Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1909-10-15
NEVADA'S WONDERFUL
FISH AND GAME LAW

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The law requiring that stupid piece
of legislation knnwn rs the fish and
game law to be read from time to time
in the public schools is about on n PAL
with the merits of the act itself and
should he more honored in the breacl
than i'm the observance. We doubt il
any court or jury in the State would
deprive Il teacher in the public schools
of his or her position or salary because
of the failure to haye this delicious bit
of Legislative rhetoric droned off to the
pupils twice II year. While we ar c
willing to admit that the Kindergarten
pupils would understand about rs much
of it rs the general public and the
makers of the act, yet it seems Il waste
of time that can be put to batter use.
We know Il few people who are
mighty wise when il comes to fish and
game. But they do not agree ms to
conclusions. One insists that the trout
spawn in July and should be protected
in the middle summer months. An
other denies, and declares that the
IL" 40 III III tSAlN an
other that it is in October. another that
the spawn is deposited i'll April and 50
on through every month in the year.
SO the various legislatures of the State
have taken advice from the fish wise
who happened to preponderate when
the session was on and moved the SPAWN
ing season all owe the calendar. No
man with the statuets of one legislature
before him specifying certain months
rs the true spawning season would have
any criterion to go by to tell in what
season the preceding Legislature had
put it. 1t has moved over the entire
solar season several times and is now
j on its return trip, with an orbit more
erratic than the. comet Bill Nye dis.
covered two degrees east of the gable
of his barn when first seen and the
text night south by east of the church
steeplc and going some towards Corn,
hollow.
There has been II whole lot Of tommy
rot about this fish and game business.
Hall the time when the fish ARE fit t,
cat it is unlawful to catch or eat them
The whole subject has resolved itscl
into II notorious farce.
There are two or three things tn
public are interested in with regard t
the fish: First. that some convention o
wiscacre fishermen he called who vii
remain i'll convention until they eStablis
what months, the fish spawn, even il
they have to stay in session for ST
months and fight it ont to II finish
Second, that no one lie permitted I
fish i'll the river during those months
and that the fish and game warden
SO see to it: arrcsting white v~iolator
OF the law and ordering Indians to stoI
The latter will obey the law when thei
attention is called to it. Daring tn,
open season let any one fish who want
to and does not abuse the privilege b.
catching more than the maximum
number. Exempt the Indian from tn
operation of the law with the respcC
to catching and disposing of lake tror
during the closed season. We are wei
aware that some market fishermen an
q few wiseacrcs of the rod are anxiou
to deprive the poor old Pluto an,
Washoc Of about his only means of live
lihood, but If the public heart is in tn
place wc think it is, it will be an un
happy experience for the white man o
game warden who arrests an Indian fnl
selling lake.caught trout in Reno. 81
far as this paper is able to take tn
Indians pnrt.-Rcno Gazette.
The Gazette expresses the INDEpEN
DENTS ideas abOnt Ncvada's game I'm,
fish laws dhd the law compelling thci
reading inHthc public schools. At tn,
time that law was passed. we remarked
that 1t ought to develop a good crop o
Dish and game lawyers if carried out b,
the teachers. Evidently the lawyer
lave developed, according to the Ga
Hette. .
When the state was in the dumps
nearly one.thifd of the time of the leg
stature vas taken up in tinkcring will
tho fish and game laws. Nearly every
Ihcmber Of that body for years was d
fish and game statesman and each
wanted his peculiar views enacted into
lw to pcrpctuatc his memory. The
result Is u set Of contradictory laws
t'iat no one understands. lr the ncx I
3 legislature would wipe the present fish
aud game laws from the statue books and
pass laws for the protection Of fish and
&ime that an ordinary person can under.
stand and obey. 1t would earn the
gratitude Of the people.