Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-02-20

under which dogs are required 10 be
placed on the tax rolls and assessed
as other property at their true cash
value to the owner and under which
thousands of dogs are already 50 as
sessed and given standing as lawful
property and contributors 10 the
wealth of the state and county treas
uries. Every dog in the state of any
value to the owner is presumed to be
on the taxrolls and as such proper-
ty cannot be made subject to double
taxation nor be taken and DESTROYED
under city and state license laws
without due process of law any more
than other property. We uphold the
other state law making the owner of
any dog responsible for any damage
done by that animal to live stock or
to the person or property of any cit
Lien. Any dog under our state laws.
(sec. 552-552S) molesting live stock
can be killed by the person whose
stock has been hurt.
III. We demand the repeal of
chap. 1S6 laws of 1919. requiring a
state tax from all dogs within the
state in addition to their being as
sessable as property. and under the
police power of cities already living
under licensed permits in many cit
les, as in Portland where about SIS
eco annually is collected from dogs
ana the funds used to carry on the
work of the state humane society in
caring for all neglected, abused or
abandoned animals and even in en-
forcing laws against cruelty to chill
dren. This new state law has unus-
ually cruel and inhumane provisions
and its strict enforcement would make
it necessary to kill all the dogs with
in the state in any one year, besides
invading the police powers and
rights of home rule guaranteed to
cities. The new state law requires all
dogs off the owners premises to wear
a steel or metal Shepherds muzzle
fastened over the nose and around
the neck and dog found without
such muzzle and away from the own
ers immediate care shall be shot by
any officer of the county or precinct.
The only exemption is named in the
law as a hound dog for legitimate
protection of flocle against ravages
of wolves and other wild animals.
| Under the strict provisions of this
law the state could not train or use
bloodhounds to trail prisoners and
the police cannot train and use po-
lice dogs as they would have TO be
muzZled when off state or city prop
erty
". We believe these laws serious-
ly conflict with each other and the
test cases started in Portland and in
this city should be carried to the
highest courts and if found constitu-
tional should be resisted as vicious
and void and infringing the rights of
owners d of the dumb animals who
cannot speak for themselves. We
pledge ourselves to support an edu-
cational campaign that shall be made
state wide to defeat such unfair and
unwise laws and we pledge ourselves
to support only candidates who will
pledge themselves to give dogs and
their owners fair treatment and re-
store to cities absolute local control
of the matter"
#. G. Bligh, e. Hofer and John
McNary were named as members OF
a committee for the extension of pub
licity in behalf Of the plan Of action
adopted.
Among the signers of the memoir
ial were: Mrs. Fred S. Stewart, II. d.
Trover, Il. j. Cronise, Louis Lach-
mund, S. c. Richardson, Harry NJ.
Levy, L. j. Bayes, T. G. Bligh, l.. l..
Miller, Lot L. Pearce, A. d. Kibble,
e. ]. Ryan, A. M. Sowert, Bob Davis.
A. E. Johnson, F. S. Anunson, j. G,
Anunson, Lew f. Cullins, Mrs. John