The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-13
STATES GAME LAWS ARE NOW IN DANGER Barbour County Representa- tive After Wallace's Scalp WILL INTRODUCE BILL Judge $. Williams Thinks Each County should Have .IocaI Option, in
 Matter of Regulating
 Its Hunting 
WILL INTRODUCE BILL
BY HUGH W. ROBERTS

Clayton, December 12.-(Special) 1.-The
 Alabama fish and game laws. instituted at the instance of John II. Wallace. and the office of fish and game commis- sioner, which the aforementioned gentle man has graced since it's inauguration. are in danger.
 1 A bill to abolish both the laws and the department is at the present time in ccirse of preparation by Judge & Will l Hams, one of Barbour county's member of the lower house of representatives. At one of the early sessions of the legisla- ture MT. Williams will introduce the bnl | and urge its adoption. He states that he has received encouragement from many other representatives and expresse, the hope that he will be successful in his effort.
 1 MT. Williams contends that the laws do an injustice against the farmer, or rath- CT against the owner of property on which hunters seek their sport and in this contention, he has the moral support and encouragement of practically every resi- dent of the rural districts. He contends,
 
 which makes it the duty of a third party to prosecute g. hunter who, though pos sessing an oral permit, does not possess written, is relic of another age which deserves the censure which was lavished upon the shoulders of the tax gatherers of Biblical times. Certain sections of the law. MT Williams contends, are un- al a.,1 1,a lJ. @I.. not In accordance with the strict inter p:etation of the general laws to make it more expensive for resident of Bullock county to hunt in Barbour county tha. for resident of Barbour county
 Restrictions Not Observed in his arraignment, Mir Williams will declare that the law for the protection of game, and therefore, the department l having in charge the enforcement of this law, are absolutely useless, and serve in their impotence to cucumber further the state code with legislation, ineffective and uncomfortable. The fact that there are now no more birds in the field | Cor as MT. Wallace would observe, "den- izen of the forests) than before the adoption of the alleged strenuous laws for the protection of game" and that l hunters in this section. and presumably l in every other section (unless it be in communities thickly populated), pay no attention to the restrictions, will be other arguments advanced by the Barbour county representative After dilieent in- l qdiry your correspondent has found no | man in this section of Barbour who has ( Il!pped himself this season with either the general permit required or with writ | ten permission from single person or those owning fields and woods wherein l cartridges are to be round.
 The position of MT. Williams is up- held by practically every person in this city and surrounding country-hunters arG farmers alille-and among the num- Der there is no one who does not believe that game should be protected against the pot" hunter, the unsuitable trapper and the degenerated sportsman who sl"ughters because of some peculiar in- stinct which is not to be understood
 Local Option" Desired
 Pefore the adoption of the state wide laws for the protection of game, Barbour county, and possibly the majority of other counties of the state, had game laws of their own. Local option as against the statewide theory is the idea of Mir Williams and other citizens of this county. It Is the purpose of this foe man of the statewide laws to urge the passage of a bill giving each county the right to enact legislation for the pro- lection of It's own game In case the statewide game laws are repealed and the counties given the right of local leg lslation. it is the purpose of MT. Williams to extract from the statewide laws those features of peculiar excellence and incor- porate them into bill, the force of which will be applicable to this county alone
 The announcement that the department of the game and fish commissioner will be assaied in the next legislature will probably Initiate a controversy which will have its denouement in a spirited en- gagement on the floor of the house. It is a safe prediction that John H. Wal lace and his e county wardens will not be legislated out of office (one of them fat and juicy and all acceptable), with out making strenuous preliminary cam paign to be eliminated in q legislative battle of such bitter conflict that in comparison Gettysburg will assume the meagre proportions of San Juan hill