The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-12-16
-COnSerVation-
SPORTSMEN LAX
IN MOVE TO PUT
DEER IN STATE
Only 667 Votes Are Cast in
Indiana Survey of
Situation.
BY WILLIAM F. COLLINS
Times Special Writer.

The survey made by the depart
ment of conservation among the
sportsmen of the state on the ques-
ton of establishing deer in south
ern Indiana shows that 600 men
pledged their support and protec-
ton of the herd. Another sixty
seven men voted against the plan.
This does not constitute a repre-
sentative vote among a group of
more than 100000 hunting license
buyers who live in southern Indi-
ana. The only Interpretation I can
place on the evidence gathered is
that 1888 hunters in the south
part of the state are not sufficiently
interested in deer to express them
selves one way or the other. For
that matter, about the same pro-
portion are not sufficiently inter-
eSted in any phase of outdoor sport
to make their desires well known.
If the vast army of outdoor people
in this state or in the United States
were articulate, we never would
have had stream pollution prob
lem to contend with.
Many Are Silent
Sixteen million men and women
hunt and fish in this nation, or
at least they buy license for that
purpose. Do you think if this num-
Der of people raised their voices
against the dissertation of our
streams We now would have thou
sands of miles of water turgid with
filth, including 40 miles in Indi-
ana. Do you think we would have
a reforestation problem, a flood
problem, a drainage problem and
a vanishing wild life problem.
We rise to heights of ardor to de-
bate beer control, the walkathon
and other transitory phenomena
and pass over, with scant attention
or no attention at all, those ele-
mental things that make our lives
worth living and which no doubt
will affect profoundly the very ex-
istence of our children. If you
don't believe this read the peoples
voice columns in any daily news
paper.
Two states alone, so far as I have
observed thus far have adopted a
program for the betterment of their
citizens by improving conditions
beyond the town line. Connecticut
is buying forests. Eventually the
forests will be joined together in
large area to be known as The Peo-
pies Forest"
Memorials Move Costly
At this time that state has not
spent as much money by half as
Indiana expended for the George
Rogers Clark and the War mem
orialS. 1 am certain her people are
getting vastly more enjoyment out
of their forests than we get out of
our two huge agglomerationS. They
have some beautiful buildings in
Connecticut, but the only thing
they wanted me to see was the win
ter sport carnival in the forest. The
Boy Scouts and the Appalachian
Mountain Club took over the task
OF mapping and cutting the trails,
the Girl Scouts and the women's
Clubs planned the shelters and out
door camps. Thousands of CITY,
weark folks may be found among
the trees daily winter or summer
where a pitiful few are to be found
surveying our masterpieces.
The program in New York state
is too wen-known to bear repeating.
President Roosevelt startled the
country few years age when he
was Governor of that state by an
nouncing an appropriation of
SO ,OO0000 to be spent over a period
OF years to bring back to the people
Of his state the opportunity for out
door recreation. He has always be-
heved firmly in the theory that
character is more easily built away
from the pavementS.
Solution of Probe
With outdoor sport comes an in
sight into the problems affecting
the natural resources of the coun-
try. If any group of Indiana peo-
pie walked once across the defor-
ested, eroded and virtually WORTH
less fields of some of our Indiana
counties, no further argument would
be needed here about flood control.
If we were able to attract as many
people outdoors in Hoosierdom as
they do in the east, the task of
cleaning our streams, repopulating
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