New-York tribune., 1900-11-20
PROTECTION FROM GAME SEEKERS.

Associations for the protection of game have
been doing excellent work in many States Of the
Union in recent years. AS a rule these organiza-
tions are made up of public spirited unselfish
and high minded citizens. who accomplish
valuable results by judlcious methods AS an
outcome of their disinterested labors the num-
Der of game birds and game animals has in
creased largely in American forests and wood
lands, and also upon the prairies and in the
haunts of wild creatures of all kinds which af-
ford exciting sport. But is it not time to
form associations for protection against game
seekers?
1t would be difficult to recall season in
which so many persons have been put to death
| or mangled by inexcusable carelessness on the
part Of hasty and inconsiderate hunters, who
fire off rifles or shotguns with little regard to
the safety Of human beings within range The
feversh and not headed sportsman who reck-
lessly discharges long range rifle at some
thing which he thinks may be deer because
he descrles a bit of color or notices the shaking
or a clump OF bushes at a distance, has been
| responsible for mournful record Of unfortu-
nate mishapS this autumn. And the too sudden
pressure on the trigger of the hammerIess fowl
ing piece, without taking care to see whether
some man or boy is in such a position that
he will De riddled with shot, while the swift
winged duck or grouse or quail escapes un-
harmed, has been much too frequent From the
Maine woods, from the Adirondack forests
from the ducking grounds of the Chesapeake.
from the pra1ries OF the West, the statistics Of
the killed and the wounded are narrowing and
startling as we'll
1t is painfully plain that too many deer stalk
ers lacking self-ccntrol and self-restraint and
too many purbnd Nimrods with dangerous
weapons Of varied types have been abroad in
the land. Is it not advisable then to set about
the organizing Of associations for protection
against the stray shots of the craZily excitable
ana excessively nervous persons who have been
on the prowl for game all over the country this
year! If the preservation and protection Of un-
tanned fowls and beasts are to be ACCOMPANIED
with shocking tables of accidents and INJURIES
1t may become a question whether the game
should not be exterminated unless wild hunts
men, filed with the frenzy Of buck fever" or
similar ailments, can be kept In leash. After all
it must be admitted that the preservation and
protection Of human life should be taken into
account before the guardianship Of the choicest
game that the world can produce
Were public sentiment to be so aroused TINT the
+ scatterbrained hunt3man who kills or mutilates
a human being by wanton misuse of his rife
or shotgun should 0e visited with severe num-
ishment, game seekers whose mental balance
and senses are so uncertain that they cannot ba
trusted TO go shooting might be frightened into
staying at no ne The motorman whose car
brings death or serious hurt to man, woman or
enid is usually arrested. as he should be- and
Is required TO clear himself from the blame of
negligence and Indifference IL he can So Of
the engineer in the cab of the locomotive engine
when railroad smash occurs. And a similar
course is followed If contractor is responsible
FOR the fall of a scaffold or the collapse of n
building when lives are lost or victims are erin
pied. How often is a hunsman who mains
or kills any one by the grossest carelessness
while In the pursuit of game held to severe
and exacting responsibility? Americans are too