The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-06-11
Protecting the Birds.

The Times wishes all its reader
to give careful consideration to the
following article taken from one OF
its exchanges. No one pretends to
deny the fact that the agriculturists
of the country are losing millions IF
dollars annually by insects. which
would be largely destroyed If the
birds of the country were not killed
by small boys with air guns and
small firearms and by men who do
so just for the sake of shooting any
thing which is alive. In this city it
is almost a daily occurrence to see
boys shooting birds, those protected
by law as Welt as those not pr6tects
ed, violating BOTH the state law ard
the city ordinance against the use of
firearms in theucity dimits.I An ar
rest of one or two withra good fine
would be good thing. The article
in question is as follows:
Backed by oranges and other
bodies representing the farmers, or.
chardists, ranchmen and planters Of
every section of the land, the Ma
tional Association of Audubon So
cieties is preparing to obtain from
very present and prospective rep
resentative of the people in every
state in tine union definite declara-
tons of their stand on the question
of the conservation of the bird re-
sources of the commonwealth.
Where the forces of the milliners
oh IN Ia n
pressure to legalize their poaching
upon the feathered guardians of the
crops, the people will rise this year
to demand that their own interests
be protected.
Representing an industry va;ued
at less than $12,000.000, a few
Broadway feather dealers have sue
ceeded in defeating in New York
state the Francis bill for the protec
ton of the insect-eating birds, be-
hind which agricultural interests
worth over half billion dollars
were solidly arrayed. In spite of
the united efforts of the $4,000 far
mers represented inthe state Grange
and Audubon workers, who were
backed by the press and people OF al
most every community in the state,
it was reported that the hiring Of
lawyer, "whCse political influence
was undoubtedly used to prevent
any open consideration of the bill
on the floor of either branch of the
legislature" had, with other mach
nations of the milliners resulted in
legalizing for another year their
traffic in property that belongs to
the state. AS first step in the gen
eral national campaign for the birds
who guard the crops, the record of
each legislator on this matter will
be submitted to his constituents and
every effort will be made to secure
from each district in New York state
representatives at Albany next year
who will be pledged to heed this
strong demand from their agricul-
tural supporters
California, Missouri and Oklslo,
ma have just ben reported as
adopting laws defending their bird
crop against the ravages of the
feather dealers, which are substan-
italy the same as the bill which the
milliners have just strangled. Sim
liar laws, forbidding the sale or pos
session of the plumage, skin or body
of the insect-eating, nongame birds,
irrespective of whether said bird
was captured or killed within or
without the state" are already in
force and working for the protet.
ton of the farmers in Iowa, Louis.
lana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mis-.
sissippi, South Carolina and West
Virginia From every state and ter
ritory communications are being re-
ceived at the headquarters of the
movement urging an immediate eff
fort to rouse the people to cam
paign for their feathered crop pro-
tectors against the forces Of the mil
linery interests.
IF the people of this country are
ever going to stop the milliners from
killing the birds that would save
them billion dollars each year if
left alive, now>is the time for them