The Republican journal., 1913-01-30
Audubon Leaders
Invoke Tariff To Ban Bird Plumes. Farmers
and Fishermen Join Women In Move.
Only Cor,,,o~.;,l Rird butchers Object

Invoke Tariff To Ban Bird Plumes. Farmers
and Fishermen Join Women In Move.
Only Commercial Bird Butchers Object.
New YORK, Jan. goth. Backed by
farmers, sportsmen and women's clubs
in every section of the country, officers
OF the National Association OF Audubon
Societies have today demanded of the
Ways and Means Committee OF Congress
an opportunity to urge prohlbltlve
tariff on egret feathers at the hearing on
Schedule N, which will be held before the
end of this month. Opposing the monied
interests of the millinery wholesalers,
whose inroads on the valuable bird life
OF New York, Louisiana, Missouri, New
Jersey, Oregon and California have
already forced these States to pass laws
making contraband the sales of these
plumes. the national Audubon delegation
will ask that they be excluded from the
whole country in the interest OF every
one dependent upon its agricultural pros
perity. The Federation of Women g
Clubs and organizations of grangers in
almost every State, as we'll as the Camp
fire Club, the New York Geological
Society, the Long Island Sportmen's
Association, the American Game Protec-
tive Association and other DO lies of
sportsmen have pledged their support to
this movement.
Data, compiled from scientific obser-
walton of flock of the few Herons that
still survive the wholesale butchery of
professional plume hunters in an Audu-
bon breeding rookery in Florida. is to-
day being prepared to demonstrate to
Congress that these rare birds are con-
siderable factor in the destruction Of
field mice, gophers, grasshoppers and
other agricultural pests. While in some
few instances they have been found to
devour an occasional trout, their regular
diet is proved to consist principally OF
minnows, suckers and other useless fish,
as we'll as water snakes that are known
to destroy great quantities of trout eggs
and valuable young fish. Other proof of
the natural need of farmers and fisher
men for the beautiful birds that the
milliners have almost driven to extinc.
ton will be presented by representatives
of these interests.
Following the recent introduction by
Senator Root of resolution empower
ing the President of the United States tc
call an international congress on bird
protection, representatives of the world
powers actively engaged in saving the
rare species that is being massacred TO,
their aigrette plumes are now express
ing to the Audubon organization their
support of this movement. While the
whole globe is at present secured for
these trophies, taken from butchered
mother birds for market here, a tariff
ban would do much toward saving the
beautiful heron from worldwide destruc-
ton, it is asserted.
with the people of the United States
of almost every class united to support
US in asking Congress to bar from our
country the aigrettes of the unfortunate
heron, we expect to meet the big MILL
merry interests in sole opposition before
the congressional committee" said T..
Gilbert Pearson, secretary of the Ma
tional Association of Audubon Societies,
at its headquarters, 1874 Broadway, to-
day. 1.-The slaughter of these useful
and beautiful birds is commercial mat
ter only to the men who sell their scalps
in those States where this shameful traf-
fic is not already forbidden by law. Con-
gress should certainly recognize the
sentiment and interests of the whole
people, who ask it to end this importa-
ton as matter of humanity as we'll as
economic and agricultural benefit"