Outdoor Life G  Outdoor 1Recreation 0      19, 0 
 
 
  The 
 
 
apse of Conservation 
 
 
            In Louisiana 
 
                       By A Propos* 
 
 
        HE game in Louisiana has its back to the Gulf 
        and the new State Conservation Commission is 
        protecting the violators in their endeavor to push 
        the game overboard. Now, let me state that I am 
not connected with the state of Louisiana, never have been, 
and never expbct to be, therefore, have no ax to grind. But 
I want to see our game, 
 
 
especially our dlucks ana 
geese, get a fair break. 
   Until early last winter, 
 1929, everything was going 
 lovely in the Conservation 
 Department in Louisiana. 
 Good, efficient agents were 
 in the field and were doing 
 some commendable work. 
 The Department and all its 
 employes were cooperating 
 very willingly with the Fed- 
 eral Government in endeav- 
 oring to bring to justice all 
 violators of the Migratory 
 Bird Treaty Act. As a rule, 
 this class of violations are 
 committed by swamp dwell- 
 ers, or those of Indian, 
 French, and Spanish de- 
 scent, who live on the edge 
 of the hundreds of lakes and 
 bayous comprising this dis- 
 trict. These folks all have 
 small dugout boats, while a 
 large number own old, 
 cheap outboard motors. 
 Their business is usually 
 trapping, hunting, and 
 whisky running; in other 
 words, they much prefer to 
 violate the law rather than 
 to abide by it. These fellows 
 usually find an outlet for all 
 their illegal game through 
 night clubs, hotels, restau- 
 rants, and small stores lo- 
 cated in the large cities, as 
 well as in the smaller towns. 
 This bootlegging of game is 
 the most difficult thing in 
 the world to   apprehend. 
 Anyone down in this coun- 
 try can buy whisky, but 
 your entire family tree must 
 be known before you will 
 be served with duck or 
 other game. 
 As far as I am able to 
 determine, at this time, 
about the only objects that 
 
 
   Solely for W 
 T    IS always pam 
    those states whi 
 conservation policie 
 politics. But it is es 
 sider this situation 
 exceptionally endom 
 assets requisite for I 
 tion and propagati( 
 can not vote"--and 
 do not, probably be 
 are being lulled by t 
 Commissioner Mae, 
 himself. As a lesson 
 our readers may a 
 strokes of whitewash 
 tro Maestri (himsel 
 umbrage at our as 
 instead of him, abot 
 Louisiana. "The at 
 ment," he writes, " 
 by the present inc 
 party affiliations and 
 required by this ve 
 ment. . . . All app 
 with the general ar 
 and particularly th 
 who are deeply conc4 
 Both  State   and 
 statutes are rigidly e 
 for two pages. 
   But nothing in his 
on the fact that thE 
missioner's chief q 
office he holds are 
been   politically ac 
Governor Huey Lo 
after his appointmenl 
has vigorously suppo 
included public deri 
for the expense of gz 
 
 
state of  Louisiana  have 
      *Editorial Note:-lThe author of this article can not 
    allow his name to be publicly knozwn because he is in a 
    position to suffer personally from politicians who will 
    resent his exposure. The editors may say, however, that 
    he is a recognized conservationist and has never been in 
    politics. 
 
 
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to be thankful for are the two honest and fair U. S. District 
Judges, both of whom can wipe tears from their eyes and 
at the same time say, "Two hundred to $500 and thirty to 
ninety days," to all violators of our Migratory Bird law. 
The only drawback at this time is due to the fact that there 
is not an agent of the present Conservation Department who 
                               is permitted, or even has a 
                               desire, to bring any business 
                               before these able jurists. If 
                               a state agent attempted to 
IAT     Service?               do his duty, he would not 
                               be allowed to get anywhere 
hetic to contemplate           with it, besides he would 
h have to lift their           stand in danger of losing his 
                               position. The present Com- 
 above the mire of            mission and its officers are 
?ecially bitter to con-       entirely too busy collecting 
  the case of a state         $5 and $10 license fees from 
d with the natural            everyone who sells a crab or 
adership in conserva-         a crawdad tail, to be both- 
a.  "Fish and game            ered with protecting ducks, 
Louisiana sportsmen           geese, and other local game. 
ause their suspicions         Besides, they   need  this 
e sweet praise which          money, for they have places 
ri is heaping upon            to use it, and the "race 
n political technique,        horses" ran very erratically 
                      p a nthis season-perhaps some 
mire these sweeping           "w e I I - placed greenbacks" 
self-applied by Maes-         dried up after being placed 
) in a letter taking          in the "pot." 
ing our subscribers,            Anyway, the present Con- 
game conditions in            servation Department just 
aches of this Depart-         can not be bothered with 
ave been appointed            apprehending game hogs- 
ibent regardless of           and, anyway, haven't the 
solely for the service        sheriffs and their deputies 
  Simportant Depart-          been notified to see that 
                              these laws are enforced?! 
intments have met             Well, brothers, you   can 
?roval of the public          gamble that every wink that 
  element of people           a sheriff gives means a 
rned in conservation,         vote.  T h e s e politicians 
ederal conservation           eat roast wild duck in res- 
forced."  And so on           taurants, and I happen to 
                              know of three or four of 
etter has any bearing         these restaurants that will 
Conservation Coin-            have an appointment with a 
alifications for the          certain U. S. Judge in the 
ie fact that he has           near future. Uncle Sam has 
                              put a U. S. Game Protector 
ire  in  support of           down there, and this U. S. 
g both before and             Game Protector of the Bio- 
and the fact that he          logical Survey and the two 
ted a platform which          U. S. District Judges, plus 
on for hunters and            what aid may be obtained 
ne law enforcement,           by one violator squealing on 
                              the other, are the only forces 
                              that are available for the 
                              protection of our waterfowl 
                              in the state of Louisiana. 
   If a complaint is filed against a game law violator in any 
 state or parish court, the defendant will be home before the 
 ink is dry. If you want a conviction in the state of Louisi- 
 ana, it is up to you to gain it through the U. S. Court. That 
 is why the old Conservation Department instructed their 
 agents to always make a Federal charge where possible 
 
 
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