Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-02-08
TO GAME BILL
AsCRIBEO TO POLITICS
Colone; Jennings G. Wise Advocates
Passage of Farmers Union Bill
aS First Drafted.
REQUIRES WRITTEN CONSENT
Bars Army OF Migrants and POthunt-
crs Who Slaughter Vast Quanti-
ties Of Game Without Consent OF
Owners of Land.

Colonel Jennings &. Wise, former
communicate of the Virginia Military
lnStitUtc. who drafted the original
came bin that was introduced in the
General Assembly in 1912. indorsed the
Farmers Union game bill. which pros
NidcS for the establishment of u game
warden with paid deputies in all sec
tons Of the state and certain reStric
lions, among them requiring Il special
hunters License, last night, and oX-
pressed tho kccnest interest in the
passage ofst bill by this session Of
The Farmers Union bill" said Mr.,
Wise, us almost an exact counterpart
Of the Moncurc- Rutherford bin of 1912.
aud the IIart-Whtc bill Of 1914 as far
as IL goes. The present bill cmbod.s
in full the provisions of the former
bills for the creation of the machincry
OF protection.
1T. does not 50. aside the cxistini,
game laws in favor OF the more adc-
puaic provisions AS to seasons. bag
limits, sporting laws, etc rs did the
bills Of 1919 and 1911. and ii seems "a
shame that those comprehensive meas
urcs must be abandoned when. AZ II
matter Of fact. they received the sane
ton OF the Legislature before which
they We're iiid. In 1912 the Moncurc-
Rutherford bill passed the Senate anu
JAILED to pass the House Of Delegates
IN which IL had Il pledged vote of sew
enty-ninc members. simply because the
bin was not introduced until late in
the session ana could not muster eighty
votes TO bring it up out OF order.
OWED IT'S DEFEAT
no CROWDED DOCKET
1T owed it's defeat simply to a crowd
cd docket. ana not to the opposition Of
a majority in the House Tho Hart
White bill of 1914 also passed the Sen
ate, and actually received a majority
vote in the house, but the majority
was forty-ninc votes to rorty-siX, when
a constitutional majority OF nfty-o one
votes was requisite on account Of the
fiscal nature Of the bill. have since
been told that had tho absentccs been
present AMI voted. the bill would have
become Il law. Therefore, | say that
it is a shame that after four wears OF
unremittinS effort on the part Of the
farmers ana SDortSmcn. a less COM
prchenSve measure should have been
put forward. But, If in the Judgment
Of the farmers, such n bill is moro
likely To be enacted into law, | am
heartily in favor of it.
TT would appear, however, that the
Farmers Union bin Is in a most critical
plight and. Notwithstanding the great
compromise the Farmers Union has
iI'l'it, titic Is tnat their Dill
may not pass. One is compelled to ask
if tho General Assembly has actually
refrigerated in the matter of game pro-
lection at a time when the need OF such
protection is even moro crying than
in 1912 and 1914.
RURAL POPULATION DID
NOT UNDERSTAND BILLS
I'm 1912 and 1911 most OF the oppo.
sition to the bill was declared by the
leg islators to come from the farmers.
1t is undoubtedly true that the rural
population did not understand the true
nature of the proposed law; mary farm
erS concluded. without serious coEsid-
Grafton, that It was simply another
measure put forward in the selfish in
crest OF city sportsmcn. But all too
.atc the organized farmers perceived
that this WAS not true, and realized
that the measure they had helped de-
feat was really in their interest with
commcndablc energy the Farmers
Union undertook to procure tho much
needed law, and after long and careful
study drafted the present bill as cx-
preston OF their wishes. But 10. the
Legislators now oppose some OF the
most effective provisions OF the farmers
bill, no longer because tho rural popu-
lation does not want IL enacted into
law. hut because some other class is
opposed to 1t.
who can the opponents be? They
are not the organized sportsmen, all of
whom are working for the bill. They
are not the organized farmers. who are
-csponsiblc for the bill Then, they
must be either the unorEanizcd rural
huntsmcn, or tie unorranizcI city
huntsmcn. or n combination of the
two.
There are many aCriculturists ANA
many sportsmen who belong 10 no or
EaniZation. who are not so organized IA
to give expression to thcir united
views. But the question is, will the
General Assembly be guided by the
irresponsible views of individuals. who
ARI nahra ssn