Leaders of the House of Representatives rightly are relieved that the House no longer can be accused of caring more about chickens than battered women. But that doesn't mean there should be any less determination to give the cruel sport of cockfighting the harsher penalties it deserves, including a new forfeiture provision on property seized from those who violate animal fighting laws.

As House Speaker David Wilkins notes on our Commentary page today, that body has unanimously passed a strong criminal domestic violence bill. That bill was given priority after comments by Charleston Rep. John Graham Altman about women who return to their abusers sparked a firestorm of controversy. The outrage by the bill's supporters was fueled by the fact that the House Judiciary Committee had given approval to the cockfighting bill on the day that it had turned thumbs down on the domestic violence legislation.

Now the question is whether opponents of the cockfighting legislation have marshaled enough forces to all but kill that bill. Attorney General Henry McMaster obviously was concerned enough about the bill's outcome to send a memo to House members Tuesday.

The attorney general has been at the forefront of the crackdown on animal abuse and has made commendable strides on the dog-fighting front. But as he noted in his memo, cockfighting was exempted from the felony provision of the animal fighting law, which carries a five-year, $5,000 penalty. Instead, cockfighting is a misdemeanor, punishable by 30 days in jail or a $100 fine. According to Mr. McMaster, many who engage in cockfighting cite the $100 fine as "the cost of doing business." The bill would make that cost far more expensive not only for those engaged in cockfighting but all other blood sports.

The attorney general notes that the legislation contains the same kind of forfeiture provisions that are included in the state's drug laws. He wrote that the forfeiture provision is needed to combat the increase in illegal animal fighting "and the drug trafficking which supports it. Dog fighting is a well-funded secretive sub- culture tied to the illegal drug trade with huge six-figure jackpots at stake. Cockfighting often has huge jackpots too. Fighting these criminals take resources."

The attorney general called on the House to "stand with law enforcement" in support of the legislation. We would broaden that constituency to include the majority of South Carolinians who we believe are behind the attorney general in his campaign to rid the state of those who profit from animal abuse.