Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1913-02-27
CONGRESS is LIKELY TO BAR
IMPORTATION OF FEATHERS
OF MANY KINDS.
RESULT OF A LONG CRUSADE
tIcderwood's Committee May Insert
Provision In Tariff Laws That Win
Check the Process OF Extermlnat-
Ina Various Species.
Rv GEORGE cLlNToM

limited States may interpose it's auth
or,ty to change utterly the fashion In
voman's hats. Does it seem that this
u a trivial mater to take up the atten-
ton of the careful law makers OF the
land? The legislators apparently do
not think so, and a good many OF them
aay that the agricultural interests and
all persons who love nature will rise
10 call them blessed IL they enter
With legislative intent into the realm
Of Dame Fashion.
It is possible that the ways and
means committee under the leadership
of Oscar w. Underwood will make
M its mind before March 15 to ask
congress- to prohibit the importation
into this country, of all feathers for
millinery purposes, except those OF
the ostrich, OF domestic fowls and Of
RSne birds. IL the committee which
frames tariff legislation shall .takethis
action It will mark the fnal step Of
success in a crusade which had ttA be-
ginning In the parlors Of q few Amer1-f
can homes about fifteen years ago.
R Il probable that for the present
ccnRress will content itself with m
~peovaston In the tariff laws which viii
pCoAIb1t the importation "o9 the plum
Aao OF American BIRDS or Of pluma9e
an6Stnguishable trom that OF Amerk
can birds, including aigrettea, crude
end manufactured"
What the Provision Would DO.
The insertion OF this provision Into
ths nsxt tariff Law has ben urged and
o. Am said that the majority OF the
members Of the ways and means com-
m4ttee is favorable 10 It's adoption.
d It shall become the law It means
that the plumage Of no bird. which
occurs In America and which occurs
also In other countries, "a be Inn
ported into the, United States. II also
VIII mean the shutting out of the
,~scintllat1ng feathers Of scores Of
birds not natives OF America, but
whose plumage In part Is indistin-
guishable from that OF the birds of
this country. This provision Of the
law probably win save from extermi-
nation millions Of humming birds now
killed and sent into this country to
crafty the tastes Of women to whom
money Is no object"
Congress is taking an interest In
the preservation OF bird life, The
Mclean bill giving the agricultural
department the authority to regulate
the shooting aso In the United
States and to forbid under the fed
eral law the killing Of useful species
already has passed the senate and
may pass the house at this session
II, in the hurry of things, the. bill
does not pass it win be introduced
again Immediately after the converting
Of the extra session. It % left to con-
agress, however, 10 strike the dead
Hest blow at the plumage trafRc
through the tariff laws. It Is apparent
'tA&4 one blow, not Vita, VIII be struck
md that tina 0eAdlier stroke Vim be
reserved until humanity and educa-
HO0al effort have been given . httls'
Anger lease OF time for continued
NeGnestness Of endsavoc.
: W. T. HDrnaday OF New YoFk Eoolog-
teal society and T. Gilbert Pearson
secretary Of the National Association
Cd Audubon Societies, have been tell
ing Mr.. Underwood and his ways and
means colleagues some facts about the
feather trade. John Burroughs. the
naturalist, Is here doing what he can
IN his forceful missionary way to turn
the heart Of congress to the humani-
ties Of the case and the head OF con-
gress to its necessities.
Ostrich PIumes All Right.
There are ostrich farms In this
country and in other countries where
birds are raised for the sake Of their
plumes. This is a legitimate business
with nc element OF cruelty attached
to It and as the ostrich plume Is about
as handsome q thing as nature affords
It would seem that women ought to
be satisfied with 1t as a hat decora-
ton, but woman is not so satisfied,
and some congressman say the rea-
son is not particularly credftable to
women In what we are occasionally
given to calling the higher walks OF
lie.
The fact that the ostrich 10 not in a
sense a domestic bird and that it will
La CdpIAF1Iy A6S OAC@POAOO-|~
a considerable extent the cost or
ostrich plumes. They are just as
beautiful and attractive M I'VE they
were, but many a woman who has
plenty Of money to spend has been
refusing for some time to veal ostrich
pfumes because now that the price has
decreased the working women Of the
country are able to wea them. This
Particular kind Of snobbery apparent
ty was beyond the power OF the wit
nesses before the ways and means
committee to express without VIC
latfng the rules Of word conduct"
The committee members, however,
seemed to be able to appraise It prop
eriy.
Already eleven species Of North
American birds have been exter
minated and twenty-five more species
are on the way to determination
There are nearly ~ hundred species
OF the most beautiful and curious birds
In the would %haf unw ara h0iW0 dilf