Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-08-23
AUDUBON SOCIETY
CR|TIC|zES HUGHES
Holds New Jersey Senator Re-
sponsibIe for Changes in
PIumage Bill.
Star Bureau.
Metropolitan National Bank Bldg"
WASHINGTON, Aug. 90.

bird slaughterers. Senator Hughes, of
New Jersey, is attacked by repre-
sentatives of the geological and Audu-
bon societies as one of the three mem
bers of the Senate who have stood
as the supporters of the dealers in
( wild birds plumage before the United
States Senate
DR.. William T. Hornaday director
OF the New York Geological Park, is
one of the twenty or more prominent
men who recently issued a circular
attacking Hughes, Hoke Smith, Of
Georgia, and Senator Johnson, of
Maine, as enemies of the wild birds.
In the fight to save the wild birds
from destruction the Audubon and
other kindred societies have secured
laws in a number of States forbidding
the sale of birds plumage for MILL
merry ornaments and other purposes.
A law In New Jersey forbids the sale
of the plumage of any game birds. AS
this law does not forbid Wild birds
plumage to be worn in the State, how
ever, its main effect has been TO hurt
the business of New Jersey milliners.
while women who want birds plum
age on their hats go elsewhere to
buy it.
DIR. Hornaday and Others Busy.
When the Underwood bill was be-
fore the House DR. Hornaday and
other lobbyists of the Audubon so
cieties were influential In having 1T
worded to forbid the importation of
birds pIumage for millinery use. The
bill as ii passed the House would
have put stop to all importations.
Incidentally, it would have put out of
business number of big importing
houses which have had a strong lobby
here fighting such prohibition, and it
would have caused loss to the gov
eminent of about $50, 100000 now OBJ
tanned in tariff revenue from the inn
portation of feathers
There have been, in the last few
years, numerous hearings on the
subject in the House and Senate. 1t
has been argued, and denied, that
all wild birds are useful members of
society, and should be protected for
the public service they render in de-
stroying insects and Vermin, entirely
aside from the sentimental idea of
preserving wild life. 1t has even
been asserted that there is no bird
that is pestiferous Senator John
Sharp Williams, a Mississippi cotton
planter for instance, believes that
even crows are useful and worth pre-
serving, while Senator MARITIME, of
New Jersey. believes that they are
wholly pestiferous.
They Keep Down Mosquitoes.
It has been shown that mosquitoes,
flies and poisonous insects are kept
down by wild birds, and increase
when the birds disappear. that rob
ms and blackbirds protect fruit bv
eating the worms, and that the .,ttle
fruit they eat to vary their diet is
small pay fer the service they rem
der. 1t has even been shown that IN
tropical countries the deadly tsetse
fly is eaten by wild birds that are
fast disappearing as they are slaugh-
tered for their plumage In the last
few weeks DIR. Hornaday and other
bird defenders have been running a
moving picture show for the educa-
lion of congressman. showing illus
trations of bird slaughter and bird
usefulness
When the tariff bill got to the Sem
ate however, the sentimental and
unitarian arguments for the preser-
walton of the birds did not weigh
d the committee against the big fact
that to exclude bird feathers would
lose a lot of revenue 1t was also
pointed out that the House provision
was so drastic that technically 1t
would forbid the i Importation of
birds allowed to be imported for food,
unless they were first skinned.
senator Hughes on Committee
Senator Hughes was on the sub
committee of the finance committee
that had this schedule in charge.
When the bill came out of commit
lee and into caucus, the House eXclu-
sion clause against importation of
Wild bird plumage had entirely dis
appeared The caucus approved it In
this form, and as it now stands there
$ no prohibition against the importa.
ton of any feathers. Some senator's
are trying to Justify their attitude
on the ground that If feathers are
lot imported there will be greater
slaughter of American birds to sup
Ply the plumage. The Audubon peo-
ple retort that on the contrary there
can be no real enforcement of laws
to protect native birds while feathers
are imported. Stop importation, they
say, and the wearing of feathers in
millinery will stop.
If DR.. Hornaday and the other
Audubon people really knew Billy
Hughes they wouldn't think for a
minute of holding him responsible for
anything likely to increase or defend
bird slaughter. | don't know wheth-
er Hughes ever killed a chicken or
not, but / have heard him say that he
never shot a bird in his life, and |
do know that he won't go fishing be-
cause he doesn't like to put worms
on the hook, and thinks 1t must hurt
the fish to get caught.
A couple of years ago Francis Bur-
ton Harrison took Hughes on a trip
into Canada somewhere to shoot carl
bou. 1t was his first hunting trip
and he finally got his shot at a big
bull caribou.
There he stood, as big as a house."
said Hughes. III couldn't have missed
him if I'd tried but ] didn't want to
shoot him. I'd have given a lot to
have been home at that minute. but
realize / had come to shoot a deer,
1T had cost a lot of money to get
there, and 1t was foolish not to get
my caribou. So l pulled the trigger
and that beautiful big animal ir~'
crumpled down in front of me and
died. l felt as If I had commit
murder, and although I've got the
head in my house it always makes
feel mean when l look at 1t.
II. r. w.