Show FISH AND GAME protection utah is in possession not of as good goad a law for the protection of fish and game as some commonwealths can boast of but still a law good enough if properly enforced to work great benefit to these interests the last session of the legislature spent considerable sid erable time on the subject and had the advice and experience of several gentlemen who axe are known to be familiar with the matter in all its phases the result being as stated an excellent statute but of what avail are good laws which have existence only upon the statute books they cannot enforce themselves albeit they can be made to speak in no uncertain manner if only those whose duty it is will do their part of the work this is sometimes done sometimes not in a number of counties in the state there is a society having in view the promulgation of good rules as well as the enforcement of the game laws in this county the society is not only numerically strong but individually attentive to business and determines determined to confine the evils complained of to the narrowest possible limits if they cannot be suppressed altogether as we are well assured they could be it if others would also do their whole duty this society is so keenly alive to the necessity of making examples as a means of effecting reforms that it offers rewards for evidence of certain violations and sees that they are paid As an illustration of how the socie tys good intentions tent ions are sometimes frustrated it is only necessary to refer to a recent case it was learned that a certain person had killed ducks out of season and on his being arrested all the evidence that was required was there tt it may be said that the defendant was literally taken red handed also feath er handed the mans attorney had a consultation with the assistant county prosecutor the result being that a nom nominal inal fine and costs amounting in all to eight dollars were assessed this sum while considerable at times to some people is wholly inadequate to the ends of justice in that no example is set and the sum does not reach the amount of the reward frequently offered in such cases it is urged that as the complaining pla Dla ining witness gets no fees he ignot Is not likely to come forward at the pr proper oper time or if he does he to is apt to be more or less unwilling and that thereby a compromise judgment Is the easiest way out of the difficulty but if it to is right to let one class of offenses down so easy why not oth others erli and thus eventually weaken the entire legal structure it Is proper enough not to pay complaining comp laining witnesses because of the incentive it furnishes to doing such things for the money there to Is in them and by such means them counties might have more criminal business than the nature of the subject in every case would justify but there ought to be there is a way by which such offenders as those herein spoken of can be reached and punished adequately for the sake of upholding the law no less than for furthering our fish and game interests it to is demanded that such system be employed |