Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-12-16
CAUSES CRUELTY.
The English Sparrow Shooting
for Bounty.
SMALL BOY BECOMES A NUISANCE

SMALL BOY BECOMES A NUISANCE
Ffequsnt Complaint Of Reeklessness and
Inhumanity-A Short Sighted LsEisla-
tive Provisioa In Operation City should
Protect Itself.
Complaint against the unrestricted
privileges accorded the small boy by
The legislature in its desire to re-
move the pestiferous English SPAR
row through the employment of fire.
arms is increasing. And there is,
rs THE ARGUS has time and again
said, abundant occasion for it. The
law permits the destruction of the
sparrow during the months of De-
cember, January and February, and
as an inducement offers a bounty of 2
cents on each head presented to the
proper authorities. The natural
is that nearly every
youth secures some sort of firearm
and makes use of his spare hours in
cunning for this prize bringing bird.
Shooting is permitted on the promi-
nent thoroughfares as well as in the
woods. The huntsmen of course
assemble where game is the most
plentiful. That invariably is in the
more populous section of the city,
where the little birds can more easily
obtain food. In their excited desire
to win the bounty placed on the
heads OF the birds the boys not only
become reckless in their zeal. but
prove a menace to public safety as
we'll as public nuisance. In fact
last winter the sparrow killing was
carried SO far by the ambitious small
boy that Mayor Medill gave orders
to the police to promptly arrest all
boys engaged in the practice within
the city limits. Thus the city was
enabled to hold the matter in check
for the time being, and it is about
time that something was being done
again.
Teaches Cruelty.
Aside from the annoyance and
danger involved in the practice OF
sparrow slaughter as encouraged by
shortsighted legislation, the cruelty
which it incites and instills into the
habits of the boys is factor of no
little consideration which has come
under public notice. 1t is not an
unusual spectacle boy jerking the
head from a partially wounded bird
and throwing the bloody head into
his pocket for the claim of two cents,
the head being all that is necessary
to get the fee which the state offers
for the head. 1t was prayerfully an.
ticipated that the late Legislature,
witnessing the error of its prede.
cessor in its method of dispaiching
and reducing the English importa.
ton of the bird kingdom, would
either modify or repeal the law, but
the solons who last assem- led al
Springfield seem to have been too
busy feathering nests of their own t.
think of taking up questions affect
ing the cause of humanity. Con
ceding that the sparrow is a nuisance
the state legislature has not lessened
it by encouraging a worse one in tn,
shape of the boy running at large
with a shot gun. to say nothing o
the total depravity as far as human
principles are concerned, which il
thus instilled into the youthful
mind. The city should again com,
to the side of public decency, as wei
as safety, and prohibit the shootin.
of birds within the corporate border
Of the municipality.
Kidding Us Of the Pest.
While perhaps there must needs b,
some form of cruelty in Kidding tn,
commonwealth of what is declared t,
be a pest, the legislature could hav,
clothed its provisions and restriction
as far as possible with consideration
for such humane observances as ar,
in keeping with the teachings of tn
civilization of the time. rather thai
resOrting to the barbarous practice
which are now encouraged. To offe
a premium for the eggs of sparrow
would have been a species of cruelt
and would in q measure have en-
Outraged the robbing of nests of in
nocent birds, but eventually the boy
would have learned the Englisl
sparrows' eggs at first glance. AM
becoming familiar it would in tn
end be a more practicable and les
obnoxious means of disposing of tn
pest than the one now in vogue.
Certificates for sparrows' head
have been issued to: Leonard Well
for SO birds; Oscar Jensen 81; Ashe
Huntley. 10; Blaine Bledsoe, "a
Willie Huntley. II; James Smythe
16; Louis Ritter, IA; Willie Letter
IL; Clyde Shippey, rs; Willie Miller
10; Howard kinyon. 81.
Jale Walters New Play