Smyrna times., 1932-02-03
M. G. DAGGER WRITES LETTER
Declares the Depredations of the
Fox a Menace to Wild Life

Declares the Depredations of tn,
Fox a Menace to Wild Life
Thanks Uncle Ben for your let.
ter, as I know you are a real coor
hunter, and a true sport. You are
J right when you say the game war
dens are not to blame altogether
and you sure do put the blame
where it belongs. I am getting
letters from all over Sussex coun-
ty, and they all tell the same story,
and just as you say our guns will
soon be relics, also I agree with
you about the Grey Fox, he is not
even a sporting proposition, and a
briar patch of half an acre is all
he needs. No fun in chase with
him at all. You stop up here and
see me and I will give you two
settings of pheasant eggs, now
boys lets get down to business, we
have the game commission on the
run. They are going to give us
protection as we are going to de-
mand it, and we will carry our
fight to the 1888 session of Legis-
! lature, for more game for the
sportsmen, and less money wasted.
AS the 1881 game season has pass
ed into history. The breeding sea-
son for 1882 will soon be here, and
it is up to you boys, to see that
this year is not lost. 1t will now
try to tell you why the sportsmen
of the State have lost their faith
in the commission, and we must
take things in our own hands if we
are to restore our game birds and
animals back where they belong in
our woods, and fields. Just look
at the amount of money paid out
each year in claims for dogs run
ming at large during the breeding
season. Why keep your dogs tied
up and let the Grey Fox run at
large, as he is an arch enemy to
our wild life, there should be a
bounty on his head Pennsylvania
pays $500 for his hide. A report
came to me this week that, hun
dreds of dogs were not even taxed
last year. Why should one man
pay, and the other laugh at the
law. Let all pay or abolish the
dog tax law. 1t is true that the
dog tax is supposed to be for the
purpose of paying claims for dam
age done to poultry, sheep, etc. +
But there seems to have been no
effort to enforce the law, and when
it is enforced, some with pull get
off without fine, and some poor
fellow has to pay. Here is one
case I heard about "A white
preacher was handed a little slip
by q game warden to 60 to the
the next day, at the
same time q negro preacher got
the same kind of slip, both paid
their fines. What a shame the
white preacher had pull, and the
game commission RENTED his fine,
where as the negro preacher had
no pull and he had to take his
medicine. Another case of two
men being arrested for shooting
ducks (non resident) hunters, men
with money. Pressure was used
against the warden, and he was
told, for your own good you had
better see the commission. But
thanks to this warden it did not
work. He was doing his duty. He
also at the same time had another
man who did not have enough
money to pay his fine, arrested for
he same offense and was holding
MS car until he could raise the
That is a fine state of af-
airs let the rich go and fine the
Door. Here is the law, and it is ,
olain. Section 80, Page 81. Game
Ind Fish Laws: Officer or war
len; Failure to perform duty as
nisdemeanor; Penalty of
icial officer or warden who shall !
all to perform any act, duty or !
obligation enjoined upon him by
he provisions of the Game and
fish Laws of this state shall be
punished with fine or not less
han fifty dollars nor more than :
me hundred dollars and costs for
ach offense. Who is to blame the :
vardens of the commission II.
will let you be the judge. The
vardens want to do their duty, but
low can they? Letters are COM
ng in fast, and all I ask give me
our ideas, and tell me frankly