Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-07-16
ISL

from the fish commissioners Of the state,
which deserves to be and should be
read by all good citizens. The paper ably,
lucidly and tersely sets forth the laws
regulating the building of dams and
catching of fish. and gives ample rea-
sons why these laws are constitutional
and binding, just and proper. People
who fail to ride legislative hobbies sue
csssfully, frequently make the fish law
a butt for their rldicule. The law can
stand it very well if they can. 1t Is a
I good, sensible law, in the interest OF no
special class, but OF benefit to all. MIS-
souri, is not q state Of large lakes like
Maine, Minnesota, or Wisconsin. but it
has . few very fine ones, and q great
many rivers, creeks and bayous. The
Missouri traverses its center; the Mis-
sissippi river fer five hundred miles
laves ito eastern border; the Usage. un-
surpassed In the beauty of its scenery
and the limpidness OF its waters, runs a
course OF three hundred miles almost
entirely within Its limits; the Gasconade
though . smaller stream is still q hum
dred miles long; and beside these are
the White, Current. Black. St. Francis,
Meremsc, Wakenda, Grand, Nodsway,
Cuivre, Salt and other rivers. Some of
these rivers or their tributaries are
within striking distance OF almost all
the inhabitants of the state. 1t is,
therefore. q matter of great moment
that they should be re-stocked with
good food fishes. No article of diet is
more wholesome. and the legitimate
capture Of the hsh is q pleasure which
almost everyone enjoys. Few persons
in the interior have an idea of the real
value of fish. They associate the fnny
tribe with the little cat fish and perch q
hand in length, which are caught by the
idle boy Of q summers day. The idea
that fishing can be an industry is some
thing that they know of by books. but
do not exactly comprehend. Now the
truth is that acre for acre OF water. we'll
stocked with fish, is worth ten times as
much as If il were we'll set in the best
field crop. and there is no reason why
there should not be thousands of lakelets
and ponds full of shiny beauties upon
the farms Of the state. beside rlvertuls
of larger fish accessibleto all the people.
The only thing that prevents is the
poacher with his net. Like q sheep
killing dog he makes war upon the in
nocents at their weak points. the mouths
Of streams, kills millions that be cannot
sell OF use, and deters other millions
from going up to their spawning
grounds at the proper season. These
people have as much discretion as the
child that surrep:itiouslY ate enough u
cumbers to give 1t q terrible case OF
cholera. which eventually caused its
death. The fish caught in nets are very
good, but the net is worse on the fish
than the cucumbers we're on the child.
1t not only kills the living, but it pre-
vents the Matching OF millions upon
millions OF fish. The day may never
come when nets can be used with impu-
nifty in Missouri waters, we do not
think it ever will, bat ii the people will
see that the law is enforced, and if they
will aid the fish commissioners by their
counsel and Information, it will not be
ten years before our rivers will be alive
with the very best of fish, thousands of
farm lakelets stocked with bass, salmon
and German carp, and q we'll cooked
fish be as common in the country as a
chunk Of tat bacon is to-day. THIS can
be done, and at a cost to the state SO
trliing as to be scarcely worth consid-
ering. The commissioners serve for
no recompense, they receive no salary,
and what they do is done pro bono
publico. The public can do no less
than to hold up their hands by helping
them to enforce the law. Unless this is
done they had as we'll cease further
effort, let the poachers have the waters
TOR a year or two, and after that-nihi.
The Lorain county. Ohio, democratic