The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-05-22
FOR BIRD cRoP GUARDS.
Milliners Now Plunder Farmers Feathered Forces-Appeal to
 People Begun.

Milliners Now Plunder Farmers
 Feathered Forces-Appeal to
 People Begun.
 New York, May 22.-Protection of the insect-eating birds, whose destruction caused a crop loss of almost billion dollars to this country in the last year, will be made a campaign issue throughout the nation as the result of a general movement which was or ganized in this city to-day. Backed by the grangeS and other bodies rep resenting the farmers. orchardists. ranchmen and planters of every sec ton of the land, the National Associa- tion of Audubon Societies is preparing to obtain from every present and pros pective representative of the people in every state in the Union definite de- clarations of their stand on this ques- tion of the conservation of the bird resources of the commonwealth. Where the forces of the milliners have been legalize their poaching upon the feathered guardians of the crops, the people will rise this year to demand that their own interests be protected, it was declared by leaders of this new campaign to-day.
 Representing an industry valued at less than @$12, ,OO0, GOO, a few Broadway feather dealers have just succeeded in defeating in this state the Francis bill for the protection of the insect-eating birds, behind which agricultural in tereStS worth over half a billion dol lars were solidly arrayed- In spite of the united efforts of the S3,0o0 farmers represented in the state grange and the Audubon workers, who were back ed by the press and people of almost every community in the state, 1t was reported to-day that the hiring of a lawyer whose 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 machinations of the mil liners resulted in legalizing for an- other year their traffic in property that belongs to the state As first step in the general national campaign for the birds who guard the crops, the record of each legislator on this mat ter will be submitted to his constitu- ents and every effort made to secure from each district in this state repre- sentatives at Albany next year who win be pledged to heed this strong de- mand from their agricultural support CTS.
 California, Missouri and Oklahoma have just been reported as adopting laws defending their bird crop guards against the ravages of the feather dealers, which are substantially the same as the bill which the milliners have just strangled in this state. Sim liar laws forbidding the sale or pos session of the plumage. skin or body of the insect-eating, non-game birds irrespective of whether said bird was captured or killed within or without the state'' are already in force and working for the protection of the farmers in Iowa, Louisiana. Massachu- setts, Michigan. Mississippi, South Carolina and West Virginia. From every other state and territory in the land communications are being receiv- ed at the headquarters of the move ment to-day urging an immediate eff fort to rouse the people to campaign for their feathered crop protectors r7c+t tha nf he mi m terests.
 ''If the people of this country are ever going to stop the milliners from killing the birds that would save them a billion dollars each year if left alive. now is the time for them to act,'' said William Butcher. president of the National Association of Audubon Soc ieties at it's headquarters, Al Broad way to-day. "A disgraceful display of political pull has this year turned over to the feather dealers in this state its wild birds that have been proved to save by fighting off insects, more value in crops in a few seasons than the whole millinery industry is worth Now we are going to take this great economic question to the people in this state and in every part of the land We believe that all patriotic Ameri- cans who would preserve their coun- try's agricultural wealth will join with us to demand from their representa- tives pledge to prevent the milliners from further profiting by the killing of these insect-ea ting, non-game birds at the expense of billions of dollars to the crops of the land.'