Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-03-19

I
And when this discovery was
made--if my recollection serves me
| aright-the bill stood about as much
| Of a. chance as that SNOWFALL which
wa have heard so much about IN the
future abode of that class OF our
! citizens who sit up nights devlslne
| schemes for the enactment or soma
of the kind of legislation that has
been proposed to US here this winter.
| daughter and applause.)
| I will read from the remarks
| made on that occasion by the then
| gentleman from South Portlad, no"
the Senator from Cumberland. SEN
ator Hinokley, as his remarks are
| lust as applicable today as they We're
! then and express my thoughts lar
! better than l can do it in my own
| language.
| Mr.. Hinckley says: "As matter or
! fact, ninety nine citizens OF the
| State out of one hundred know no
| other way Of fishing except plug
| fishing. Fly fishing is a gentlemans
pastime, and / want to say that TINS
| Legislature. in my judgment, has no
| right, and that the citizens who nave
| camps up around Rangeley lake or
any other lake. have no right to say
| that a boy cannot take his fishing
!
| hook and go out and catch trout.
| This would be absolutely unfair and
improper. If we keep on making
! rules and regulations in regard to
| fishing and hunting, 1t will be neces-
| sary to carry around a copy OF the
| Revised Statutes every time we go
away from home; and am not sure
| If some of the laws are enacted which
are coming up. that it will not be
necessary when we are In the house
to have a copy of the Statutes with
us. We talk about it being the land
| Of freedom and equality, but l say
| that we are tied down in Maine by
| more rules and regulations In regard
| to hunting fishing and every other
conceivable proposition than Is any
| foreign country; and l say to you
that l shall oppose any proposition
| which will say to the boy who lives
| on the farm, and the boy out In the
! country, You cannot go to work anu
cut your alder pole and go out ana
| catch a trout whenever you want TO.
| provided you do it within the time
prescribed by the laws OF this
| State"
Since that time an attempt has
been made. by means of creeping,
insidious policy, to close the brooks
and ponds of the State one by one by
! by special legislative enactment, to
| this kind of fishing, and l submit to
| YOU that if plub fishing is such an
| unmitigated evil, the open, manlike
| way to handle it is by clear and
| squarely based bill covering the
| whole State, and then if our citizens
! do not approve of it they will have
! no trouble IN securing the requisite
| number of names on referendum
! petition and trying this matter out in
| stead of attempting to do 1t In this
way by evading the plain provision
! of the Constitution.
| | have been told since l came TO
| these Halls that it was none OF my
/ business as 1t was not matter
which applied to Aroostook county.
but I beg leave to differ with that
! opinion as l claim to be citizen OF
! the State of Maine, and this is State
wide policy which will be tried out
! in Aroostook and every other county
| Of the State just as soon as the OPP
portunity arises.
| l have also been told by the spon-
| sor OF one of these bills that the
reason for its Introduction was that
some people had gone up there and
| built cottages on the shores of that
pond and they did not want the boys
| to catch the fish. And / have no
doubt that that is true-certainly a
laudable reason for the enactment OF
such legislation.
DO you, who know boys, believe
| that they would catch any less fish
| if we enact such legislation as this?
| | do not. l feel that they Will go
down there and stand around and
wait until they are sure no warden
I is present. and then they will fish,
and if they get caught at it. and this
fine of thirty dollars is imposed, and
they board it out In jail because
/ they cannot raise the money to pay
. that fine, they will have @ start made
/ "a beautiful start-on q criminal
| career. Applause)
A little later We are going to be
called upon to consider bill intend
ed for the redemption of criminals
created in such ways as this. Would
| it not be better to call n halt on the
enactment of such legislation that
! can only breed contempt for law
in the minds of the rising genera
ton?
Ny attention has also been called
to the fact that this is unanimous
report of the Committee. and as such
should not be disregarded-I believe
you have just turned down unani-
nous report of the Committee-but
more than one member of that Com
mittee has assured me that II anyone
had appeared against these bills. the
report of the Comittee would have
been different and | think you will
agree with me that many of those
who might have opposed the bill are
not the class of our citizens who fol-
low un the doings of the Maine State
Legislature every morning in the
Kcnnebec Journal. and in all prob
ability they do not know to this day
that any such legislation has been
proposed, and perhaps will not know
it until sometime next summer when
q warden will go up there and rope
in some Of those boys and take them
into Court. For we know from the
history of the enforcement of our
fish and cams. laws that these boys
are considered an easy mark. and
1t is not an unusual thing for a war
den to attempt to cover himself all
over with glory by making such ar
rests as that, when summer resi-
dent fly fisherman or real hard
boiled poacher up in the woods some
where, would not attract his atten-
ton.
think It would he we'll to consid-
er the fact, too, that since these bills
have been lying on the table the
same Committee has reported Ought
not to Pass" on other bills OF a
similar nature.
Now. this Is just the same Kind of
fishing that you used to engage in
when you We're a boy and did not
have a ten dollar bill to invest in
even high priced fly fishing outfit.
and sometimes considered yourself
lucky II You had ten-cent piece to
buy a cheap line with a hook thrown
ia, LII Liz