Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-24

his efforts. the tiny tunnel, and this is
where the difficulty comes in with the
is imperfect combustion, often accom-
panied by bad language. and the cigar
is thrown away in disgust.
One of the scientists of the Department
of Agriculture has evolved little trick
| which he intends to play upon this little
bug and the Senate has encouraged him
by making an appropriation of real
| money. The scheme is to place some
thing upon the eggs Of the bug that will
make them sterile. OF course, the smok-
er will consume the damaged eggs with
his cigar, but the cigar will pull prop
erly and perhaps the bug eggs will have
as good a flavor as the tobacco. At any
| rate the federal government has placed
| its official stamp Of approval on the plan
| Officials of the biological survey of
the United States Department of Agri-
culture have become in
Enemies of terested in the efforts OF
anumber Of Missourians
tAe oliuS. who have been trying
for weeks to break into Jail. and who
can't quite make it. The men from the
show-me state declare that they have
openly and deliberately violated one OF
the statutes of the United States-the
migratory bird law-and that they
have offered to furnish evidence to
this effect to the authorities. They
have begged and implored that they be
taken into custody, and upon refusal
Of the officers Of the law they have
again gone out and once more COM
mitted the crime.
They have appealed to a United
States commissioner and a federal
Judge in their state that they be Jailed.
but to no effect. Finally they have
I1~t- To
Reed. to aid them. and as it is one OF
the solemn duties Of a member of Con-
gress to please his constituents. he has
done everything in his power to have
gone so far as to present the evidence
against his people to Attorney General
McReynolds with the prayer that these
persons be hailed before the courts to
of the laws of the United States. In
this he has failed, and now he is sad.
Liberty has indeed sunk to a low ebb
when a citizen of the republic cannot
get himself arrested on request says
Sena tor Reed.
This is the latest phase in the con-
troversy over the constitutionality OF
the law for the conservation OF the mi
which was enacted about q year ago.
The object of the friends of this legis-
lation was not only to stop the whole.
sale slaughter of birds by game hogs.
ton of these insect-eating birds so
that the crops Of the country would be
protected against pests.
Last October. carrying out the
provisions of this statute, President
Wilson issued a proclamation which
provided in general for closed season
the year round on all insectivorous
birds and a five-year closed season on
certain game birds. The regulations
aroused practically every sportsman in
10 anfnrrpnQnt
meant a practically stopping of all
hunting for some time. According to
Senator Reed the sportsmen of the
country have quite generally been vio-
lating the law in the belief that 1t is
unconstitutional. He is quite sure that
the sportsmen of his own state have
paid no attention to the new statute.
as evidenced by their appeal to him
to have one or more of their number
arrested. The senator himself is of the
opinion that the federal law Is an in
reference with the laws Of the states
and has steadfastly opposed its prog
Iress.
The other day. during discussion on
the agricultural bill in the Senate, y
proposition to provide $4,000 for the
enforcement of the migratory bird law
brought on with much vigor the old
controversy between Senator Reed. as
Senator George P. Mclean Of Connect
cut, the author of the law and cham
pion of those who would have the
birds preserved. It was during the
dialogue between the two that Senator
Reed told of his vain endeavor to
have his friends arrested. Senator Nc
Lean pleaded for an adequate appro-
priation for the enforcement of the law.
He did not agree with Senator Reed
that it was unconstitutional. He fur
Their said .k.,' there was now a treaty
pending between this country and
Great Britain for the protection of
the birds. and that II both countries
accepted this treaty it would wipe out
any suspicion OF unconstitutfonattty
from the law To this assumption SEN
ator Reed did not agree.
Apart from the legal discussion over
the law. Department Of Agriculture
officials are Of the view that 1t Is a
| very important and very necessary
damage done to crops by insects now
amounts to $1,oOo,o0o,0o 900. Congress
each year is appropriating more than
100000 to fight insects, and it is
adequate appropriation to protect the
natural enemies of these crop-devour-
! ing pests.
The committee on wild life protection
of the fourth National Conservation Con-
gress of which DR.. w. P. Hornaday of
! New York is chairman. and which was
| instrumental in having this legislation
passed, declares that the slaughter OF
useful birds in the past has had serious
effect upon the cost of living. The MEM
bers of the committee make the state
ment that the destruction of the birds
means a great increase in the armies of
destructive insects, a great decrease in
our agricultural products and great loss
to consumers and farmers.
1.-The insect pests are preying upon
everything of the vegetable kingdom that
man is producing. and upon many do
nestle animals as weIl,'' says the commit
tee in it's last warning. las their bird
enemies decrease the insect hordes in
crease When 2,577,0OO acres of wheat
are destroyed in Ohio and Indiana in one
year by the Hessian fly, does any one be-
lieve that such an occurrence does not
/ raise the price of wheat? The codling-
| moth and curculio apple pests cost US
about IS. 10000 year for spraying oper-
| atoms and $12o0O.OO0 year in shrinkage
of value in the apple crop. The chinch
bug wheat pest sometimes costs US $2O,-
100000 a year. The cotton boil weevil
costs the cotton planters $2o0O0,O00 a
year. The tree insect pests cost the ma
ton s1oo.OOOOOO a year. The value Of
| birds destroyed as game and for food
Is not equal to one one-thousandth of the
value that would be saved to the national
wealth. If permitted to live
The Senate granted $4,000 for the en-
forcement of the bird law.