The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-05-08
Ridicule and Opposition
Overcome.
Mr.. Lacey's Speech Upon the
Measure.

uPKcrAL TO the rREssJ
Washington, May 7.-Mr. John v.
Lacey, OF Iowa, has suoosded In getting
through the house the legislation which
is known % the third bill" There WAS
for q time much laughter ct Mr.. Laosy's
expense over this bill During the Fifty
fifth Congress this ridicule, coupled Win
some impracticabls features In the bill
then proposed, defeated all legislation
on the subject. In this Congress Mr..
Lacey hes devoted much thouRht and
care {, the subject and has performed
an act Of most useful statesmanshipA He
has not only siienoed the opponents Of
the measure. but has overcome the Fidi-
cule. He convinced the Houss that the
bill was wise and Important. The plan
IL to supplement- stste game and protso-
tion laws BY national legislation dspriv-
ing those svading local laws Of the privi-
lsges Of inter-stats commerce. This II
the method used 70 break mp the original
package liquor business In prohibition
states.
In the Senate the bill viii be under
char 60 Of Senator Hoar. OF Massaohu-
sets.
| A. the legislation interest everyone
who Ii friend Of the birds. this spssch
which Mr.. Lacey made In the Houss
when the bill passed, 10 Of interest:
Il Na kat haa ~ AZ - n
good deal OF interest In vaslous sections
OF the country. horticult urists. Agrtoul-
turists. and lovers Of birds evtrywhsrs,
and also the League Of American Sports
men, and others Interested In game and
the protection Of game all over the
i United States have been strongly enlist
ed In its support
Briefly. the bill provides for few pur-
poses only. Fret, it authorizes the SEQ
Rotary Of Agriculture to utilize his de-
partmsnt for the rs-introduction Of birds
that have become locally extinot OK are
becoming so In some parts Of tbs United
States. There arc come kinds Of inssc-
tlserous birds and some kinds Of game
birds, that heretofore were abundant In
n any localities, which have become very
scarce indeed, and In some localities en-
tirely exterpinated. The wild pigeon,
lions has entirely disappeared from the
faos Of the earth. Some hopeful enthu-
| BLASTS have claimed that the pigeon would
again be heard from In South America.
but there seems to b no well-groundsd
basis for this hope. In some localities
tiIely disappsared. This bill gives the
Secretary Of Agriculture power to aid
| In the re-introduotion. which, think,
| will prove . useful adjunct to the action
Of the states which have undertaken the
preservation of the native wild birds.
4 Nn~ "a MN In ha htIl d kn
allow the Secretary Of Agriculture 70
control the importation Of foreign wild
birds and foreign Wild animals. II this
law had bean In force at the time the
mistake was made in the Introduction
Of the English sparrow We should have
I ence OF that frat Of the air." that YER
min Of the atmosphere. But some gentle
men who thought they knew better than
any body else what the country needed
saw tt to import these little pests, and
they have done much toward driving the
| native wild bird life cut Of the States
1his bill provides that the Secretary may
prevent the Importation Of the fruit bat,
or the flying fox, the English sparrow,
the star)ing. aud other birds OF that
kind, which, in his discretion, he may
regard a. detrimental.
The necessity for provision Of this
kind IL obvious. The mongocse, mis-
cradle, murderous animal that was intro
duoed for the purpose Of killing snakes In
Jamaica-py the way, one member OF the
House asked me the other day day what
kind Of o bird the mongoose was
nuisance and q pest worse than the ser
pent that 1t kills. 1t drove the rats In
Jamaica to the trees, and the rat now
there has become an arboreal animal.
The rat still exists and keeps out OF the
way of the mopsooss. But the birds OF
the islaId have bssn almost destroyed by
| this imported pest. Now, proper oon-
troll on the part OF the Secretary u Ag-
riculturs would prevent the Importation
of injurious foreign animals. some gen.
tlemen In California have suggested the
porpriaty of introducing the fruit bat or
the Tying fox there. and this bill would
prevent their importation. They would
prove as great nuisance as the English
| rabbits 10 Australia aud the Scotch
thistle In Canada. Some patriotic son of
Scotland wanted to sec II the thistle
would grow In Canada. He tried 1t. and
there 10 NO dispute about 1t now. 1t
grows In Canada.
There 10 q com pensation In the distxi-
button Of plants, birds. and animals BY
the God OF nature. Mans attempt to
change and interfere often leads to seri-
Gus results. The French pink was In
troduced e. flower In Oregon, and 1t
has spread throughout the wheat fields
and become an injury 10 Agriculture.
The English yard pfantain has become q
great evil in New ZEALAND.
Rabbits were introduced in Australia,
and today the most persistent efforts are
nsoe ssary to keep them within sndurable
limits. The Russians thistle 10 spreading
with great rapidity In the Dakobas, and
though this plant has finally proven to
have some value for forage, yet the people
of the Northwest would be glad IL that
plant had never found footing In that
region.
10 IL Important that the introduction Of
foreign wild birds and animals should
be under competent legal supervision,
and this bill will accomplish that result
TIE next proposition in the bill, and that
Is the vital one Of all, ID 20 prohibit In
ter-state commerce In birds and wild
gams-that is, inssctiverous ussful
birds, and wild Rane birds. aud wild
game Of any kind killed Ia violation OF
local laws. Take the state OF Gsorgia,
hal ba fad Rt1lI Il fnu