The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-08-15

United States are considered sufiic lently
| Injurious 10 require radical measures for
/ thtlr determination. Wolves. coyotes,
panihrrs, bears and lynxcs are very de-
structivc hut perhaps de- not cause great
/ cr loss than gTound s,Iuirrcls, pocket
I gophers, rabbits and wood chucks. The
most plausible and persistent demands
Tor protection from the dcprcdatinus Of
/ Wild animals have come from oWn.rs OF
sheep and cattle and many vf the bounty
laws have been enacted oStensihly 10 en-
courage sheep raising. Mr. Palmer says:
No doubt this Industry has many claims
for protection. but a. may b~ noted that
| the most urgent demand for hountlcs in
\ the West have come not from the farm
ers or owners of small nocks. bur from
| cattle and sheep men whose immense
herds and nocks are pastured ON govern
ment land, and who claim that the cost
of protecting their herds aud hucks
should be borne by the county or state.
In some regions the losses on account NJ
wolves and coyotes are 50 serious as to
threaten the success of the sheep indus
try In eastern Washington the grain
fields and orchards are damaged every
year by ground squirrels 10 the extent
Of hundreds Of thousands Of dollars. and
the losses are scarcely less in some parts
OF California. Montana and North Da-
kota.
Since 1sss bounty laws have been passed
In increasing numbers by nearly all the
states and territories. with the develop
ment OF the West and the increase In cat
tie and sheep raising the necessity for ex-
terminating wolves and coyotes has be-
come more apparent. Immense numbers
OF these animals have been killed In Mon
tana. North Dakota. South Dakota, wy
oming and Colorado. but they still seem
to be very numerous. This legislation has
proved not only ineffective, hut extremely
expensive The state and county bounty
against predatory animals has been tried
In Minnesota. Montana. California and
North Dakota. and each case the result
has been disastrous to the treasury.
Montana IL named by Professor Palmer
as one Of the states In which the expense
OF bounties ON wild animals are very
heavy. II Is also one OF those from which
| Il has been possible To obtain complete
reports. Montana had paid In all si75.5s,
| In bountics to the end ~ 1896. The only
states which had exceeded this expen-
diture were California with ssl03,5: Wis
consin. with $3l3, 5oc and Minnesota with
sbs,. 23s.
"on. ~ the mos, difficult matters 10
r.,ula,e I'm .onn.ctlon with bounty leg
,sl,tl,n is IN. rnt, al,ow.d for scalps.
| N IN. r.ward ~ ,oo law ther, IL no in
ducemen, 10 destroy noxlous animals.
| ana the law h..,omes nractIcnllv inonera
,,y. This WAS IN. case with the Nom
ION. ,c, n, M. uhioh ,,nare,tIv fa,iea
.n,I,,,v as th, r.norts Of IN. ,ounty
,r.,sur.rs fan IA show the .xp.ndjtur. of
a s,,,,,. dollar for hounti.s during IN,
| ION, y..ar. m. Inv r.maiu.d an th. stat
u,., hool. n ~, tho other hand IN.
rat. l. too hiyh Tn. resu,ts arr, mast dis.
.s,ro,s Natr.asury can stand the drain
,,,,s.i he q high hounty for any length
! NJ tipe Th. prai,ie dog and sauirr,
houn,v law Of Montana passed In lSs,
r.mained I'm force but six months before
IN. funds IN the treasury were exhausted.
| The covot. bounty of iNe not only ex-
haus,.d the regular Approximation of
A, IN hut n.cesaitatcd "A deficiency APP
nro,rlatIon of az l9 10 nay the claims
| which wer. nr,sented against the state.
| ..,rb. nnpli,ant Ia usually required to
s,at. under onth where IN. animal was
killed and In Nontana he must also lle
afpdavlts nj two resident taxpayers of
the county who are acquainted With him
and who belieye the animal TO have been
Killed as claimed. Tn. Montana law de-
cIares IN. alteration or counterfeiting OF
scaIp certificates to be forgery: swearing
falsely To afadayits. perjury. punishable
bv imprIsonment from one to ten years
wbi,. Matching or presenting punched
skins n. defined AS a mIsdemeanor pun.
ishnbl. by a fine not exceeding 500 OF
imnrisonment for not more than three
montbs. With all these precautions
against fraud no reference is made "a
raising animals for bounty. n matter
which has some times given rise to Sc.
rious trouble hut which Is expressly
mentioned In the laws OF only a few
states"
In con,nslon Professor Palmer rroupes
hts ob,.,tion. 10 TN. bounty system under
four main heads: Tn. expense. which Is
usua,,v ant ~ all proportion TO the ben..
0a, gained and may he greater than ths
coun,y or state can afrord. II is impossi.
nh. Ia maintain bount,es I'm all parts of
m. animals range for any length OF
lime Enual rates are impossible In al
s,,,.s Payments for animals Importe,
from other states for counter.
,a,, scains for for animals raise,
ssne.ially for the bounty. cannot
he preyenteJ These objections have new
-, -. ,,i,,.,, ,hro,.h an. or ano,h,.,