The Daily Morning Journal And Courier

MAINE'S PORCUPINES.
The State of Maine has her little troubles.
For instance, porcupines.
Also for instance, the little bills which she must pay for the killing of porcupines. During the last session of the Maine legislature an act was passed providing for an appropriation of $500 to be paid as a bounty on porcupines, twenty-five cents being paid on every animal killed. The returns to the State show that a total of 60,000 porcupines were killed during the year 1903, and the appropriation has been exceeded by $14,500. The several towns in the State have paid the bounty and now look to the State for reimbursement, which with the limited means at their command the officers are unable to make. Vouchers and certificates duly sworn to before justices of the peace were first returned to the treasurer's department and later handed to the governor and council. These will soon be ready for the legislature, where the entire matter will probably be referred to the claims committee and be duly acted upon. When reimbursement has been made to the several town treasurers the State of Maine will have paid, it is thought, for many New Brunswick porcupines, as it has been a very easy matter to capture animals over the line and bring them into Maine and collect bounty. Before the repeal of this act can be effected it will have cost the State a considerable sum, as $15,000 will cover only the year of 1903, the returns for the present year remaining to be heard from.
With the Republican prosperity which Maine is going to help elect to-morrow she can easily pay for all the porcupines that have been killed, but her experience indicates the danger of offering bounties for dead porcupines.