The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-03-02
Lax Game Protection in the
South.

LIZA oOihO NV
South.
Below we publish an excellent arti-
Gle on game in the South and the lax
protection our laws extend to them.
Some months back the Banner-D Dem
ocrat urged upon our people the i'm
portance of protecting the game of the
parish. but the whole affair wound up
in wind. We hope that the talked-of
hunters club will be organized. and
that a perusal of the following arti-
Gle will tend to a strict enforcement of
the game regulations which may be
adopted:
As matter of nature, there is no
better small game country on the con-
tinent than the territory OF the South
ern States. They have a rare favor
able climate. plenty of covor and plen-
ty of game food. Only ordinary care
is needed to preserve the game. and. to
increase it. slight addition of strin-
gency to the laws and their enforce
ment. Thirty years ago there was no
Southern States. from Virginia to the
Gulf. in which excellent shooting and
fishing were not to be had for the
trouble of seeking them. Even in the
most thickly settled portions, deer,
wild turkey and quail were abundant
in season, At present. if the sports
man wishes a full bag, be must. in
general, seek those parts of the land
which are timbered and which the
farms are sparce.
The upper classes Of the whites re-
spect the game law. but the lower
classes do not. and the negroes pay no
attention to it at all The cheapening
of firearms and explosives has resulted
in bringing weapons and ammunition
within the reach of the blacks. and. in
and out of season, they are tireless pur
suers. The negro who shoots upon the
wing is rarely seen, yet the race as a
whole is learned in the ways of bird
and beast and is fatal to both. The
white man of the South is good nat
ured. 1t is not often that he will take
the trouble to bring to justice the vio-
lators of the law. He will. indeed.
watch cumplacently through season
after season the illegal netting or trap
ping of quail, and never lift finger,
though the theft Of So sheep from his
fold makes him talk darkly of lynch
ing. lie has been used always to a
plentiful provision of game, and it is
the hardest matter in the world to
bring him to look upon it as property.
So great has been the demolition Of
wild things within the past two de-
cades that the end is plainly in sight
Unless Southern, legislatures pass laws
of stringency and make provisions for
their enforcement, the Southern States
will come in time-and in compare.
lively short time-to be no better
shooting grounds than Connecticut or
Massachusetts. In Georgia, Alabama,
Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida. South
Carolina. upper Arkansas and Eastern
Texas the past year has seen decrease
in quail and deer of quite so per cent.
In those commonwealth it used to be
no trick at all to bag dozen brace of
quail in morning, or to stop deer
on three mile drive. Now. taking a
bag Of birds means days hard close
work. and deer hunt is much more
often resultless than fruitful. The
treatment of the game supply of the
section has been marked by splendid
wastefulness. 1t is REPETITION of the
story to be written of every part of the
United States. 1t seems that Ameri-
cans will never learn to treasure the
bountiful things with which Nature
gifted their country.
The crime of dynamlting fish is also
common in the South, nor Is there evil
dence anywhere of determination to
put it down. There is scarcely bay
GU or creek in the far South that is free
from it. The perpetrators are not. in
general. negroes, because negro
knows nothing of dynamite, and can
not be brought ordinarily to use it.
The native white are chargeable with
this. Use of violent explosive in a
stream not only Stays pounds of fish
that are not recovered, but it drives
uninjured fish to seek other grounds.
1t is an offense for which confinement
at hard labor in penitentiary would
not be too severe punishment, but
there is evident no disposition to treat
the perpetrators as they deserve to be
treated, In Louisiana and Arkansas
are several streams once fecund of
bass and white perch which have been
ruined in this manner, and the men
who ruined them are simply riding
father afield in the effort to find other
streams.
There can be no question that any
game law can be made to stick il
it Is backed by a few determined
sportsmen. Three men, acting to-
gether. are enough to the work in any
community. Indeed. in most of these
communities sportsmen merely wait
for some one to take the initiative.
They are ready enough to support any
man with enough temerity to bell the
cat This was once demonstrated in
Southwestern Texas. wonderful
country for quail. 1t was the habit of
farmers and idlers to trap. or net. the
birds and expose them for sale in open
market. where they retailed alive at 40
cents dozen. The men were viola
tors OF the law. of course, hut no one
seemed disposed to take action. One
sportsman caused the arrest of three OF
the vendors. They were trie,l and
promptly fined.
Thereafter the supply of quail in