The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-07

To the Editor of the Indianapolis journal:
1 wish to take UP enough space in your
paper to answer some of the people who
have been criticising the fish law recently.
L noticed one letter particularly, signed by
a gentleman named "Ino," who halls from
the vicinity of Franklin. This learned gen.
tleman makes two statements that l think
are of enough Importance to warrant
denial. One is that the present fish law
was enacted and is operated in behalf Of
a wealthy class Of sportsmen and the other
is that strict enforcement of the law
will cause an increase of the use of dyna-
mite as a means of killing fish. Now if this
man really knew as much as the nom de
plume behind which he hides his identity
would indicate he would know he is wrong
in both statements. J. happen to know that
the men who are charged with enforcing
the law are prosecuting the guilty, rich or
poor, alike. But the theory of this master
of knowledge seems to be that the poorer
people haven't an even chance with the
city sportsmen because they cannot afford
to buy expensive fishing outfits. Now, III
venture to say that there will be five hum
dred men read this, every one of whom
can remember having been at some time
seated on a creek or river bank with a
fancy reel and had some ragged farmers
line and a Is cents per hundred hook and
catch three fish to his one. The fact is
these fish commissioners care nothing
about the city sportsman They are en-
gagged in an earnest effort to protect fish
as a food product. Fish were created and
placed in the water for the use of all man
kind that any and all might use them that
choose TO go to the trouble of catching
them. This gentleman who knows it all
probably does not know how many people
there are in Indiana who are nearly de-
pendent on fish for food. If he desires to
of knowledge let him take trip down the
Wabash river through the counties of
Fountain, Parke and Vermillion and see the
number or striking coal miners camped
along the river. If he should happen to
feel hungry he can stop at any of those
camps and get a dinner, supper or break
fast composed of weak coffee. corn bread
and fish, He will face similar bill OF fare
every time he stops at one OF those camps.
sionerS of prosecuting only the wealthy peo-
pie who can pay fines. "lno can probably
remember when any one could take a hook
and line and in few hours time catch
streams of the State. Now one may fish for
hours at a time and he will be in big luck
If any person is ambitious to also become
a walking compendium Of knowledge he
can make a good beginning by arming him.
self with a grab hook and going over the
rivers about the time they are rising. He
will find that almost every little creek emp
tying into the river will have a wing net
stretched across its mouth and will find
hoop nets set in all places where fish are
likely to pass. With the aid of a pencil
he can probably "igger out" why fish are
so scarce and are constantly becoming
scarer. People used to laugh when it was
even suggested that there might come a
time when the vast herds of bunaloes that
roamed the Western prairies would become
exterminated by constant killing. Still, in
less than thirty years they have become al
most entirely extinct The other PROPOSE
tion submitted by this gentleman is that a
strict enforcement of the law will cause
an increase of dynamiting / freely admit
that there are many things in this world
[ don't know, and one of them is how
can a dynamiter hope to elude the vigil
lance of the commissioners when men fish
ing with nets and senes can't do it. There
is absolutely no noise created in using nets
and seines, and the explosion of dynamite
can be heard for miles. 1 imagine if
fish commissioner should hear q dynamite
explosion he would not lose much time in
getting to the scene, and II on arriving he
found men picking UP fish, l expect they
would have whole lot of trouble in con-
Vincing him they were not the guilty par
ties. / would make any kind OF bet that
there are more fish caught in one night
with nets in the State of Indiana than there
are killed with dynamite in whole year
Still there are certain class of people
who are opposed TO the established order
of things and they can be depended or to
kick at all times and on all occasions
CiAS. L. HASTINGS.
IL