The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1912-04-15
Comes in Mating Season and Many
Pairs are Broken By Poor
2. Sportsmen. +.
ARE BEING DIFFERENTIATED
Once Immense Flocks Are Being
Rapidly Reduced to Point of
Exhaustion.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

Massachusetts,, representing the east,
bills to save the wild fowl Of the Unit.
ed States, which under the onslaught
of the gunners are likely before long
to be exterminated. Years ago 1t was
thought that the wild ducks, the geese,
the brant, tho snipe, the quail and the
other game birds were so plentiful in
the United States that the supply
never would be exhausted, but today
It is q different tale and the fear Of
the sportsmen and bird lovers is that
posterity will know Of many Of the
game birds of America only by tradi-
ton.
1t must be remembered that the
United States has control in the in.
d1v1dual states only in certain mat.
ters, largely matters which affect in
terstate commerce. The Weeks and
Anthony bills both are based on the
right Of Uncle Sam to regulate the
commerce Of the United States. MI
gratory birds fly from one state to
another. Hence by what Is perhaps 8
seeming stretch OF the constitution
pon1e Of the legislators think that they
have the rightSto bring the birds un.o
der federal control. -. -. :: 81. =.. =.:-...
Need Of Protection Not Denied.
: No Democrat or Republican has
been found in congress to deny that
the migratory birds need protection.
They start on their northward journey
in tho spring just prior to the mating
season, many Of them in fact mating
on the way, and all along the line of
hight In, on and over upland, marsh
and forest, they are made targets of
double-barrel and repeating shotguns.
For years sportsmen Of tho proper
spirit and the bird protective organi.
zations have tried to induce the leg
tslatures of the different states to
pass laws prohibiting spring shooting.
Il law of this kind had been passed
by every state ten years ago and en-
forced. Uncle Sam would not feel to-
day the necessity of becoming game
warden for the country. Spring shoot
ing is recognized by everybody who
knows anything about bird life as an
evil. Several states have forbidden
the killing Of migratory birds during
the time Of the northern fight. but
other states have refused to stop tho
spring slaughter, the refusal being duo
IN most cases to the pressure brought
to bear on the legislators by the ap-
peals of hunters. Some, real sports
men have held that with the spring
shooting cut out there would be no
shooting at all in their sections Of the
country. -
Why the Bills Arc Opposed.
There Is considerable opposition In
congress to the passage of either bill
to give the federal authorities power
to protect the game. The opposition
springs from the belief Of some Of tho
members that either law proposed
would constitute an invasion Of state
rights" The necessity of the law
is admitted, but it's constitutionality 10
doubted. It is held generally, how
ever, that unless Uncle Sam does act
and the states rights bubble 10
dropped. there will in a decade be
few birds to protect.
Representative Anthony has said
that If congress thinks that the bill
Of Mr.. Weeks is better than his bill,
he hopes that it will be accepted and
passed. The Kansas mans bill fixes
q closed season for game In all parts
of the United States from January 10
to August Is Of each year and provides
penalty OF not less than 500 or
more than $1,000 for violation Of
the act
Seemingly the Weeks measure, from
the sportsman's and the bird protec.
tors point Of view, is preferable. It
permits members Of the biological sur
vey of the department of agriculture
to fix various periods of non-shooting
In different parts of the country ii
accordance with the known flight hah-
its Of the birds. It is entirely possible
that under this provision sportsmen in
sections of the country where there il
shooting at only one time of the year
might be allowed to have their day
or days afleld without injuring the
general cause Of protection. The spe:
cialists Of the biological survey are
men who want to secure the co-opera:
ton Of sportsmen in all parts Of the
country in protective work. They
have been trying for years to secure
this cooperation and 1t can be taken