Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-25


care for them.
1T is your property, my friend. as
we'll as mine, to be benefited by this
measure, and do not believe that any
person can convince you that it is not
good financiering to put out one dollar,
when we know we can get fifty dollars
in return for it.
If my friend Pattangall-and he is
good fellow, too-had been confront
ed with this serious question in the
way that / have, and knew the condi-
ton of things as they exist, l venture
to say that he would have been the
very first one to recommend an in
crease in the appropriation for the fish,
only he would have doubled it,
1t is signed by Mr.. Parks, the pres
idcnt CT the Maine Sportsmen's Fish
and Came Association. Now | want
to say that l do not believe Mr.. Parks
or MS association understands the sit
uation in regard to that department or
understands the needs of the State of
Maine any better than we do, other
wise in that letter | doubt if there
would have occurred the phrase that
the people We're asking for more
wardens. because l know Mr.. Parks
would not miSrepreSent anything, and
under your law as it stands today
your game Wardens are all paid by
special appropriation, that is, the
none" from licenses and fines, so that
the clamOr for protection of game by
means of Ward"nS has no relation
whatever to the bill before you for
the support of fish hatcheries. And
aside from that, even though the APP
preparation did not come that way I
have not heard-and l have been about
Maine a little-thiS loud cry for more
wardens. l sympathize with Mr.. Parks
position that the people are asking for
more fish and more fishing, but l had
l.ot known until now that there was
any great cry for larger force of
WardenS We have now employed by
this department as [ recall it between
&c and 100 wardens. You find them
everywhere. IT they are not out on
the lakes and in the woods it is be
cause they are in the Pullman cars or
in the hotels. Naushter) | have NOT
been in hotel in Maine for five years
that l have not met them; | have not
been on a car that I have not seen
them. When | was 4 boy that used to
say that if fellow was not good for
anything else you could make a law
yer out of him; but the Legis-
lature changed the law and made
it necessary for them to pass
the State bar examination and those
fellows had to do something. | don't
know where they have all gone; but this
/ do know, that wherever you find
cheap politician in a country town who
isn't good for anything else they make a
game warden of him. UaughterD l
haven't anything against them at all.
sympathize with them. | feel toward
them as l do toward Sturgis deputies
and other unfortunate citizens. applause
and laughter) l would be glad to appro-
pirate sufficient money to support them
all because l am satisfied the State is
going to be obliged to do that amy way
Laughter) But l don't want to double
their appropriation in a year when every
business man in the State of Maine who
has good sense is curtailinS his expense
account. You haven't in this House or
in Augusta or in the whole State of
Maine a business man today who is pro-
jecting any important financial enter
prise with his own money. Money is not
being invested i'm business today because
the people know that your good times
have not yet come. they know that they
have got to come slowly. In such year
as that we taken an industry, if you
may be pleased to call it that-it is a
matter that is half industry and half
play-and double the appropriation. Why?
| have heard no reason advanced for it
save one. / have been told here by men
who are more familiar with the fish
hatcheries than / am that they needed
more money because the little fry had
to be kept longer and that it was abso-
lutelv useless to send out the little fish in
the condition in which they have been
sent out If that is so, then the whole
business policy of your fish and game
department for the past 10 years has been
a failure and if that is so you don't
want to double your appropriation. But
it is not a fact Take your report by
Mr.. Carleton this year in which he reit-
crate over and over again that never nave
they been so successful in handling their
little fish as they have during the past
year: he gives you figures of the propa-
CATION and says that he is carrying on
with his present appropriation splendid
work for the State of Maine, and a work
that will produce all the good that the
department can at present be expected
to produce.
Now lust word more. Remember this:
Cut this appropriation to $4,000 II you
see fit to do SO. You will then leave
something more than $4,000 in the hands
of the commission to spend. more money
considering that their wardens are re-
lieved from travelling expenses than they
have ever had before. If you pass your