The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-07-05
WHITE HOUSE OWLS
GET LEASE ON LIFE
The John Burroughs Club jury Have De-
cided in Their Favor.

WASHINGTON, July 4.-The owls can
live. The John Burroughs club jury APP
pointed by President Harding when visit
ing the White House some time ago to
consider the question says so and the
jury so reported today in a memoran-
dunn filed by the youngsters with Geo.
B. Christian, Jr., the presidents secre-
tary. The finding of the jury is based
upon the clubs investigation and upon
hundreds of briefs filed with the Ameri-
can forestry association for the club from
every section of the country.
These briefs took up every phase of
owl values as pest destroyers to their
tabled influence on the lives of human
beings. Some of the writer's called upon
President Harding to get rid of the owls
at once If there are any in the White
House grounds and predicted all kinds
of bad luck for his administration. The
John Burroughs club. however,. consid-
cred only the economic value of the owls.
for the question put to them by Judge
Harding was in regard to birds that
preyed on other birds being allowed to
live.
The finding of the jury as filed at the
White House today follows:
'In spite of the fact that these birds
destroy others of their own ilk, they have
to their credit and in defence of their
lives the fact that they are of much
economic value and have certain other
qualities in their favor.
1--WE shall take for instance, the crow,
whose value in lessening the number of
harmful insects was so great that for
long time scientists working for the gov
eminent were unable to say whether his
bad acts counterbalanced his good deeds.
Next we take the Great Horned Owl,
whose bad habits are well known, but
even he kills rats, mice and other ro-
dents.
Finally we come to the Coopers and
Sharp Skinned Hawks, who especially
the Coopers Hawk. have brought wrath
and hate upon the heads of even the less
destructive birds of prey of the country.
But then can we convict a whole class
of Gods creatures because few have
been known to slaughter their own kind?
Can that memorable law of nature, The
survival of the fittest, which has been
since the world began, be broken by us
who owe so much to it, even unto our
very existence? Do we put sentence of
death on all bears because a few have
been known to eat domestic animals?
We kill them If we know they are guilty,
that is all If we destroy the feathered
murderer we must also pass sentence on
the parasitic vine, which encircles and
saps the life from the sturdy forest tree.
Nay, it is not for us to do these
things, if it were Gods viii they should
perish, it would be unnecessary for us
to pit ourselves against the countless
flocks DER our nation. therefore We the
John Burroughs Club of Force School,
wish to state to His, Honor, the Presi-
dent of the United States, sitting as a
judge in this case. that these birds should
not die, but should be allowed to remain
alive in their native haunts, with no leg
islative sentence hanging, dread men
ace, over their heads.
(Signed)-Harold V. T. Roach, Edward
r. Tindell. Esther J. Rogers. Charles
Keene, Jr., Hamilton Bradley, Dorothy
Sheckells, Merrill X Clementson and
James B. Bradley"