The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-11-20


EVERY year our Legislators take a hitch
at the game laws, and in nearly every in
stance they make a mess of it. One of
the bright enactments of last year was
that protecting game" to such an extent
that it is made misdemeanor to go out of
the state with any in possession. The ex-
cuse for passing this fool law was that
other states had such statute and we
must have it to protect our game and
keep gunners from other states from CON-
ing here and taking our rabbits and quails
away. If the preservation of the game
were the main object nobody would OBJ
ject, but in attempting to keep foreign
gunners from encroaching the law prevents
a person from carrying out any game he
may have purchased. Already this sea-
son several gunners have been ap-
pretended by the vigilant detectives who
prefer to do the dirty work connected with
such arrests rather than get an honest
living. and who, as the season opens,
haunt the ferries at Camden in search of
victims who possibly are ignorant of the
law We do not believe this law is con-
stitutional. No state has right to pre-
vent the purchase in one state and the
carrying to another of game any more
than it has to say that a man shall not buy
certain clothing in the same way, yet as
the law now stands, the innocent pur-
chaser, the person to whom some game has
been presented, or the resident gunner
who desires to present choice bit to
friend. connot carry it over the ferry. If
he attempts to do so he is seized and fined.
no matter what may be the honesty of his
intentions-the law does not admit of any
honesty in the matter. The law may
may have been passed with good inten
tions, but the only persons who have thus
far benefited by it are the hounds who
hang around the ferries and pounce upon
the unwary. Perhaps the express com
panies may have had hand in the matter,
as there is a proviso allowing game to go
out in unbroken packages in the hands of
common carriers
AMONG the items criticised at the meet
three for services in securing correct re-
turns from election districts. One of the
members of the County Board of Registry
volunteered the statement that the Clerk
was compelled by law to get the correct
returns The case was this In three
voting districts the officers had not sent
correct returns, in one instance the vote
for Auditor was omitted entirely, in
another the name of the Democratic can,
didate for Assembly was returned as
Mash" In order that these returns
might be correct the special messenger
was sent out. The law does not provide
for anything of this sort. Section 100
does provide for sending special mes
senger in case any statement is missing
entirely, and another section provides a
heavy penalty for the officer failing to
send his papers in. In one of the cases
above referred to it was clearly the fault
of the election officers. If reports are true |
the wonder is that any returns were made |
out at all This is but the verifcation of
the fact that two-thirds of the men ap- |
pointed to positions on election boards are
not fit for the place. Yet the parties go
right on, year after year, and appoint Of
ficers without regard to their fitness; that
they are ward workers is all the qualifica-
tion that seems to be necessary. There is
not the slightest doubt that the County |
CLERK acted in good faith when he sent
out to get the correct returns and it does
not seem fair to compel him to foot the
bill, but the proper thing would have been
to deduct the amount of extra pay from
the salary of the fellows who did not at
tend to their duties in legal manner.
Aud especial attention should be paid to
the point of ability in the appointment OF
election officers. Burlington is not the
only county affected. The Paterson Neaos
has this TO comment: 1T is simply scan
dalous thing for either party. Democratic