The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1913-06-13
BIRD LIFE THREATENED
BY Amendment to Tariff bill-"Pest
Birds" Farmers Best Friends.


Threatening to defeat the will of the
millions of Americans who joined hands
to force into the tariff bill the non
partisan clause prohibiting the impor-
tation of the feathers of wild birds,
the monied interests of the feather
dealers are now attempting to kill the
effect of this proviso in the senate
finance committee, according to reports
received at the headquarters of the Ma.
tional Association of Audubon Societies
recently. In twenty word amend
ment of Senator Clapp, for which the
millinery forces are frantically attempt
ing to gain support, it has just been
discovered that loophole large enough
to sanction all the worst forms of bird
butchery may be punched in this popu-
lar provision of the bill. Unless every
nature lover protests to Senators
Hughes, of New Jersey; Smith of Geor-
gia and Johnson, of Maine, who will
pass upon this subtle amendment in
subcommittee, it is admitted that the
fight against further bird slaughter and
importation may be lost.
BY adding this joker exempting "tbe
feathers or plumes of game birds usu
ally killed for food purposes and birds
which are killed as pests" the millin.
cry interests have now taken sure
step toward perpetuating the traffic in
aigrettes and other plumes gathered by
the bird butchers of the world, the Au.
dubon leaders declare. Over score of
species and varieties of the wild birds
on whose destruction the feather trad
ers put the highest premium have in
many instances been legally regarded
as game BIRDS" it is pointed out while
the aigrette- bearing heron has even
been classified under this general head
by an Ohio court. If birds usually
killed for food purposes are to be ex-
empted from this prohibition on impor-
tation, a dozen more species of the most
valuable insect and weed eaters can be
handled by the feather houses, that 1t is
known may easily substitute American
feathers for such varieties as they are
allowed to import from countries where
many more birds are killed for food.
At the other end of the large loophole
which the millinery interests are So
cretly trying to tear in this saving
clause for wild birds, the exemption of
birds KILLED as pests" is regarded by
ornithologists here as practically multi
flying the effect of the whole provision.
Mockingbirds, jays, woodpeckers, cat
birds, robins and others of the thrush
and thrasher families are known to be
killed "as pests occasionally by farm
ers enraged at their rare crop eating,
while the birds that bear aigrette
plumes are even regarded by few ig-
norant fishermen as dangerous to young
trout. If the Clapp amendment is
adopted. the scalps of almost any birds
may be imported on the plea that they
were "killed as pests" the Audubon
workers point out.
Every American who stands for de-
Tending the birds from slaughter should
at once write or wire their senators at
Washington, or this Clapp amendment
may destroy the wild bird protection
which the people rallied to support, "
said T. Gilbert Pearson. secretary OF
the National Association of Audubon
Societies, at its headquarters, 1874
Broadway, N. Y. think Of the mil.
lions of birds throughout the world that
easily be killed as pests or for food
purposes by commercial interests who
have accumulated wealth by putting 2
premium on the destruction of the val.
liable bird life of the world. These in.
terests are now giving the Clspp amend
ment to Schedule N their frantic sup
port and may defeat the will Of the
whole American people IL our appeals
are not answered by popular protest
to the senate"