The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-05-03

vermin of some kind. Quails have been
killed about the wheat fields whose crans
were found filled with chinch bugs. Prairie
chickens have been killed on the prairies
whose craws were nlled with grasshoppers.
The rufifed grouse, which inherits the deep
woods, Is a persistent enemy 10 bugs.
beetles and Erubs OF various kinds. Even
the crow, which is despised by many un-
thinking farmers Is "a persistent grubber
and worm eater. Some OF the greatest scien-
fists in the world nave predicted that II
all the bird life on this continent were
destroyed the continent would within a
few years become uninhabitable by rea-
son OF the great armies of bugs and worms
which would overrun il.
Il have said sportsmen are equally to
blame with women for the rapid Cisap-
pearance of our birds. ! am deyoting nay
life 10 the protection. not only of song
and insectivOrous birds, but of game birds.
In order TO save these from determination
il is necessary to curtail the privileges OF
the sportsmen 10 a minimum. l am. there
fore, advocating the enactment OF laws
shortening the legal seasons Tor shooting
10 sixty days in each year, ana llmltlnS
the number of birds which any man may
Kill in a day To ten or fifteen at most. ana
the number which he may Kill IN a season
10 nifty, or 100 at most. The greatest need,
however. is TO stop the sale of game. Such
a proposition as mat may meet with DIS
FAVOR IN the minds of many good people IN
this audience. No doubt you all enjoy d
hot bird occasionally and If il were not an
absolute necessity TO prohibit the sale Of
game l should certainly be glad that you
4A4cht 1A nave the privilege. Out ali iI.A
VINO nave studied this question OF bird pro-
lection carefully agree that We must sub
nit to one of two propositions:
MUST STOP SALE OF GAME.
W must stop the sale of game, or
see a dozen of the most important species
of game birds wiped off the face of tie
earth within the next five years. Note for
instance the prairie chicken. Twenty years
ago this bird was abundant throughout
the northern tier of counties of your state
and all over Illinois. You might then easily
have found a dozen, or perhaps fifty covies
in a days walk through the fields: or even
In a day drlNe along country roads in
June, July, August OF september. Later IN
the fail, or in the winter. YOU could readily
see packs OF 5NJ TO 5O bros feeding on the
corn shocks, or sailing across the prairies.
You may put in ali OF next June,
july. august ana September searching
through your noTthern counties, or through
Illinois, and l doubt ii you will find half
a dozen coVleS. You may spend all OF next
Idll and winter hunting Tor these birds
through the same regions, and you GER
tainly would not lind a pack OF hfty any
where, possibly not twenty-five. And what
Is true OF the prairie chicken may be said of
the quail. the woodcOck, the. ruIfed grouse,
the woouduck and several species of wild
ducks. A few years ago the wild turkey
was abundant all through the timbered
portions OF your State ana of illinois. To-
day the best hunter in either State could
not iind ten of these grand birds in a month
or persistent hunting. 1 doubt il ne could
lind one. The wild turkey is the king of
American game birds: yet he has been en-
tirely eXterminated in several States where
he was formerly abundant, ana he will
disappear from the continent i'm five years
more unless more stringent measures are
taken for his protection. L repeat, then,
we must stop the sale of game IN order TO
save these species from utter extermina-
IT is not the real sportsman who is
viping out the game. 1t is the game hog
and the market hunter. We must ~legislate
these bird destroyers out OF existence. We
must also abolish the game dealer, and We
are doing il Just as rapidly as possible. The
League of American Sportsmen has alone
secured the passage OF laws in a dozen
States during the past winter which pro-
hibit the sale of game at all times. and We
shall have such laws on the statute books
O. every State and Territory in the Union
in five years more.
ut seems strange that the birds should
have to appeal TO the man behind the gun
To save their lives. Yet such is the case to-
day. The League of American Sportsmen
is doing as much TO protect song and in
sectivorous birds as game birds. In the
past year it has prosecuted and convicted
800 men for violations of various game and
fish laws. and a large percentage of these
men were prosecuted for killing song and
insectivOrous birds.
This league secured the passage of the
Lacey bird law. Mr.. Lacey will tell you so
himself if you ask him. | have said he
fought for six years in the halls of Con-
gress to secure the enactment of his bill
for the protection of birds. This league
was organized in the spring of 1898. but did
not acquire sufficient strength and numbers
10 really make itself felt until the latter
part of 1899. Then il went to work for Mr..
Lacey's bill. and il brought such a power
to bear on all the members of both houses
Of Congress that they finally decided TO
pass this hill. Many members told Mr..
Lacey that no measure introduced in Con-
gress during their official life had brought
them so many letters and kilograms as his
bird bill. When this bill came TO a vote I'm
the House there were only eighteen votes
against it. and there was not "A single one
against il in the Senate. This shows what
a great body of determined men can do
when they put on their war paint"