Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-03
took its several readings and was pass
ed to be engrossed).
Orders of the Day.


On motion by Mr.. Donigan of Som
erset, bill, IAN Act to amend Section
q of Chapter 80 of the Revised Stat
utes, relating to hunting on Sunday"
was taken from the table.
Mr.. DONIGAN of Somerset: Mr..
President: l desire to read the follow
ing amendment: Sunday is q close
time on which it is not lawful to hunt,
kill or destroy game or birds of any
kind, or any wild animals. except such
wild animals and birds as may be found
destroying property in the immediate
vicinity of ones dwelling house or place
of abode, or shoot at marks, or other
wise discharge firearms, except in de-
fence Of life or property, under fine of
not exceeding $50 and costs, for each
offence"
This bill and this amendment were
indefinitely postponed, and l under
stand that someone who was interested
came here and asked to have it res
surrected and it was considered, and
this amendment was added to the bill.
1t seems to me that it is highly un
fair that we cannot kill anything on
our farms if it is in the Immediate Vi
cinity of our homes. l have a farm
seven miles from my place and l in
tend to stay on that place there. and it
seems to me that if ! go there and find
crows on there, it would be fair for me
to have 4 right to shoot them. Under
this bill a man cannot go and kill them
on Sunday 1t seems to me unfair.
Nobody observes Sunday more than l
do. Every Sunday that / go home
there are people who come to my house
and ask me to go to my store and sell
something, but | do not believe in 1t,
but L believe that people ought to have
the right, if not in the immediate Vi
cinity of their homes, to kill anything
that destroys property. [ think If we
had taken up other matters at the first
of the session, instead of these petty
laws, and made laws more for the
State Of Maine, it would have been bet
ter for the State. / hope this bill will
be indefinitely postponed.
Mr.. MILLIKEN of Aroostool: Mr.
President, l agree entirely with the
senator from Somerset that if every
body was as careful in the observance
of the Sunday law. we should have no
need for the provisions of this bill and
it would be entirely unnecessary; but
I want to say that the bill in its pres
ent form does not wholly protect the
hunting of game on Sunday and the
fish and game commissioners, or any
one who knows about the conditions
under which game is hunted now,
know that the present law, providing
that Sunday shall be n close time. is
an absolute and utter farce. The reason
for that is, that unless you can abSo-
lutely be in the woods and see a man
shoot a deer on Sunday, you cannot
prove that he killed the deer on that
day, or that he killed him in close
time. Anybody, who lives in my section
of the county, knows that fellows go
out into the woods on Sunday and,
when the game warden inquiries about
any shooting he may have heard. they
claim that it was done on Monday
morning. l think that Mr.. Carleton is
absolutely right in regard to what he
says about this-that we either want to
fish or cut bait-either that Sunday
shall be an open season on which to
hunt game or that we shall pass this
bill which has been agreed on, by
those interested as q reasonable re-
strction and a reasonable bill, and
which tends to the enforcement of the
present law.
The objection advanced by the Sena-
tor from Somerset that he may want
to go on farm, seven miles away. and
shoot crows, is a pretty far-fetched one
and should not stand in the way of this
bill, which is really important. | hope
the motion of the senator from Somer-
set will not prevail.
Mr.. Donigan thereupon moved that
when the vote be taken it be taken by
the yeas and nays.
Mr.. HILL of Penobscot: Mr. Presi-
dent. while l believe in enforcing the
Sunday law, T do not believe that We
want 10 put ourselves in the hands of
lot of game wardens who are float
Ing around through the country
have camp 10 miles from where I
live. and around the lake there are
eight or 10 other camps, and Sundays
we go in there with the children 1t is
about all the time they have to so, and
they will shoot at marks on Sundays
If some game warden should happen to
be there, he can take them up and fine
them $50. | do not believe that we want
to pass any such law as this, and
hope the motion Of the senator from
Somerset will prevail
Mr. REYNOLDS of Kennebec: Mr.
President, / think it is a good thing
that we observe all the laws on sun
day, but it seems too bad, as this
man says 7 live in place where
there is a good deal of travel on Sun
day and there may be from 30 to so
mon about there and about everyone
that goes out on Sunday takes their
| gun along. There is quite a lot of
game there and it seems to me that
these mon ought to have the right to
carry guns. if nothing more I I'M
| derstand the Senator's bill is much diff
fcrent from that and l think we ought
always to consider that, for there are
| lot Of men who work for from Is
| cents TO $3.50 a day who think more of
| q skunk they might shoot than we
would Of $50 bill. I think they
ought to have a right to carry their
gun if they cannot use it.
Mr.. MILLIkEN of Aroostook: Mr..
President. the senator from Kennebec
has taken precisely the position | have
taken. There is no reason why any