Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-03-24
a word From Our Game wsrdens.

In the last issue of the Pilot
there was an article headed,
1.-THE Increase in Taxes" 1t
then goes on to state that
an army of men have been appointed
filling positions of game wardens in
various commissions in state and
county work and the result is an
increase of millions of dollars in taxes.
If the editor of the Pilot would
just take the pains to publish in his
paper the annual report of the state
fish and game warden department he
would be putting things to his readers
as they are.
In the first place the Game Warden
department is self-sapporting, in fact
a paying department, and does not
cost the people of this state one cent
of tax.
And, Mr.. Editor, you know this;
and you also know that the Game
Warden department helps to reduce
taxes and that thousands of
dollars have been paid out of the de-
partment into the general fund of the
state.
In the second place the wardens of
this state are under civil service and
are not in, and do not mix in politics,
and this you know. If you know they
are, just visit the Game Warden de-
IA x~iAn W.
will bet you a dollar to doughnuts he
will lose his job, and quick at that.
This old gag that used to be spread
through the country by democratic
politicians that game wardens were a
burden to the taxpayer is thing of
the past.
Now be fair, just let your readers
know the truth. Ask the State Fish
and Game Warden department for an
annual report, publish it that your
readers may know its doings, its re-
sources in game and fish and the mil
lions of dollars in the industry. Its
people of the state are rapidly coming
to recognize the value of the Game
Warden department, in view of the
fact that thousands of visitors have
been coming, and are coming in
greater numbers every year to this
state for the purpose of fishing and
hunting, thus leaving with US thous-
ands of dollars. Unless we shall
continue to give these people salts
faction in good sport, which can only
be maintained through constant pro-
lection of our resources in the way of
fish and game, they will go elsewhere
and then the loss will be realized.
Also the young generation will
appreciate little of the sports of
their forefathers.
NJ. C. THORN.
j. w. FOSTER.
The PILOT gives space to the above
i'm spirit of fairness, that its many
readers may have chance to post up
on all sides concerning the present
''high tax" administration at Madison.
All will concede that Messrs. Thorn
and Foster are among the best game
wardens in Wisconsin; that they en-
force the laws without fear or favor.
Also, that what they say about the
Game Warden department may be
true, but if the writer's will read the
PILOT article again, they will find
that it did not make any special
charge upon any one of the countless
state departments, only as whole.
The result has been an increase of
millions of dollars in taxes to the
people and the building up of a
political machine, the likes of which
has never been experienced in the
states history, ever before. 1t requires
no argument on the part of the Pilot
to show this and it requires no argu-
ment on its part to convince the peo-
pie that the state taxes the past year
have been an outrage and should not
be tolerated. We presume there are
some departments that are self
supporting. There are no doubt,
many like Messrs Thorn and Foster
in the Game Warden department,
who do not mix i'm politics, but there's
no getting around the fact that the
game wardens, members of the COM
missions, every state officer, and the
thousands who are paid to do the
slightest work for the high tax
bunch" at Madison, form an army
which will cast its vote solid for that
''high tax bunch"