New Mexico state record., 1920-07-02

- ping away mcrrily nj the maart,
ana Diu"0iils in marsh at nevada Mo. II real.
~ distinguished party. In il were Attorney
General Frank McAllislcr of Missouri; j. H. Rey-
noI,Is of Kansas Cty; T. s. Nllmoare, Kansas
city, and NJ. $, Bodine and Clarence Evans of
Paris Mo
i;ut congress had previously passed the fe'.
rra migratory bird act which among otsr things
prohibits spring shooing of water fowl. How
came il then. that the attorney general of the
state of Missouri WAS in the party?
Well, he "from Missouri The Missouri
folks have 10 he shown, you know. And Attor-
ncy General McAllister and his friends had an
Idea that the migratory bird act unconStitu.
Iionai. They liked to shoot ducks-Spring ~
we'll fall-and they proclaimed that the net
interferrd with the sovereignty of the state of
Missouri and with the property rights of the peo-
pie of Missouri
So Attorney General McAlllsfcr of Missouri
and his friends went hunting March . 1919
Moreover, they didn't who knew it. Maybe
they even tipped 1t off 10 the federal game war.
'iens Anyway. the federal game warlens put In
appearance and arrested the attorney general
aud his party. The party arralgue,l at Clin.
ton Mo. McAlliSier took the INTO court ask.
ing for an injunction to restrain the federal game
warrns from enforcing the law. Federal Judge
\. :. Van Vakenburgh held the law constitutional
and the state appealed to the United States Su.
preme court.
To George Shras H.. and Ehn Root the
millions of bir'l-lOvers NV" gratitude. So do the
millions of gardeners and farmers who. with the
inscctivorous birds gone, would he eaten up by
their insect foes. George Shras. y member of
congress from PennsylvHnia began the fight away
hack in 1904 Ellhu Root-posSlby the most
mandng Intellect in the country today-cincli.t
the victory.
r. Gilbert Pearson, secretary aud executive Of
ticer of the National Association Of Aulubon So
s1eties who has also big share in the victory.
- wideawake citizen and thoroughly familiar
with the situation LEI him tell the story OF the
dong hard fight. Says Mr. Pearson:
-r;eorge Shiras III. was man Of means who
was Interested in good works. In looking over
the situation In reference to the protection OF
birds he discovered that the states all had differ
rnt seasons In which migratory game birds could
tc Sio' and that what the situation really amount
si that game birds could be shot in diff
frrrut parts Of the country all through the year.
BI- decided that the only way to remedy this state
.f affairs. which would in time result In the ex.
sinciion of game birds. to put the matter un-
,,.r government control aud thus do away with
the constant and everlasting wrangng Of tn.
states. So he introduced bill In congress for
the protection Of migratory birds II
ferr,rl committee and put In pigeonholr.
and that was the last of II.
-'ISfore this time the only projection law in
Torts in the States was the Audubon law. which
succeeded In getting enacted in all hut about
.iyt, states. This however did not prohibit the
seliieg of birds. In 1910 we brought about the
s,ruhihion of the sale of aigrettes.
In theory. the state game laws worked nice
ty aud II could he shown paper that each
~tsie rouId have its chosen shooting season and
ssIH there would he dying out Of birds. Rur
In eractice they did not work well. Take. for
irsfanre duck shootng-when the ducks start
nertt in the spring they are mating and II you