Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1918-10-31
ALLEN EXPLAINS THE
PENDING FISH BILL
Salem, Oregon.
Oct. IS, 1918

Mr.. C. c. Chapman.
Editor Voter. Portland, Ore.
Dear Mr.. Chapmon:
! have just read with much inter-
est your article. in this weeks Voter,
upon the Rogue River Fish Bill"
1t is true, as you state, that the real
issue in the Rogue river fish ques-
tion has been beclouded by strife and
lost in controversy to a large part OF
the voting population, but brief
study OF the situation will show the
unprejudiced voter how to mark his
ballot on November 5th.
To those who do know conditions
along the Rogue there are no per-
picking features in the present bill.
and 1t is not difficult" as you
state, for them to vote conscientious
| ly, and intelligently. Please bear in
mind in this connection that every
senator and every representative in
the last session OF the legislature
from each county touched by the
waters of the Rogue voted in favor
Of the passage OF the bill as 1t will
appear upon the ballot. These men
know the situation and we're in
position to vote "conscientiously
and intelligently." Their vote Is a
good one for the voter who is not in
formed to use as a guide.
The only issue involved in the
present bill is the use or prohibition
of the seine and the set net in COM
mercial fishing on the Rogue. II
does not destroy the commercial
fishing. The people OF the Rogue val
ley, sport fishermen and commercial
fishermen, are practically a unit in
favor and support of the bill. The
measure finds its way upon the bal
lot through the referendum, not he
cause there was a popular demand
for the referendum, but because irs
defeat meant enough in the way of
dollars and cents to the monopoly
that the monopoly was justified in
paying the price for the circulation
of the petitions. Few of the signers
Of the petitions know the merits Of
the question.
The trouble is that the uninfoI M
ed have viewed the Rogue fish quos-
tion from the prejudiced view po'nt
of either it's commercial or Its sport
aspect.
A few years ago the people Of the
state of Oregon voted tn close Rog"c
river to commercial fishing. 1t was
thought this action would preserve
the stream as the premier angling
waters of the continent. The sports
man instinct of the writer, (who had
up to that date never seen the
Rogue,) prompted him to emigrate
at once to the Rogue valley and TO
purchase a home site upon the banks
of the stream. But the dream OF
sport was short lived. The angler
was unable to approach the river be-
cause OF the stencil Of decaying sal
mon along the banks. Trout gorg-
ed themselves upon salmon eggs on
the spawning beds, and refused to
rise to the fly. The closing Of the
river had destroyed the commercial
fishing and likewise had destroyed
the sport fishing. Then the pendu-
lum swung the other way. The
river was opened to commercial fish
ing again, but the use of the seine
was permitted at the mouth OF the
river, and the seine Of four inch
mesh took out not only all the sal
mon but destroyed the trout and
smaller fish by thousands. The
Rogue Is so small a stream that the
use of the seine can sweep it prac'
tically free Of fish. and the result Is
that few ever reach the upper wa
ters as food for the people who re.
side in the Rogue valley, or to spawn
upon the gravel bars.
The bill upon the ballot finds the
|, middle ground that will preserve
. both the commercial fishing indus
try and the glory Of the Rogue from
the sportsman's point OF view. II