486 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. 23, 1911. 
Missouri Game Affairs 
By LOCH 
f last the sportsmen of the State have gained 
a substantial victory. The Supreme Court 
ruled that the rider on the game fund 
was illegal, and once more it puts Warden Toler- 
ton in a position to enforce the game laws. The 
ruling has been accepted with rejoicing by all 
interested in game protection; and while Mr. 
Tolerton has only been at the helm again since 
July s, already the good effects of his adminis¬ 
tration of affairs are visible on all sides. 
Instead of affecting the game cause, the in¬ 
stigators of the farcical investigation of Mr. Tol¬ 
er .on’s office really strengthened the cause for 
time to come. One of the most refreshing fea¬ 
tures of the investigation has been the open dis¬ 
play of admiration for Mr. Tolerton by those 
who should naturally be expected to fight him— 
political adversaries. But they have sunk all 
their political animus at the suggestion of the 
masses, when that potent force, which must now 
be reckoned with in enacting game laws, the 
farmer, swung his belief into advancing recog¬ 
nition of the worthy cause. When the farmer 
reconciles himself to game laws, and further, 
comes forth publicly with expression of his ideas, 
it is a mighty strong omen of future smooth 
sailing for the advocates of intelligent game 
protection. Such an awakening was not even 
anticipated, naturally so admirable a following 
was appreciated for its sturdy worth. 
Though the present game law has many 
of the redeeming features of the Walmsley act, 
the real fathers of it were the present adminis¬ 
trative forces, Gov. Herbert S. Hadley and Jesse 
A. Tolerton. A little incident in the career of the 
game commissioner only came to light recently. 
While its recital bears strongly on a breach of 
confidence, the intent which causes its relation 
will be the strongest factor in making it pardon¬ 
able, as it will illustrate the character of the 
man and enlighten Missourians on a part of 
the history of game protection. 
Tolerton was first appointed by Governor 
Hadley to fill out the unexpired term of the 
erstwhile warden, Mr. Bassford. Under the 
law which followed the repeal of the Walms¬ 
ley act, the warden had little to do, really no 
powers whatever, and the only variation to the 
monotony of the office was the salary day. One 
day the Governor strolled into the office of Mr. 
Tolerton and noticed a very dissatisfied looking- 
man. Somewhat put out at the taciturn behavior 
of his appointee, he questioned him: 
“How do you like the new position?’’ He 
awaited the slow coming but carefully prepared 
answer. 
“I simply don't care for it in the least man¬ 
ner,” came from Tolerton, who for the moment 
refrained from an exposition of his dissatisfaction. 
“Why?” the Governor further interrogated: 
“Are they working you to death?” 
Then came the shock which shattered all the 
Governor’s preconceived opinions of office hold¬ 
ers in general, when Mr. Tolerton replied : 
“That’s just it! there is nothing to do, the 
office is not serving the people, and I am, if I 
hold this office under the present law, drawing 
salary for doing nothing.” 
LADDIE 
The brief dialogue sufficed to bring these two 
interested ones into furthering a satisfactory 
game law; one that meant protection in its 
broadest sense. The enactment of the present 
law was a result of their conference, with the 
help of certain members of the Legislature who 
had already guessed the desires of the sports¬ 
men. 
There has always been in every community 
a certain e.ement which has continually fought 
a 1 efforts for game protection ; the market hun¬ 
ter and those who consider that they have a 
special dispensation, or I know not what, to kill 
game whenever they feel like it. The latter 
class is really more td be despised than the 
market hunter. The market hunter only exists 
through the influence of the game dealer; an all- 
year game killer has not even the incentive of 
gain to agitate him; and in fact, when he is in 
great numbers, has more of a baneful effect on 
protective measures than the market hunter who 
is usually away in haunts where his dissension 
is less likely to get in touch with the ambitious 
politician, the game law wrecker. The market 
hunter is disappearing rapidly, and the romance 
attached to his profession has long since van¬ 
ished, like the landmarks of his former hunting 
grounds. But the man who shoots merely for 
his own enjoyment and recognizes no closed 
season, generally is the town loafer, or hanger 
on of the tie camps, saw mills or other opera¬ 
tions in close proximity to desirable game ter¬ 
ritory — sometimes, though infrequently, a man 
in good standing in the neighborhood. However, 
his influence is felt, and felt strongly by the 
fledgling politician who is quick to promise 
assistance in the way of laws which will not 
affect the violator’s pursuits, in the ill-advised 
belief that he is weaning to him a support which 
does not exist—when worth counts. 
Last fall the horde of aspiring politicians ca¬ 
tered to this class, and used the repeal of the 
game law as a platform, which they worked 
skillfully, though unscrupulously; so much, in 
fact, that during the last campaign in the sunken 
lands, whenever one was heard in traveling to 
declaim against the game laws, the knights of 
the grip wou’d say, “I'll bet that fellow is run¬ 
ning for office.” 
When Mr. Tolerton organized his force he 
made it impressive to his deputies that their 
duties consisted as much in educating the dis¬ 
satisfied masses to the benefits of game laws, as 
well as strict enforcement; which procedure by 
no means sacrificed the efficiency of his depu¬ 
ties, but rather aided them in the task of de¬ 
creasing the number of violations. Immediately 
upon seeing that the husbandman was swinging 
his faith to protection, the lawbreaker began to 
fear the farmer almost as much as the wardens. 
Lie sensed instantly that the farmer was frequent¬ 
ly in a position to, and would report violations, 
which the vast territory a deputy was obliged to 
cover precluded his knowledge of. Naturally it 
follows that the much-abused farmer has quali¬ 
fied as a game protector, by close environment 
to game, and realization of the absolute fairness 
of game laws to him, and the value certain 
species of game birds are to his premises. 
Personally, I have often wondered why gun 
clubs, game protective leagues and like organi¬ 
zations have been so dilatory about appreciating 
the farmer as a powerful unit toward helping 
the game cause, especially after he has once 
fully comprehended the deep interest it must 
bear for him, and the wonderful opportunity he 
has for saving game. Game saved, to a certain 
degree, means more in the light of future in¬ 
crease than punishing an infraction. I have 
watched this carefully, and must indulge in open 
protest against leagues that are supposed to ad¬ 
vance game legislation, discriminating at the start 
against the farmer as an assistant, or as a 
member. 
The enjoyment of undomesticated creatures 
in the full glory of their wild life both by pur¬ 
suit and appreciation of their existence, appears 
now a certainty. However distant we have been 
in trying to prevent the destruction of our game 
in the past, the large tracts of wild land in our 
State offer boundless opportunities for future in¬ 
crease, and as long as the land companies per¬ 
sist in retaining their holdings, so long will game 
under strict laws increase. There are the great 
covers of the rock-bound Ozark counties be¬ 
decked with the forests of pine and hardwoods, 
and the vast flooded areas of the swamp lands, 
redolent with the wild vegetation of flags and 
enticing smartweed that for time to come assures 
breeding and feeding places for the shy deni¬ 
zens of the wilderness. 
Recent and successful attempts have been made 
by Mr. Tolerton to suppress the sale and killing 
of woodducks. Late seizures of contraband ship¬ 
ments have put a quietus on the energies of the 
market hunter. Their method of evading the 
law was to ship the “woodies” with fish, one 
layer of ducks and ice, then a layer of fish and 
ice. It was really a pitiful sight to see these 
summer feathered ducks slaughtered by the thou¬ 
sands as they pitched to roost in the open water 
among the encircling growths of flag and saw- 
grass. One can hardly conceive the number in 
the swamp lands about the Little River duck 
grounds during the evening flight, as the outly¬ 
ing shallow bayous yielded to the steady suck of 
ardent summer days, the thousands reared in 
obscure places secure from molestation were 
driven to the open holes of water. 
Caribou in Idaho? 
Thirty years ago there were a few caribou 
in Northern Idaho, Northeastern Washington 
and Southern British Columbia, and at a still 
earlier date than this these animals were abund¬ 
ant there. We have seen camps of Kootenai In¬ 
dians bring in to Sineaqueteen—the old crossing 
place of the Pend d’Oreille River—fresh skins 
which they said had been taken but a few miles 
north of there. 
There seems to be more reason to think that 
a small herd of caribou still ranges over the 
Cabinet Mountain range north of Lake Pend 
d'Oreille. It is believed that the herd is small, 
not more than fifteen or twenty in number. 
These are perhaps now the only caribou found 
in the United States, since those formerly occur¬ 
ring in Maine are said to have wholly disap¬ 
peared. 
