The Topeka state journal., 1913-09-26
Formal Complaint of Inc0mpe-
tency Filed With Hodges.
AIlege Violations of State Fish
and Game Law.
WARDEN DENIES ALL CHARGES
Brands Accusations as False
and Malicious.
Papers Sent i'm by Ex-Secre-
tary SpOrtsmen Association.

The outbreak of the smQuldering
! complaints against L. L. Dyche, state
! fish and game warden, occurred to-
| day when charges of incompetency
| and neglect against the state official
| were filed by G. T. Rankin of Hutch
| inson, eX-secretary of the Kansas
| State Sportsman's association. The
! charges were laid before Governor
Hodges some time ago and were re
| ferred to the attorney general last
evening. Nothing was known of the
complaint until this morning.
| Rankin accuses Dyche of several al
legged violations of the law under
which he is working including the
| failure to raise fish for distribution
| in the years 1912 and 1913, the freez-
| ing of fish in ponds last winter, the
| construction of more ponds than are
necessary to maintain the Pratt plant,
| failure to enforce the fish and game
| laws of the state, neglect of personal
! supervision over the work of the
| hatchery and general incompetency in
| the states game management.
Professor Dyche when informed OF
the charges this afternoon flatly de-
MED every charge against him, pro-
tected his actions by written authority
i from the governor and board of man
ayers. and branded as false and mali
cious the allegations of the eX-secre-
| tary of the state association of sports
men.
Charges i'm Detail.
The first charge states that Profess
Sor Dyche failed to raise and dis
tribute fish in the state of Kansas for
the years 1912 and 1913. Professor
Dyche answers this by giving figures
on the number Of fish he has sent out
by the fish car.
The second charge charges Dyche
with permitting thirty thousand fish to
freeze crappie and rock bass, in one
of the ponds last winter after being
warned. 1t was claimed that no water
was allowed to run in these ponds.
Dyche answers this thusly: Tt is an
absolute falsehood."
The third charge accuses Dyche Of
building a great many more ponds than
necessary and more than there were
facilities in the way of water to take
care of the fish and give them plenty
of fresh water.
Dyche says that this has been the
dryest summer since 1860 and he has
not lost fish in the hatchery at Pratt
and that he has had plenty of water
to keep them alive He says that there
are SO ponds at the hatchery, or one
pond for every 1000 square miles in the
state.
The fourth charge says the warden
failed to enforce the fish and game law
in the state, spending practically all of
his time in the office of the governor
and outside the state. Dyche says he
has to spend his time in the office at
Topeka on account of the frequent cor
IeTeHCeS Will the duullOT. tie attorney
general and the governor He says
that he has enforced the law to -ne
best of his ability and has made a
good record for the hatchery.
The fifth charge says he spent the
funds created from the hunters IL
censes to visit in Washington, Boston,
st. Louis, Omaha Denver and New Or
leans, not in connection with the busi-
ness of the fish and game warden. 1t
is claimed that he should use .ha funds
for the prOpa cation of game and fish |
and the enforcement of the law. Dyche |
says that he was given permission by |
the governor and board of managers |
to take the out of the state trips to |
meetings of interest to wardens. He |
says scores of states sent their war; |
dens to these meetings.
Takes a Slap at Travis.
In the sixth charge Rankin says:
He neglected his duty as fish and |
game warden by neglecting to give his |
personal supervision to Matching and |
distributing fish at the state fish hatch |
cry. He has failed to secure compet |
ent deputies for the work. He has |
failed to propagate any game game
birds of any description whatever in
this state and has neglected to make |
arrests and convictions for the viola
tions of the fish and game law
Professor Dyche produced figures to
show that his predecessor. Warden Ira /
Wis. IN IS months with salaried depu
ties, convicted only POS persons. In II |
months, Dyche says he CDyche) has !
convicted 2SS persons and he has no
paid deputies. He says that the at
tempts to propagate games in this state
by Travis were failures-therefore he
decided not to try it. He cited two /
states, Connecticut and Massachusetts, |
in the proof that the efforts to propa- !
gate quail were failures.
The charges as they now stand will !
be investigated by the attorney gen.
eral If he sees fit to refer them to
the courts they can be tried before the
supreme court or any district court in
the state. No report has been made |
by Attorney General Dawson in the
Rankin charges.
L. L. Dyche was appointed fish and
game warden by Governor Stubbs for
four years. He is holding over until
1915 under the present administration.
He was appointed in 1911 and confirm
ed by the senate at that time.