Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-07-03
STATE HOUSE.
Fish and Game Commissioners
Review Snowman Matter.
They Again Refuse a Guides License
to Elmer Snowman.
hog Cholera Mas No One 10 Care for IL
Assessors Assignments.

The fish and game commissioners fool
oflcial action on the case of E,lm.,
snowman, the Franklin county yuiao
VINO has caused them SO much trouhl,
and when they refused a license n short
| 'lihe ago on account Of his actiony
since that time they have caused bjs ar
rest and he was convicted of puidino
without a license. He has appeaIed and
me case is now pending in tho law
courts 80"
Inc review given of the matter by tba
commissioners in their official renort md
"eclSion on the case, which is given bero
| with, VIII give all their reasons fnr A.
| ing as they did
The decision says:
I, +bo Augusta. June 80. 1899.
- - me matter OF the application Of IN
ller Tbr Snowman for registration as guiJa
ne papers on file in the Office of tba
! commissioners in this case and tho f,nt .
cctherWlse appearing, show thai Elmer
Erowlhah FroyLnr OF Ranseley, in the county Of
vcarH ,'r.>'t" ~ ~. = hatiTe Of Maine and then 40
| itsiStttti as a guide under the provis-
ION OF the law of 1897. chapter 262
re was duly registered on the 18th day
OF July. his certificate Of registration he-
ing numbered 7S2. on or about the fr..t
day of December of that wear there was
10 ms ad"resS with a stamped en-
Velope enclosed, a blank on which to
''i'Ne 'he return TO the commissioners as
required by law. He neglected and re-
i"Seu /" make any return. though per
sonaliy urged to do so by the local war.
ueh ana one Of the commissioners. VIII,
stated TO him that his refusal to mako
the report required by the statutes would
pe considered cause sufficient for refu
sai 10 grant him a certificate of regis
fation the ensuing year. Notwithstand-
ing TINS ana the notwithstanding his re-
luSal TO make the report he filed an an
phcatlon 10 be registered as a guide for
the year 1888. the date Of this applica ton
being June 10. On June q, the commits
sioners at their regular meeting fully
considered his application and sent him
the following communications:
Elmer Snowman. Guide,
Rangeley, Me.
Dear Sir: At the regular meeting of th,.
commissioners Of inland fisheries ana
game June p, your application for reg
istration as a guide for the wear com
inencing July l. ls9s. was fully consid-
The decision of the board is that yo,,
cannot be granted certificate until you
comply with the law relating to the re-
port called for by the commissioners
Inc commissioners Were forced To the
conclusion that your refusal to comply
with this plain provision of the law was
wilfnl, from the fact that you had 4
blank report sent YOU by mail in proper
season. with courteous request To till I
out and return with an addressed
stamped envelope. and also the warden
went personally - you and requested the
report; ana further the chairman Of th-
board in talking with You about this
matter. only last week, told You that yo,:
had better make tn" report.
The commissioners do not deem 4 per-
son suitable, within the meaning OF tn
law, TO act as a guide who willfully
openly and detiantly violates the plain
and unequlVocal manda ate of the statutes
The Legislature seemed to deem it of
great Importance that the guides should
make reports 50 that the people Of III"
State who are called upon to pay tho
game might understand something of the
magnitude of this industry.
We trust however that YOU Will think
conclude that it is best for you to COM
ply with the law.
/ will add that you are the only guide
in Maine who has refused to make this
report. Please find enclosed one dollar,
registration fee, which YOU sent to this
office.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
l.. T. CARLETON, Chairman.
Dictated.
Mr. Snowman continued to engage IN
the business of guiding after being no
titled of the decision of the commission
ers, until he was arrested, some time iat-
err arraigned before the local court az
Rangeley and was bound over to await
the action of the grand jury at the Sep
tember term of the supreme 1udicial
conrt at Pennington, in the county oi
Franklin He was indicted, tried ana
found guilty by the jury at this cour'
Executions were filed by his counsel ana
the case is nqw pending in the law court
to b, heard in July of this year, at Port
land: we are informed that after MS ar
rest he did more or less guiding and he
made M report for 1898 as required by
law on the 22d day of April. 1899 ne
6Iad an application for registration In
this anplication was the question as fol-
lows. ..Will YOU send such report as
| called for and when called for? HIS
answer was. 1T depends what is called
for
He was unanimously refused registra-
| ton Nevertheless he continued to en-
| gaoa in the business of guiding from
| about Nav | until June 3, when ne was
arrested on complaint of the chairman ol
| the commissioners, was tried ana CON
yicted and sentenced.
He filed an appeal, though not denying
| tbe charge. Immediately after he hied
another application for registration. IN
| receipt of this application the commiS-
| sioners sent him blank reports Tor the
vaars 1897 and 1898. These he failed 10
make out as required by law on June
| u he was asked to appear before the
! commissioners at Rangeley to make any
| statement he desired relative to MS last
,np,ication for registration. He amend
! al his reports in several important par
ticuIars He stated frankly to the COM
missioners that he proposed to do every
| thing he could to break down the law
that it was tyrannical, unjust and detr'-
| mental TO the State; that the game laws
in general were not worthy the consider
alton of decent people, and much more
| in the same line.
lie has made the State all the expense
nossible in the two prosecutions against
him.
The point to be considered in this case