The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1911-09-29
'HARDEE LAW
!" IS DEFENDED
Tho Champion of Act Tells of It's
Origin and its Necessity
DEALERS DEMANDED IT
s.,oss We're Destroying Fish industry And
the Millions of Dead Fish Along
Shore Threatened Health
Jensen, Fla, Sept, %, 1911.


ra;tor THE TRIBUNE
About this time every year there is a
,,sat commotion on the Indian River
ssIstive to the enforcement or non-en-
t',cement of the fish laws that effect
the county or East Coast.
Something over two years ago, | had
,,ssed through the Florida legislature
ssbill prohibiting the use of senes in
@s waters of the counties of Brevard,
q Iucie. Palm Beach and part of Dade
twenty miles west of Atlantic coast.
Il will be remembered that before my
election to the Legislature that |, thro
Ae press of the county, asked the fish
Dealers of the county to get up some
law that would be satisfactory to them
for the protection of the fish from their
mint of view. After | had been in
tallahassee a short time there was for
varded to me a bill, which had been ad.
Wrtised in the county papers as the
law requires for sixty days prior to the
uuvenlng of legislature, and | think a
we'll known fish firm of Fort Pierce
we're the parties advertising and advo-
eating the passage of the law.
Prior to my going to Tallahassee |
was shown on the fish dock at Jensen,
the class of fish that were being caught
h the seines, and to fully impress the
Importance of doing something to pro.
tct the business on my mind, some of
The fish were weighed in my presence,
and it took eleven of the seine caught
fsh to weigh one pound
This condition prevailed all along the
Indian river, and know of my own
PERSONAL knowledge that tons upon tons
d this class of fish were caught; the
river banks were streWn with foul and
decayng fish that were thrown over
hardin violation Of law. and residences
along the river front had to close their
front doors and windows to keep out
the stencil that threatened to produce
20 Epidemic of sickness among US.
interviewed the dealers and they
aid, with but few exceptions: stop
the seines by law if possible.
know that dealers refused to accept
ish that were caught for the reason
that they were catching so many--llter-
ally stripping the waters to be thrown
away. One dealer told me that he knew
that one of his competitors had lost
heavily by taking more of tne class OF
fsh that they were catching in selnes
than the markets could consume.
They were losing money and they
,ent up their voices in lamentatlon to
have some law passed whereby they
could be protected from the fishermen
Who insisted on having all their seine
catches accepted by the dealers! ,
Ny observation and experience had
convinced me that it was best to leave
hegetting up of the law to the dealers,
md did so. | passed bill that was
'eat to me by the dealers. When the
nW became effective, there was no
lpecial effort made to enforce it and
from developments that have since
!fanspired, it is very evident that the
nW was only desired for the purpose
frightening the small dealer VINO
sn not able to hire LAWYERS to defend
Mm, and that others intend to violate
me law and profit thereby. | THINK
ms view of the case is fully maintained
vnen 1t is known that some dealers
ave ignored the law and paid fines
~ they call it, license) and conlin-
u1 right along to seine, and thereby
Violate the law.
About year ago the matter of APP
onting fish and game warden was
slore the peop'e, and | repeatedly
ssatd one ealer ,sist that there should
Hthret tina Fish and Game war,
ssa WIS necessity; the county couiI
WI affo.d to have three, etc. ,etc.. VI
Turse, under the law, there could only
one, and the people of the county
minated A. j. Drawdy. Somehow
Urawdy seemed to believe as 40,
~ the laws are made to be enforced
~ De went out and gathered in some
zoe lawless, and then there was
!est cOmmOtiOn he must be gotten
Moi. Such a howl as went up was
Nsstlrendering. Every impeachment was
sown In his way and influences were
Sooght to bear that finally succeeded
s%asnppling him officially to such an ex-
~uu mat he had to quit his efforts
We md the same men who were SO
saAlous to have three game and fish
sluens little over a year ago, now
ssculating petitions claiming that It IS
Unnecessary expense and that tney
A. A. not needed, etc. The real fact Is
~ they are afraid that A. j. Drawdy
.m oe appointed and that Drawdy WIN
oe able to distinguish between flsll-
Suen Tor the small dealer and the one
lung for the large dealers. II the
saty could well afford three fish ana
Ivy wardens twelve months ago, IL
M'nly can afford one now, and the
mat the petitions originated IN
oealers Office and have it IN some