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Chicago Herald 6/5.

PREVENTING THE COWBOY RIDE.

John G. Shortall, president of the Illinois
Humane society, is determined that the proposed
cowboy race from Chadron, Neb., to
Chicago shall not be run if the society can
prevent it. He has addressed a letter to the
secretary of the cowboys' association calling
attention to the Illinois statute which
imposes a punishment upon any person
guilty of cruelty to animals and notifying
the secretary that all participants in and all
others connected with the proposed race
will be arrested the moment they enter the
State of Illinois. The letter is temperate in
tone, but it is so pointed as to leave no doubt
of the earnestness and sincerity of the society's
purpose to put an end to the cruel
and unnecessary contest at the instant that
the Illinois authorities may assume jurisdiction
of the persons engaged in it.

The distance from Chadron to Chicago is
about 700 miles. The programme for the
race includes 300 contestants, each man to
be provided with two horses, which are to be
ridden alternately. While riding one horse
he is to lead the other. The conditions are
that the race must be finished with the same
horses that started. The death of one or
both horses operates at once to remove the
rider as a contestant. The start will be
made June 23. The winner is to receive a
purse of $1,500.

It has been claimed that this will not be
a cruel contest because of the provision requiring
a contestant to finish the race with
the same horses he starts with. But there
is nothing in such an argument to make
humane people look with any degree of
tolerance upon the proposed contest. At
the race itself they could not, of course, be
expected to look. By allowing only two
horses to each contestant from start to
finish, so many animals would not be made
to suffer as would be the case if relays were
permitted, but the suffering of those involved
would be so much the greater. The
torture would continue through many days
and would terminate, no doubt, in the death
of every horse in the race.

The cowboys will do well to heed the
warning conveyed in Mr. Shortall's letter
and declare the race off. They may disregard
it if they choose to inaugurate their
proposed contest, but they will not be permitted
to finish it according to programme.
They may get through Nebraska and Iowa
in safety, but when they enter Illinois the
trouble for them will begin. Mr. Shortall
says he will have the riders arrested every
hour, charged in each warrant with a
separate offense. The interference of the
courts will make it impossible to run the
race through to Chicago. Under these circumstances
the only sensible thing to do is
to abandon the contest. Chicago would
welcome the cowboys at the world's fair,
but let them come by rail, or, if they must
com eon horseback, let them make the trip
by easy stages.