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Show li ABUSE OF HORSES AND DOGS I IN OGDEN AS SEEN BY A I WOMAN WHO IS A VISITOR I Editor Standard: As a life member of one of the largest larg-est humane societies In the cast and as a lover of the hors may I. through your editnHal columns, make a few ,remarks on the treatment of horses In I the west and those of the east where a humane society exists? Although Jin I easterner. It has been my privilege to thave lived In the Rocky mountain re-Iglon re-Iglon for four years, so that the "range 'horse," so-called. Is not an unfamiliar object to me. During Christmas week, shoppers flocked into Ogden from all directions within a radius of fifteen miles. In most instances the means of conveyance convey-ance was a horse and buggy or a team, every available hitching post being be-ing utilized to accommodate them. While selections of gilts were being made, within the warm, brilliantly lighted stores, for the family or friends, the one and perhaps most faithful friend of all the horse was forgotten. The snow fell and wind blew and yet he, who had enabled his master or mistress to come to town In order to make the home more cheerful and happy for the Christmas season, stood unblanketed, without with-out shelter, food or water, from two to Rix hours, oftentimes with the feet up to the fetlocks in icy water, and with that Instrument Instru-ment of torture, the Kimball-Jackson check, straining the head and distort-I distort-I ing the beautiful lines of the neck with m its accompanying suffering to the I horse. I On three occasions I have timed I: horses and found them to be standing without blanket, food or water for five B and six hours, and I attended myself II to their needs. Beside the shivering horse stood the senseless automobile, and, though : there was no warm blood in its veins to chill, no joints to stiffen by found I ing or rheumatism, no lungs no con- I tract pneumonia. Its locomotive pow-, H ers were warmly blanketed and pro- Hi tected from the winter's storm. Both ' these objects had cost their owner Hi money and both, from the commercial M standpoint, were worthy 01 care and attention both were dumb and help- j less, and both depended upon man fori fj their needs, j One served without the knowledge if of service, while the other, with con-1 If scious, untiring energy, worked to I N further his master's ends. If the hu-. M man heart cannot be touched by the M suffering of this pathetically patient, I I living machine, then will not common I sense prompt man to give it at least I 1 the care that his neighbor will bestow f) upon the metal that knows neither ftj! hunger nor fatigue? ill Should the horse in the east be left EE ; without cover on a winter's day for U five hours, but for one half hour. th K owner knows the penalty that will be U inflicted .and most of them will not H run the risk of what it will incur. H The "range horse," deprived of his H freedom and which has been trans- B loaned into a beast of burden, where j ne is no longer able to roam the moun- E. tains at will and Beek his food or K warm himself by exercise or seek H sheltered spots, comes under the same Hf catagory as the city horse giving his service to man. "Mountain horses are hardy and used to the cold." is an easy argument. I The laws cf God and nature do not ; H change with the altitude, and the H mountain horse which comes in sweat- H ing from a hard, long pull over country roads, will be as suddenly chilled as H the city horse or the horse on the plains, and not at the end of five hours but at the end of the first half hour, B when the harm is done. He is no dif- Hj ferent from all warm-blooded animals. Hj including man. having covering of the , bear or lion, and the fact that wherev-B wherev-B er he can find shelter he seeks it, is H evident enough that he suffers from , i the cold. H The bones of horses and cattle in , Hli the spring time, lying on the moun- tains and by the roadside, tell the j story of the winter's agony and the cruel neglect of owners. Does that go j to prove that they "get used to ! cold" and the criminal neglect from those who owe all that they have to ! their horses and cattle 1 The crime of the east is overloading, ij often causing the loss of eye sight from being overdrawn, spavined and j otherwise disabled, but the inhuman- I ity of starving and freezing to death belongs to the horse of the west, I where man, rather than pay for the j winter's food, will turn this faithful I J creature out to die. In ancient days, that we call "heathen,'' tho cruolest punishment which could be meter! out to the criminal wns death by slow star-wit star-wit ion. In this day we call ourselves civilized, yet we offer this noblest of animals the criminal's death in return fur th faithful service he has rendered. ren-dered. If this is to be the cruel end, at least let a bullet find its way to the brain and close the life by sure, and quick means. Is man so devoid of all sense of right and Justice that he will not Rive to his horse the proper food and shelter shel-ter which he has earned as a partner in business? Is not the roof over the master's head, the clothes upon his back the outcome of the dally toil of the horse? Has he not done his share in making the money that enables his master to buy his daily bread, helping to make the money by which the home is provided for, and the business kept up? And what does he ask in return for his services? A comfortable bedding, bed-ding, food that will enable him to give his energies to man, and water to quench his thirst. This I have known to have been deprived tho horse for three days before tho offender was dlscovi red. Is there any man vo will dare call himself a man, and who will reflect upon tho horse's share In the profits that he has made, and yet will refuse him the simple needs that will keep him from hunger, freezing and a slow, agonizing death? For such a man the most severe penalty of tho law should be inflicted in the Rocky mountains, just the same as the man of the city. It is useless to cry aloud for humanity across the seas when we have need of it right at our own doors! Those who have watched the horse and studied his actions cannot claim to misunderstand his language, how-, ever mute may be his appeals. Is it then, because he cannot frame the words by our aiphabet, that man takes advantage of his muteness. Would he do the same with I deaf and dumb person without calling forth the Indignation Indig-nation of all civilization? Look into' the eye of an exhausted horse, and the same mark of pain is there as you would find in a human being; watch' his actions when he needs food or water and see him turn and turn his head, f eeking for his master. Mark I his struggles when he seeks to rid himself of the mot damnable instru-1 ment of torture ever invented for a ; working animal, the Kimball-Jackson j check, which revives for this poor an-' imal the tortures of the ancient stocks,! the head held back and distorted, the , n. k aching, the head thrown back instead in-stead cf forward, preventing the shoul I ders and knees from performing their proper actions, and his eyes turned to! the sun. destroying the sight and injuring in-juring the nerves. It is for "style"! that the torment is inflicted then! Would a style that held a woman's or' a man's head back until it was crippled ! be regarded as beautiful or would it1 nnt rrpfiln ririirnli. nnH -t iccriict " Thl- check rein has been condemned by tho ablest London eterinaries and those in America as well The cruel nose bag that admits so little air that the horse stands suffocated suffo-cated either in summer or winter, and then is left on until the breath contaminates con-taminates the inside of the bag. should be prohibited by law and only those with wire ends admitting air to the nostrils allowed to be used. Still worse are burlap sacks, covering both the nose and reaching to the eyes, and with no air hole? at all, out of which men, to save a few cents, are pleased to feed their hungry horses. Would he be willing to cover his own head to the verge of suffocation in the same way and thus enjoy his meal? Why th( n should he inflict it upon his partner, part-ner, who deserves as good a meal as himself? Watch the horse strive to free himself from the harness which Is creating a galling wound. Yet, in this misery, the same for the horse as it would be for man, he is driven and tortured. It is not that the language of the horse is not understood, it is that so-called so-called human beings will not heed the mute appeal for justice and mercy. The head that is tossed up at tho approach ap-proach of the hand tells its own story of the fear of another blow that cannot can-not be resented and must be silently borne. The hoof that Is pared down to fit a shoe, the corn that Is Ignored and the feet that have become pavement pave-ment sore, without care or attention of the owner, are a few of the sufferings daily inflicted upon an animal, giving Its very life's blood for man, and this is the ungrateful return In communities commu-nities where a humane society exists all these matters are punishable by law. Boys without judgment, because they are cheap, are given charge of a horse of far more intelligence than themselves, and the whip, used mercilessly merci-lessly up hill and down. Is the punishment punish-ment Inflicted for an effort to do the driver's bidding. Ravenous';, hungry dogs coming In from the farms, since my observations of them here. I have provided with I food the dog which would be the flrsn to warn the family of tho tragedy should their house be on fire, and if the children were in danger of the wolf or the coyote. Yet this human, domestic animal Is deprived of its proper nourishment, and like the horse left to roam the streets and starve. Al Senator West has bo beautifully put It, "And when the last sceno comes, and death takes his master in his embrace em-brace and his body Is laid away In the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes snd, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even In death.'' C-OWper has said, "I would not count among my list of friends the man who would needlessly step his foot upon a worm," and th bible has taken pains to direct that "A merciful man will be merciful to his beast." These scenes of suffering which I have witnessed qlnce my sojourn in the state of Utah make me wish to ask If It will not be possible to form an active society for the prevention of cruelty to animals and maintain a paid officer whose time may he given to this work exclusively, as it is in other states where a humane society exists? Thos who are willing to aid in this work by active assistance and the ncc-essary ncc-essary money to support a paid officer would confer a favor by an answer to the above, through the Standard, so that a meeting may be held and the questions be discussed. LILA VAN KIRK. in |