The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1906-12-27
NEW STATE GAME Law
One Is Much Desired to Remedy
Many Evils.

| George Andrews, of this city, dep
uty under George A. Lincoln, of Cedar
RAPIDS, State Fish and Game Warden,
is in receipt of letter in which his
chief urges a concerted effort toward
the passing of bill much desired OF
the coming legislature.
Briefly, the bill will provide
That every resident of the state OF
Iowa shall, before hunting, pursuing
or killing with gun, any of the wild
animals, birds or fowl, that are pro
tected during any part of the year,
| first procure a license, and pay the
sum of s1.o0 annually for the same.
That record shall be made of all
such licenses and that the fees re.
ceiyed shall be RENTED every thirty
days to the state treasurer 10 be placed
in a fund for the purpose of paying
the expenses OF the fish and game
commission, and its deputies, at the
same time providing that no license
fee shall be exacted from owners of
farms, their children and tenants,
while hunting upon their own land
And that the fund thus raised is tc
be disbursed only through the ap.
proval of the executive council and
the auditor of state.
A law similar to the one proposed
for this state has been in force for
several years in many states, and
since 1902 twelve states have placed
such laws on their statute books.
None would today repeal the law.
1t makes the hunter, and not the
state, pay for the protection given
him by the state through it's game and
fish commission.
1t places on record every man who
hunts game and helps the officers
hunt out the law breakers.
1t makes every man who has a IL
cense one of a stock company of. sew
eral thousand, every member Of whom
will insist that all others shall obey
the law.
1t prevents the unnaturalized for
eigner from killing everything within
sight, as without a license he can be
convicted of unlawful acts. Today it
is almost impossible to do anything
with him.
1t protects the farmer, for he can
demand the exhibition Of every hunt
er's license, and thus procure his
name and residence. 1t has been
demonstrated in other states that no
decent, law-abiding citizen, who pays
his license, will trespass upon an.
others land 1t is only the poacher,
who never has enough money to pay
for license, who will do so.
1t raises fund that will be cheer
fully paid for protection and payment
of deputies, so that after the first year
no appropriation will have to be made
by the state to carry on the work.
1t will make possible the abolish
ment of the fee system Of paying dep
uties, a system which is pernicious
and wrong, and should be abolished
by all means.
In my opinion, the enactment of the
proposed law will result in raising
fund that will not only provide for
all the expenses of the commission,
but will enable the commission to re.
stock the state with numerous game
birds, native to the state, but now al
most extinct, as has been done in Iii.
nOiS during the past. year, and once
more place in our state game birds in
generous quantities.
It will prevent the killing of our
song and insectivorous birds, which
are a benefit to our farmer and hor-
ticulturist.
81 am satisfied" continues Mr.. Lin.
coin, that if the people of the agri.
cultural communities would study the
provisions of the contemplated law,
they would rise in body and demand
that II should pass, for provisions are
made that would relieve them Of the
rowing class of hunters-those hunt
ers who trespass upon their lands and
kill everything that comes to their
gun, including all the seed and worm
eating birds"