The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-09-16

to get an uniform law passed for that
purpose, to take the place OF the IA" as
It then existed. which varied from c1unty
to county, according as one should odss
county boundaries. A bill was at once
drafted to take the place OF the several
and respective, statute laws which es-
listed. to be found in the statutes as lfl,d
down in the Code OF 1887, and IN the &c.
of, each successive Legislature down ~
the present time. That meeting and INC
committee realized that nobody coutu
know what the game law of the Staee
was with reference to any particular
locality without an exhaustive search pc
ing made through all these sources. Ihts
bill was placed in the hands OF delegate
in the House and of Senator IN tHe
Senate and was promptly introduced IN
both bodies, and this committee from the
League went before the Lee, stature day
after day, repeatedly before the commit
tees of the House and Senate having tie
matter In charge, urging a passage or
tn law. The committee met with much
enccura cement. but with many obstacles.
.he oI,ief Of which seemed to he the want
of interest that legislators seemed to
take in the subject
It Will be recalled that during this time.
mary communications Appeared IN the
press. written from different sections If
the State. many OF them violently OPP
posing the adoption CT the game law as
recommended by the Virginia League: as
though the protection of game were a
new thing and an infringement upon the
rights of persons in their own property.
with which many of them considered that
they had the right to do as and when they
chose. OF course, Mr.. Editor. the pro-
lection of game in this state Is no new
thing. it is no new thing in any State of
TTroio IN {,,Sy- ;,, {t,o
General Assembly of Virginia. as early as
1872. for the protection of game. and just
how long the State had general law
governing the subject, we do not know,
but for at least half a century
The general law recommended failed.
we were assured by our friends of the
Legislature, for want of time to get 1t
through.
The Acts of the Assembly have been
now published and circulated. We have
examined a copy of them to find out what,
If anything, was done with respect to the
protection of cartridges Cor quaiD. The
Acts of the last Assembly make volume
larger than the Code of Virginia 1t con-
tains 1.499 pages. We looked at once to the
index for cartridges" and not finding
that, for Quail" and we could not find
that; and yet we were we'll assured thai
many laws had been passed by the Legis-
lature affecting that subject. So that, with
a determination to find out what was done,
we began with the book, page by page,
and discovered that from first to last six
teen laws were passed for the protection
of cartridges Cor quaiD in several of the
counties and sections of Virginia. We do
not know whose the fault, but is 1t not
lamentable, Mr.. Editor, that an index pre-
pared to so large volume should not re-
fer the reader to the place where the sub
jects might be found? We do not profess
!, y0rY fNr &Io ffn-
that were not legisated for at the last
session is, because, as stated, that would
have to be hunted for from the Code of
1887 to the present time, that is. in the acts
for six or seven sessions of the Legisla-
ture, and these, seem afford no index
to the subject These sixteen acts give
the following hunting or open season for
partrdges Cor quaiD, viz:
Mecklenburg, 18th of October to 1st of
March.
Dinwiddie. LIST Of November ;. to 1st Of
February.
Princess Anne 18th Of November to LIST
of February.
Albemarle, LIST Of November to 1st OF
January.
Bedford, 1st of November to 18th Of
January
Lee, 18th Of November to 18th of Jan
uary.
Caroline. 1st of November to LIST of
February.
Hanover, 1st of November to 1st Of
February.
Henrico. list of November to list Of
February.
Roanoke, 1st of November to LIST of jan
uary.
Accomac, 18th Of November to 18th Of
January.
northampton, 18th of November to 18th
of January.
Norfolk County, 18th of November to
list Of February.
Nelson, 1st of November to 1st Of Feb
ruary.
Allegheny. LIST of November to 18th of
December.
Augusta, 1st Of November to 18th Of De-
cemher
Bath, list of November to 25th of De-
cember.
Botetourt, LIST of November to 18th of
December.
Highland, 1st Of November to 18th OF
December.
Rockbridge, 1st of November to 18th of
December
Greensville, LIST of November to 18th of
February.
Sussex. 1st Of November to 18th of
February.
This list covers twenty-five counties, and
it will be seen that only one has the sea-
son beginning earlier than the period re-
commended by the League. viz: Mecklen-
burg, October 18th. All the rest begin
November 1st OF 18th. The season is made
to close early in the counties beyond the
Blue Ridge. That is as it should be, by
reason OF the SHOWS that usually cover the
ground in the month of January It would
be entirely proper to have natural boun-
Diary line, such as the Blue Ridge Noun
tains, to govern the limit beyond; and
! this was conceded by members of our COM
mttee in their efforts before the Legisla-
ture.
It will be conceded that the best way
to enforce law to protect game is to haye
man in the cities of the State, who Will
watch the market and restaurants and see
that no game is there for sale during the
closed period But under such a state of
things as the above, if warden goes to
the market in this city in February and
finds birds exposed for sale. the ready. re-
ply would be that those birds were killed
in Mecklenburg or Powhatan, or some
county where the limit Is extended to the
1st of March This shows at once the vice
OF this kind of law. and If the sportsmen
of the State wish to see protection law
that will protect, they must get some uni
&1,a d.