The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-08-02
A QUESTION
Of ELK TUSkS

KANSAS CITY, July 24.-The Kan
sas City delegates to the convention
OF the Benevolent Order of Elks, to be
held III Philadelphia, July 14-17, will
not be instructed to support the reso-
luton to be introduced by Judge Hen
ry Melvin, of Chicago, against an Elk
wearing as souvenir the tusk of the
animal for which the order was NAM
ed. At least the delegation, to be
headed by Delegate r. E. O'Malley,
has not been instructed and, from the
line of conversation around the club
here, the local lodge does not seem to
favor Judge Melvin's resolution.
John c. McGrury, past exalted ruler,
of 1921 Summit street, who will be a
member of the party, said last night
that he does not believe the grand
lodge will indorse Judge Melvia's
measure. He said:
Many Kansas Cityans own valuable
specimens of the elk tusk and would
not like to be prevented from wearing
them. They do not value the tusks so
much for their intrinsic value. Most
of them are valued solely as keep
sakes. Hardly a man in Kansas City
has valuable tusk that was not Civ
en- him as mark of respect or honor,
and l don't believe one of those men
would consent to discard their souve-
Mrs
Another Elk said last night at the
Elks Club that if the grand lodge does
indorse the measure which is design
ed to protect the noble animal from
wholesale slaughter, the tusks will be
worn just the same, despite the fact
that Judge Melvin's resolution pro-
vides the penalty of expulsion from the
order for violation of his rule.
mo person or lodge can prevent the
wearing of tusks without the Elk
mountings," this member said. My
wife wears tusks on her hatpins and
receives many courtesies daily in
street cars and railway trains on ac-
count of the displayed souvenirs.
will never ask her to discard her SOU
venirs."
The local lodge considers that per-
haps over ninety per cent of the tusks
worn at present were not taken from
Elks slaughtered for that purpose.
There are over 250000 members of the
organization in the country and per-
haps there are that many tusks worH,
but a large per cent of the tusks were
buried years ago by Indians and have
been placed on the market within re-
cent years.
Those who are chicken-hearted
about buying Elk tusk," said a local
Elk, may leave them alone. 1 see no
cho
many as can pay for. Somebody will
kill elks and their teeth will be sold.
An elk tuSk makes the most appro-
pirate charm for a member of our or
der. This resolution would result in
letting all the tusks go to outsiders.
1t would also enhance the value of the
souvenirs, if the members of the lodge
decided to wear them without the
lodge mountings.'
Elk tusks are becoming very scarce
and the possessor of a fine specimen
considers himself fortunate. The price
of fine tusk is so large as to inspire
men to hunt down the animals for no
other purpose than to get their tusks.
Thus it seems that the benevolent or
der which bears the name of the ami
NAL is responsible, in a great meas
ure, for the wholesale slaughter of the
animal.
Those who champion Judge Melvin's
resolution, which promises to disrupt
the order in Philadelphia in July,
hold that it would be strange if a pro-
tective and benevolent order should
refuse to act benevolent part IN pro-
tecting a dumb animal which is being
slaughtered in wanton style.