The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1894-11-19
an OBJECT LESSON FOR EVERYONE.
WHAT Two Men and a Lot of Quail
Traps Can Do.
How they "Clean Out'' Localities as
They Go Along-CoId Storage
Men at Work.

-Four sportsmeu, who are not "nabobs'
and are not guilty of the crime of being
worth more than their prospective weekly
salaries, few days ago went up to Alder
Creek, near Folsom, for days shooting.
There they learned from residents of the
locality that two market hunters had
secured all that country over and over
since the season opened and had killed or
driven off nearly all the birds.
The four townsmen hunted for hours,
but found only few quail. They did
find, however, the remains of number
of traps, which told the story of quail
destruction.
The two market hunters referred to are
now SHINING the country few miles
from there, and if any of the four or five
hundred workingmen in this city who 60
afeld are thinking of having a quail
shoot, they may abandon all hope of find
ing birds in the vicinity of Alder Creek,
where once they were plentiful.
Now, who is being benefited by these
two lively market hunters? Perhaps
some apologist for those engaged in that
business Will answer. In this connection
the following paragraph from Portland
paper may be OF some interest:
"One game dealer in this city says that
the people cannot consume one-teutb of
the game that is being shipped TO the
markets, he alone having between 1000
and 5000 pheasants and quail now in cold
storage"
1t is pretty we'll understood in San
francisco that at the bottom OF the oppo-
sitlon that Is being manifested there to the
enactment OF wholesome game laws are
the men Interested in this cold storage
business. The racant Hppi nf ha
preme Court, to the effect that game can
not be legally kept in cold storage during
the closed season, was a severe blow to
the Class of men who kill game out of
season and then claim that it was killed
IN tho proper season and put on ice.
Under that decision one Los Angeles
hrm had TO disgorge thousands of quail
and many carcasses of deer that We're be-
ing sold right along, despite the closed
season. And now some of these illegal
traflickeis in wild game have, it is re-
ported, contributed money to be used in
lighting legislation looking to the passing
OF just laws for game protection. Thew
nave managed 10 get one San Francisco
paper to stand in with them, and for the
next two or three months the public NAV
expect TO be treated to weekly disserta-
tions on obnoxious English game Iaws.u
and all that sort of thing.
There Is, however, reason to believe
that the Legislature will enact an Ameri-
can law that will step between the people
and those who, from either mercenary
motives or pure wantonness, have been
rapidly destroying the wild game Of the
State, whether they be rich or poor. Ii
any bill should be introduced the effect
of which would be to abridge the rights of
any class OF citizens, it will have the
earnest opposition of the RECORD UNION,
This paper assisted in throtIling a bill at
the last session that SQnOht IN jtppoca Z,
license on all persons who went from one
county into another 10 shoot, and it would
do SO again.
The present State law is fairly good
one, Its chief fault being its ambiguity
and consequent difficulty in having it
properly construed by juries; also the
early date lSeplember lsU fixed for the
opening OF the shooting season. its best
features are negatived, however. by
clause in the County Government Act
which allows Supervisors to enact local
laws that wholly change the open and
closed seasons. This clause will probably
not be re-enacted.
Last summer there was held conyen-
ton, composed of delegates from nearly
all the counties, and, after several days
discussion oil the matter by men who UNI
derstand the subject, an excellent bill
was drafted for submission TO the Legis-
lature. Ii it should become the law
there will be little ground for complaint
by any man who is disposed to play
fair" with his fellow men.
That convention was composed of rep
resentatlve citizens. They quickly and
vigorously suppressed proposition to
allow uninclosed tracts of land to be pro-
tected against the public who might de-
sire to hunt thereon. Ii the Legislature
Will be governed by the advice of that
convention it will make no mistakes.