The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-08-17
FRANK 3. HOWE. BdItsr and Publishs
THE DEER QUESTION.

Win llo Judgment.
One of the Herald's pet hobbies is
to abuse Commissioner Thomas and
another to heap all kinds of insult
and false insinuation on all those
who favor an open season for hunting
both buck and doe. 1t isn't neces-
sary to go far to prove the absurdity
of the Herald's contentious.
The Herald claims that its criti-
cism of the commissioner is because
he refuses to pay claims for deer
damage at their face value. In this
the Herald simply shows its ignor-
ance. Apparently the Herald does
not know that the commissioner does
not fix the amount to be paid or have
much to do with it. 1t is done by
the selectmen where the damage is
done in connection with the county
game warden. These claims are
practically always paid at their face.
About the only exceptions were some
fraudulent claims from Rutland that
the commissioner happened to be
able to stop in season to protect the
state.
Secondly in regard to the open
season. The Herald has ranted and
raved against allowing the shooting
of doe during the open season, but is
in favor of the Massachusetts, law
which allows a farmer to fire a
charge of shot into a deer that he
finds actually damaging his crops.
The Herald is opposed to shooting
doe with rifle during the cool
weather of the open season on the
ground that it is "cruel, inhuman
and monstrous. Yet the Herald
favors letting these same doe be
mangled with SHOT and practically
never killed outright, but left with
their wounds to be infected by flies
during dog days when tae
bulk of deer damage is done-left
suffering in the woods to be chased
by dogs and bobcats and probably
perish finally in slow agony or re-
cover only after weeks of cruel sun
ering.
Fortunately the farmers of Yer
mont are misrepresented by the |
Herald. They are not that kind of |
deer nunters. They were in the ma
iority last fall as they are in every |
Vermont legislature and could have
any law they chose on the subject, |
and they preferred to take the law |
hat will insure the reduction in the |
ieer damage decently and by honest |
methods when the car
,ass of the deer is of some value and |
good venison in return for the dam |
lge to his crops Not many Vermont /
armers are inhuman enough to want
o kill or mangle the mother of a
avn when all the carcass is good |
or is to become putrid heap of car
ion in tae woods while the innocent
md defenceless baby deer slowly
,erishes by starvation.
We have spoken of the Herald's
ignorance on this subject and regret
o say that it's ignorance appears
O be wilful. 1t might easily find out
{ it cared to know that the claims
or deer damage last year were
ouble what they were the year be-
ore and that tne claims this year
re three times what they were last
ear. The claims for deer damage
his year bid fair to aggregate six
thousand to eight thousand dollars
nd were it not for the change in the
lw would have scared up to twelve
o fifteen thousand dollars another
ear. These facts are easily obtain
bic by anybody who wants to know
he truth yet the Herald disputes
hem because the editor has spent a
ew days wandering around the fields
nd woods and has not yet caught a
eer eating up cornfield.
Just as a sample of the Herald's
lethods we reprint the following +,
ON its argument:
During the discussion which pre-
eded the passage of the infamous /
bill its author, Mr.
lowe of Bennington, referred to zone
t the best game wardens in Benz
ington county" who was in favor
{ it."
This statement Of the Herald's is
bsolutely false and without founda-
on. During the discussion on the
oe bill Mr.. Howe made no reference
} any game warden in Bennington {
ounty or anywhere else. He did
OF at that time even know the !
pinion of any warden on the subject
lie did quote the opinion of two of
he best known sportsmen and most
experienced deer hunters in Ben
ington county" having in mind Mr..
/. L. Sibley and Mr.. William H.
radford of Bennington whose views
n this subject he still esteems to be
I more value than ais own and pos
bly, even as valuable as those Of the
flied editor of the Herald.
Were the Herald any other paper
ian itself it would reprint this state
ent of the Banner in order that
.stice might be done and that it's