The record-union., 1896-08-30
PROTECT THE GAME.

PROTECT THE GAME.
A well-known citizen of Sacramento,
who works at his trade during the
spring, summer and fall months, but
puts in the midwinter at shooting for
the market, takes exception to a refer
ence recently made in these columns to
"a class of men who would shoot game
in and out of season, if only they could
thereby put few dollars in their pock-
cts and avoid prosecution"
This gentleman makes the mistake of
assuming that the criticism was in
tended for all market hunters. The
Record Union" should not be accused
of doing that, for it is too we'll informed
on the subject to blunder in such a
way, and too fair to make so unWar
ranted an assertion.
Like the gentleman referred to-whom
we have known for a quarter Of a CEN
tury-there are many men shooting for
the market who are sportsmen at heart
and would not violate the game laws,
though they might, from a selfish stand
point, feel that such laws were not just
what they should be. This feeling is
natural enough, perhaps, for there are
few laws Of an inhibited character that
are not regarded by someone as being
unjust.
There are, we say, many men that
shoot for the market who obey the laws
from their sense of good citizenship, but
unfortunately there are others who
have no respect for them and will go far
out Of the way to evade and violate
them. This is the class of men re-
RI hx1f ha Int ma
none other If the Record Union" has
at any time been understood to con-
denim market hunters as a class, such
| understanding has been false and I'M
warranted.
Men may differ as to the propriety or
business Of that provision of the law
that restricts market hunting to two
months of the OPEN season of four
months. It is a new thing in this State
and could hardly be expected to operate
without more or less friction for the
| first season or two, but such a law has
been found necessary in almost every
other State in the Union, while in some
no market shooting is allowed at all.
This provision Is based on the princi-
pie Of the greatest good to the greatest
| number. The greater number is of
course those who do not shoot for the
| market. A half-dozen energetic and ex-
| pert market hunters in any particular
locality are able to secure the cream of
the shooting almost before the general
public is aware that the shooting sea-
| son is on. They rent the best duck
ponds, and the average citizen finds,
when he wants to go out for days
shoot, that the birds, instead of being
on the ponds, are either hanging up in
the markets or had been dumped into
the bay.
BY an ingenious system the big COM
mission merchants manage to keep
down the supply and keep up the prices
to the buyer, SO that poor men can
not afford to go to the markets for
game for their tables. Beside, they like
an occasional days outing, and prefer
to bag little game for their own USE
| The question that confronted the
convention at which the market hunting
clause was adopted and recommended
| to the Legislature was, What is best
for the public at large, taking into con-
| sideration the possibilities of the fu-
ture?" OF course, as before stated, the
| result of the conventions deliberations
has not been acceptable to the market
hunters, as a class, and the Legisla-
ture has been abused in some quarters
/ for it's action. Sportsmen, too have
come in for a big share of this abuse,
the allegation being that a few club
men want all the privileges. AS if it
We're something awful for men to club
together for mutual pleasure
| No greater mistake could be made.
The convention that recommended the
| course taken by the Legislature was
composed of a very few club representa-
tives, but chiefly of citizens selected by
the Governor of the State and County
| Boards of Supervisors. They were rep
| resentative citizens, called from all
walks in life, and were not in the in
terest of any class-certainly, the So
called "nabob" element was conspicu-
ously absent.
One thing has been demonstrated.
namely-that State and local restrictive
laws have caused a sudden and marked
increase of game, whereas a few years
ago, under the go-as-you- please system,
| the almost total determination of wild
| game seemed to be close at hand.
| There is no necessity for anyone in
dulging in invective or abuse in the con-
sideration of this question. The pres
ervation of game is a very important
matter to the people of the State, and
the methods to be adopted to that end
should be calmly and carefully consid-
cred. The everyday class of citizens
have control of the matter, and there is
little or no danger of their permitting
any class to oppress them. Our Legis-
latures are more likely to be too care
less rather than oppressive in such mat
/ ters.