38 



THE GAME BREEDER 



good reason why the game dealers in the 

 cities and towns should be licensed and 

 regulated by the State game departments. 

 Game reared on ranches, game farms 

 and preserves is easily stolen when it is 

 produced in large numbers wild in pro- 

 tected fields, which is the best and most 

 profitable way to breed many species of 

 game. The wild game on public lands 

 and waters, which is protected in Amer- 

 ica by laws prohibiting its sale, in the 

 absence of regulations might easily be 

 sent to the dealers in competition with 

 the game owned and marketed by breed- 

 ers. 



In the older countries any one who 

 shoots a game bird owns it after he has 

 shot it and can sell it as a matter of 

 course. But there are laws in America 

 which have been upheld by the courts 

 which provide that game taken legally 

 on public lands and waters does not be- 

 long to the one taking it but remains the 

 property of the State to the extent that 

 the State can say what disposition can 

 be made of it. The decision of the 

 United States Supreme Court upholding 

 laws prohibiting the sale of game legally 

 taken was rendered by a majority of the 

 judges, not all being present, and some 

 able dissenting opinions were rendered. 

 But so long as the decision (in Geer vs. 

 Connecticut) remains unreversed it 

 would seem to be moi"e important that 

 the dealers be licensed and regulated in 

 America than it is in other countries 

 where the wild fowlers sell their game 

 just as our fishermen sell their fish. 



The Form of the License. 



Since the State game officers resolved 

 at their recent meeting that all of the 

 States which had not done so should 

 enact laws permitting game farmers to 

 sell their food it would be advisable to 

 consider the licensing of the dealers so 

 that the abundant food supply can be 

 marketed from game ranches, farms and 

 preserves without danger of game 

 stolen from the farms or from the pub- 

 lic lands and waters being sold, so long 

 at least as it is deemed inadvisable to 

 prohibit the sale of public game. We can 

 see that it may be advisable to prohibit 



the sale of public game as food until 

 such time as the game farms and pre- 

 serves supply the markets so abundantly 

 that the sale of public game safely can 

 be permitted. 



The pawnbrokers and junk dealers are 

 licensed and regulated because this is 

 necessary to prevent the sale of stolen 

 goods. Cigarmakers and dealers and 

 the manufacturers of fire-water and 

 beer and the retailers of these beverages 

 have been licensed and regulated in or- 

 der to see that the revenues are paid 

 and that "moonshine" be excluded from 

 the markets. Straight goods and moon- 

 shine are said to be much alike. 



Often we have pointed out that if the 

 pawnbrokers and junk dealers who han- 

 dle legal jewels and junk, which look 

 exactly like stolen goods, can be regu- 

 lated and permitted to handle the legit- 

 imate, it must be true that those who deal 

 in game can be regulated and permitted 

 to sell the food from the farms and pre- 

 serves. Should a little illegal food be 

 sold this only would result in the people 

 who are said to own the game getting a 

 taste of their property which they can 

 not get in some States today. 



The form of the license can be made 

 very simple; the charge for the license 

 might well be made larger for city deal- 

 ers who will handle large amounts than 

 for small dealers in the villages who will 

 handle smaller amounts. The State 

 game departments should have the right 

 to cancel licenses upon the conviction of 

 a dealer for illegal selling and if it be 

 distinctly understood that violations _ of 

 the laws are to result in the termination 

 of the business of the law-breaker _ it is 

 evident that there will be few violations ; 

 and by eliminating those who do not 

 obey the laws the business soon can be 

 regulated as easily as other industries 

 which require licenses are. 



Most business men are honest, espe- 

 cially when it pays to be honest, and the 

 fear that some may violate a law should 

 not, of course, prevent a food industry. 

 Comparatively little of the land now 

 posted against sport can be made to fill 

 the markets to overflowing with game 

 and, as often we have pointed out, sport 



