The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-11-20
HUNTING LICENSE
HAS COME TO STAY
II Provides Revenue for the fToseeiion
% Game and lis PfcpaEs,ioB. Also
II Protects fATmegs' Prop
ery from Depreciation.

\ iisrie has lstn ~ muth misiniaunaiiol
Eisrn cat al0ui the ini.nl AMI puI-s'
II huhlrTs' liornss lass ila, Tee az
lhuuiAtitr Statements frsaRiins thra
ihaN lirlp a. rui the h0ir matter N ii
z right ssi.ta irinrr the People. Nniuith
standing lltc many misleading sialrmsHii
E fimulaifd ~ opposition t. the I@lirY N
rnafiiug huniins lHfnsr ANs, iltrY h4ls
STEADILY sainnl Eniunii iaF the pllntpli
nn Hlirh ihs1 SEE iuuniisi = naht and
iusl, Popular lfriaiilr asainsi ihrm 3
Uau,aal MAINLY ia 4 misapIirhrnsiun ~
[ lhr facts anl sluuid la ngrrsimr, iuI
rvrIy state N lhr anton viii sonn haNt
laNs fer tho rsi-ifaiiun II hunters nl1H
Ne statute lauhs, aMi ihrsr laws Will II
muth better rntnnod Il lhrg Haks the
-ulau at al honest Ienplr, The a.
irnilis 20 lar made la ia AeW England
siairs o. enact laaH ipr ihe registration
ui huntrIs have nui Ntt mri With entire
suaar-s Tho b. {" IT, deplaful, igf What
b. most n-aliui moss tn rhrrk the rNisr
minaiihn ui hnir aud sinr is the mrant
iu rninfrr games lHd hlni lHhsi and u
un-r laN- furnish money iaF sufh en-
i"urmrHi NrW England TrpIlr air
fv1dN snuuEh in adnit "a sstnm Il rcsiss
iraiinu which taxes nun nssiirui aF alien
hunters huf Wr are not 80 ready % rn#H
ha- o. tax oufrrkfs, This srliish atti.
igtr drielis uuF Iuuuse, for without n
Lass for The registration al r-.idcnt hunt
81 The other hunting hcnrr Laws cannoi
ls' fully ,ntnrvi
tunutriirut aud Massachusetts, afr now
HE only New England state, that have
complete, effective Nsicm for the riggs
irailnn ol n.siirni, non resident and alien
huutrrr The Ma.sarhu.eils law dus, not
50 into effect until Jan. !, laal Al the
other New England states license npn.
resident hunters Maine and New llamp
.hir alsn liocn-. alien hunitn.i. but they
10 not frgkfrr ur liron.s resident hunt.
rr-. ani right hrfr their lawr sill une
NJ the prominent iartnrs m opposition e.
the enactment oi q comprehensive law for
the registration ui resident hunters 4 the
feeling among country people tina, they
should have absolute liberty 60 uam the
woods aud irlds vi their native land, ami
Kill whatever and wherever they please
This spirit. however audable Il mas seem
10 some people At tint sight. i too likely
To develop into = total disregard for the
rights ui other. VI such unhridlsd lib.
city !, 90 be- given to the farmer and the
wuuisman. u must, IN fairness. hc given
alsu 10 the city sportsman and the honics
Of poor people oi the city. There ha.
been altogether too much Of this unrc.
siric,cd hunting 10y both natives aud for
cigncrs, and our game is disappearing
There are two WAYS M which this can
he stopped. The irst i 10 stop all hunt,
ing, The second i 10 allow hunting but
restrict n and fcquirr those who hunt
the game to pas Tor IL, protection and
propagation. The init Of the above prop |
n,itions falls los it, own weight. ANY bill |
TIN, feature would be killed at /
once by the hunter, OF any state. The |
proposition 10 license the hunter j.. there |
fore. our only resource II We are 10 con. |
ilnue to have game TO hunt
Practically every civilized country on the |
lace OF the earth has hunting license |
The United States have been almost the |
ast TO adopt IT, Fifteen years ago very
lew of these states had such law Now |
nearly all have nonresident hunting Ii.
'en-e,; y have resident, and 10 have alien
hunting licenses.
These laws have given such satisfaction
hat no state having once passed such a
aw has ever repealed Il. The Canadian
have hunting license laws and
high fees
The objects of the law are % 10 pro.
Get the birds and game. for the benefit Of
he people OF the state, (2l TO provide a
cvenue for this purpose and for the
propagation of game, 49, to protect the
property of the farmers from the dcprc'
latons of vagabond hunters.
The old system of procuring a revenue
" state appropriations is inefficient. for
t i impossible TO secure adequate appro.
,riations; most OF the waniens are unpaid,
nd it is notorious that law enforcement
5 lax.
Under registration system the funds
or enforcing the law are provided in ex.
ct proportion to the number OF hunters.
hese moneys increase automatically as
he number OF hunters increases. In some
tates the income derived in this way al.
eady exceeds 100000 annually, and is
icadily increasing.
The nonresident license law is based on :
he principle that the game of a state be-
,ngs to her people. II is intended to !,
rotcct the game from irresponsible out
ders and to furnish some revenue for the l
Increment of the law As its provisions
ere enacted by one state after another !
swept the country. for each state was
ound in self-defense to follow her neigh I
ors in such legislation or else see her G
,me decimated by the people of neighbor- !
IL states. The fees for non resident Ii. e
,nses range from $40 to $50 in the United B:
tates and in Newfoundland the fee is I
100
The alien license is framed to prevent
uniting by class of unnaturalized for i
gners, ignorant of our laws. like many I
alians. Greeks. etc, who kill not only I
me but all living things that can be
ten, and who destroy songbirds by the b
illion. Today these people form the a
'eatest menace to the bird life Of the
ew England states. The fee is $40 to l.
5. g
Both the above laws are ineffective un- Ii
IS accompanied by resident license st
W which requires all hunters to carry o
'ense for it is often impossible for an a
licer to determine, in the field, whether W
man is either nonresident Of the
ate, resident or an unnaturaized
len. The only law that can be enforced
a comprehensive law with a provision ~
luiring all hunters to take out license. 4,
ence the increasing popularity of the Il
DIVISION for resident hunting licenses -
1ich will be taken up in my next paper. h,
Edward Howe Forbush :, q,
New England agent, National Associa- a,
IN of Audubon societies ~