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Show CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE INSECT EATERS New York. June 6 Protection of the insect-eating blrdo, hosc destruction destruc-tion caused a crop loss of almost a billion dollars to this country in the last year, will be made a campaign issue is-sue throughout the nation as a result of a general movement which was organized or-ganized in this city. Backed by the granges and other bodies representing the farnu-rs, orchardlsts, ranchmen and planters of every section) of the land, the National Association of Audubon Au-dubon societies is preparing to obtain from every present and prospective representative of the people in every state In the union definite declarations of their stand on this question of the conservation of the bird resources of tho commonwealth. Where the forces of the milliners have been able to exert ex-ert political pressure to legalize their poaching upon the feathered guardians of the crops, the people will rise this year to demand that their own inter- esis te protected. Representing an industry valued at less than $12,000a000, a few Broadway Broad-way feather dealers have just succeeded suc-ceeded in defeating in this state the Francis bill for the protection of tho insect-eating birds, behind which agricultural ag-ricultural interests worth more than a billion dollars were solidly arrayed. In spite of the united efforts of the 83,0io farmers represented in ,tiie state grange and tho Audobon workers, work-ers, who were backed by the press and people of almost every community in the state, It has been reported that the hiring of a lawyer "whose political influence was undoubtedly used to prevent pre-vent any open consideration of the bill on the floor of cither branch of the legislature." had with other machinations mach-inations of the milliners resulted in legalizing for another year their traffic traf-fic in property that belongs to the state. As a first step In the general national campaign for t'ue birds wbo guard the crops, the record of each legislator on this matter will bo submitted sub-mitted to his constituents and every effort made to secure from each district dis-trict In this state representatives at Albany next year who will be pledged to hee'd thl3 strong demand from their agricultural supporters. California, Missouri and Oklahoma have just been reported as adopting laws defending their bird crop guards agalnst the ravages of the feather dealers, which are substantially tho same as the, bill which the milliners have Just strangled in this state. Similar Sim-ilar laws forbidding the sale or possession posses-sion of the plumage, skin or body of the insect-eating, non-game birds, "Irrespective "Ir-respective of whether said bird was captured or killed within or without the slate," and are already In force and working for the protection of tho farmers in Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Massachu-setts, Michigan, Mississippi, South Carolina and West Virginia. From every other stite and territory In tho land communications are being received re-ceived at the headquarters of the movement urging an Immediate effort to rouse the peoplo to campaign for their feathered crop protectors against the forces of the milllnthy interests. ,"If tho people of this country are ever going to stop the milliners from killing the birds that would savo them a billion dollars each year If left alive, now is tho time for them to act," said William Dutcher, president of tho National Association of Audobon So- 1 clcties. at its headquarters, 141 Broadway. Broad-way. "A disgraceful display of political politi-cal pull has this year turned over to the feather dealers in this state Its wild birds that have been proved to savo by fighting off insects, moro value In crops in a few seasons than the whole millinery Industry is worth. Now we are going to take this great economic question to the people in this state and in every part of the land. We believe that all patriotic Americans Ameri-cans who would preserve their country's coun-try's agricultural wealth will Join with us to domand from their representatives representa-tives a pledge to provent the milliners millin-ers from further profiting by the killing kill-ing of these InRCCteating, non-game birds at the expense of billions of dollars dol-lars to the crops of tho land." |