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present scheme was undertaken, however, with regard to the ultimate result upon the unfortunate beasts who should be forced to participate. The plan intended a contest between about 300 cowboys, each to ride two horses alternately. Each cowboy would lead one horse by the bridle while he rode the other. What shows more plainly than anything else that cruelty was farthest from the minds of the originators of the enterprise is the condition imposed upon each contestant that he must finish the race with the same horses he started out with. He couldn't ride the first two horses to death and then kill two more, and continue the slaughter indefinitely until he reached the goal.

This strange frontier idea of preserving the lives of two horses only to make them last throughout a 700-mile race did not coincide with President Shortall's theories of humane treatment of animals. No sooner did he hear of the intended race last March than he decided that such a cruel exhibition must be stopped. The fair fame of America must not be sullied by the disgraceful scenes of brutality that marked the race run from Berlin to Vienna last year. America at that time led the whole civilized world in its protests against the cruel disregard of dumb beasts' sufferings that were markedly displayed in that contest. Yet that race was only 300 miles long, while the distance from Chadron to Chicago is more than twice as far. President Shortall recognized the nature of the cowboy, who seldom is willfully guilty of an act of mean cruelty, but simply does not stop to think. That no possible means of averting the contest might be left untried Mr. Shortall sent last week to Secretary Weir a letter of warning, and pointed out that such a race would be in direct violation of the law of Illinois.

What Mr. Shortall Wrote.

Here is the letter:

THE ILLINOIS HUMANE SOCIETY, CHICAGO, MAY 27, 1893.--RESPECTFULLY REQUESTED TO BE READ TO THOSE CONTEMPLATING THE LONG DISTANCE RACE BETWEEN CHADRON AND CHICAGO. HARVEY WEIR, SECRETARY, CHADRON, NEB. DEAR SIR:--May I ask your attention to the following law: "Whoever shall be guilty of cruelty to any animal in any of the ways mentioned in this section shall be fined not less than $3 nor more than $200, viz.: First. By overloading, overdriving, overworking, cruelly beating, torturing, tormenting, mutilating or cruelly killing any animal or causing or knowingly allowing the same to be done." Revd. Stats. Ill. Crim. Code, chapter 38, div. 1, sec. 78. See also city ordinances (Chicago, 1890), sec. 2,199 in which the same law is enacted.

Well known veterinary surgeons state to me, and will testify if necessary, that is not possible to make a contest of endurance and speed between horses for fifty miles--much less 700-- continuously without the infliction of great suffering upon the contesting animals. When this fifty miles is increased to 700, it appears to this civilization of ours to be most cruel and intolerable. But when, as it is reported, in the present proposed race from Chadron to Chcago the result to be attained by the contesting men is a little eclat and $1,500, all this long procession of struggle, agony and death not only appears most unjustifiable, but it clearly demands the enforcement, to the uttermost, of the laws violated.

Such violation of law being from hour to hour, arrest after arrest of the same individual can and will be made. I may also add that all conspirators in and abettors of such violation of law will be arrested, as found, and punished equally with the principals.

And now having discussed the legal side, may I venture a word of pleading upon the moral side of the case. The long-distance race, run last summer between Berlin and Vienna--a matter of, I believe, some 300 miles--in which many noble animals were ridden to death, has aroused a feeling of indignation throughout the civilized world--England, France, America, universally; Germany and Austria as far as they openly dared--and when it was declared in some newspapers, some months ago, that a similar race was contemplated here, the protest against it was expressed with most impressive and emphatic force--that our country, claiming to lead the way in the humanities, should never be disgraced by such a spectacle. These are the words, and this society has been called upon by nearly every state in in the union to interfere.

Now, I beg of you, gentlemen, to listen to this voice, no matter whether you know it to be right or deem it to be wrong. Give up this race, like kind gentlemen and good citizens--it is easy for men who are brave and manly to withdraw from a false position-- and come to us, see our great epitome of the civilization of the age, in such a way that we can welcome you, shake hands with you and admire you. Yours truly,

JOHN G. SHORTALL,
President Illinois Humane Society.

present scheme was undertaken, however, with regard to the ultimate result upon the unfortunate beasts who should be forced to participate. The plan intended a contest between about 300 cowboys, each to ride two horses alternately. Each cowboy would lead one horse by the bridle while he rode the other. What shows more plainly than anything else that cruelty was farthest from the minds of the originators of the enterprise is the condition imposed upon each contestant that he must finish the race with the same horses he started out with. He couldn't ride the first two horses to death and then kill two more, and continue the slaughter indefinitely until he reached the goal.

This strange frontier idea of preserving the lives of two horses only to make them last throughout a 700-mile race did not coincide with President Shortall's theories of humane treatment of animals. No sooner did he hear of the intended race last March than he decided that such a cruel exhibition must be stopped. The fair fame of America must not be sullied by the disgraceful scenes of brutality that marked the race run from Berlin to Vienna last year. America at that time led the whole civilized world in its protests against the cruel disregard of dumb beasts' sufferings that were markedly displayed in that contest. Yet that race was only 300 miles long, while the distance from Chadron to Chicago is more than twice as far. President Shortall recognized the nature of the cowboy, who seldom is willfully guilty of an act of mean cruelty, but simply does not stop to think. That no possible means of averting the contest might be left untried Mr. Shortall sent last week to Secretary Weir a letter of warning, and pointed out that such a race would be in direct violation of the law of Illinois.

What Mr. Shortall Wrote.

Here is the letter:

THE ILLINOIS HUMANE SOCIETY, CHICAGO, MAY 27, 1893.--RESPECTFULLY REQUESTED TO BE READ TO THOSE CONTEMPLATING THE LONG DISTANCE RACE BETWEEN CHADRON AND CHICAGO. HARVEY WEIR, SECRETARY, CHADRON, NEB. DEAR SIR:--May I ask your attention to the following law: "Whoever shall be guilty of cruelty to any animal in any of the ways mentioned in this section shall be fined not less than $3 nor more than $200, viz.: First. By overloading, overdriving, overworking, cruelly beating, torturing, tormenting, mutilating or cruelly killing any animal or causing or knowingly allowing the same to be done." Revd. Stats. Ill. Crim. Code, chapter 38, div. 1, sec. 78. See also city ordinances (Chicago, 1890), sec. 2,199 in which the same law is enacted.

Well known veterinary surgeons state to me, and will testify if necessary, that is not possible to make a contest of endurance and speed between horses for fifty miles--much less 700-- continuously without the infliction of great suffering upon the contesting animals. When this fifty miles is increased to 700, it appears to this civilization of ours to be most cruel and intolerable. But when, as it is reported, in the present proposed race from Chadron to Chcago the result to be attained by the contesting men is a little eclat and $1,500, all this long procession of struggle, agony and death not only appears most unjustifiable, but it clearly demands the enforcement, to the uttermost, of the laws violated.

Such violation of law being from hour to hour, arrest after arrest of the same individual can and will be made. I may also add that all conspirators in and abettors of such violation of law will be arrested, as found, and punished equally with the principals.

And now having discussed the legal side, may I venture a word of pleading upon the moral side of the case. The long-distance race, run last summer between Berlin and Vienna--a matter of, I believe, some 300 miles--in which many noble animals were ridden to death, has aroused a feeling of indignation throughout the civilized world--England, France, America, universally; Germany and Austria as far as they openly dared--and when it was declared in some newspapers, some months ago, that a similar race was contemplated here, the protest against it was expressed with most impressive and emphatic force--that our country, claiming to lead the way in the humanities, should never be disgraced by such a spectacle. These are the words, and this society has been called upon by nearly every state in in the union to interfere.

Now, I beg of you, gentlemen, to listen to this voice, no matter whether you know it to be right or deem it to be wrong. Give up this race, like kind gentlemen and good citizens--it is easy for men who are brave and manly to withdraw from a false position-- and come to us, see our great epitome of the civilization of the age, in such a way that we can welcome you, shake hands with you and admire you. Yours truly,

JOHN G. SHORTALL,
President Illinois Humane Society.