC
Act now known as the Dog Law. and
among its many provisions the one that
seems TO peeve Tax Payer" most is
Iforcement of same under the Commits
sioner of Agriculture, and allowing the
Commissioner Of Agriculture 5 per
licenses in the various countiese of
Kentucky to be used by the Commits
sfoner of Agriculture for the general
enforcement of the act.
There was never any question in the
minds of the committee who drafted
this act other than that the local or
placed in the hands of the sheriff. and
realizing that many of the sheriffs
have as their deputies men who are
prospective candidates for sheriff. and
4 being desirous of removing the general
Il enforcement Of the act as far from any
local political influence as possible, and
realizing that the live stock industry
Of the agricultural industry OF the
state, the committee selected by the
Kentucky Sheep Breeders Association
forcement of same under the Commits
sioner Of Agriculture
..The The Act Act provides: among other
missioner shall receive 10 cents for
each dog listed. and the county clerk
25 cents for each license issued which
int eisrs dsdeF nk aet ST
of like character ~ 49, -
Nor is. the per cent allowed the
Commissioner o OF Agriculture an ade-
J act. as intended by the legislature it
should be enforced. nor does the Com
} missioner of Agriculture receive one
erease Of salary Out OF Of the Sne per cent n
: the act.
missioner OF Agriculture been inereas-
! ed materially as the result of the gen.
! era1 enforcement of this law being
placed under him. hut he has perform
: ed this extra service without a murrn,ir
, or complaint and has not nor can he
under our Constitution. receive one
Il work and responsibility placed upon
hin by the legislature.
For "Tax PAYERS" "-enlightenment. J
, wish to state that the Commissioner ~
. salary which is the amount he former
ly received. and the amount he will
continue to receive during his term of
office. as our Constitution and Appel
late Court have specifically decreed
that a. state officials salary cannot be
| increased during his tern IF office
Relative to TAX PAYERS" charge that
t ito EXPECT the school fund of any conr- :
t ty to be benefited by this act, would
r stretch the imagination almost to the
: point OF breaking wish to- state
t that the real purpose of this act was
lid to promote advance. stimulate. and
/ protect the sheep industry. 80 TO pro-
5 ltect the licensed dogs and (3) to dis
5 pose of the unlicensed and worthless
i cur. and while the school fund in ma
iority Of the counties in the state vii,
tbe benef1tted by this act. vet the school
fund in everv county in this common
wealth would receive greater benefits
nv cooperation on the part of the peo-
lple in the carrying out of this Law
d rather than by being retarded by. Sc
: much kicking and complaining.
TAX Payer" claims that a Garrard
= county farmer was told that $40 was
= the limit he could recover on grade
. sheep. and that he would have to val