When dog-flesh was plenty and finances low,
Caught the brilliant idea, since the state was “hard up”
To run the machine at the expense of the pup,
It was therefore resolved that each four-footed male
Should be taxed at the rate of a dollar a tail,
And each feminine canine three dollars or so,
That puppies might not be encouraged to grow;
And further, if any stray piece of dog meat
Without color or check should be running the street,
Any law loving person its progress might check
By cutting its tail off close up to the neck.
And various conclusions did citizens draw
As to what was the motive in making the law,
Did abundance of “curs” give the place a bad name?
Or was the “Fur Company” anxious for game?
Or was it the dog days? Or affection for sheep?
Or did lawyers like sausage, and want it cheap?
Be that as it may, the tax was assessed,
And pup stock declined as the import was pressed,
And many an owner of dogs [had] to [bleed],
And many a cur was compelled to secede;
Thus, when every source of revenue fails,
We can curtail our taxes [b]y taxing our-tails.
– Published in The
Union Sentinel, Osceola, Iowa, Saturday, October 17, 1862, p. 1
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