the fishin ’ politician
All the while from 1904 to 1916 , Hawes was building his law practice … and fishing . It was his escape and his passion . As he later wrote , “ The angler does not search for fish alone . He seeks relaxation , peace , quiet , and the opportunity for reflection .”
In 1916 , Hawes was back on the campaign trail , running for the Missouri House of Representatives , and this time he won . But Hawes served for less than two years before the U . S . entered World War I . He resigned from his House seat to serve in the Army and was promoted to major before being discharged in 1919 .
When Hawes came back to Missouri , he returned to politics … and to bass fishing .
In 1920 he was elected to the U . S . House of Representatives from Missouri ’ s 11th District and was re-elected in 1922 and 1924 . In 1926 , he was elected to the U . S . Senate . Along the way , Harry Hawes saved the black bass . He did other things , too , of course , and he ’ s certainly more famous for them , but not for our purposes . As you would imagine , Hawes was interested in flood control . After all , except for his time in the military , he ’ d lived his entire life within casting distance of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers . He worked hard to balance the needs of nature with the demands of progress , and there ’ s a pretty good chance that you ’ ve caught a bass from a reservoir authorized and created during Hawes ’ time in congress .
ILLUSTRATION BY JOE MAHLER the black bass bill
Hawes gave up his Senate seat in 1933 , but only after he achieved his status as bass savior in the U . S . House in 1925 . That ’ s when he gave his most memorable and passionate political speech .
It was February 2 , 1925 , and Hawes was in the middle of his second term in the House . The speech is in support of House Resolution 10690 , then known as the “ Black Bass Bill .” In essence , it was an effort to curtail the commercial sale of bass as food and to make it a federal crime to transport bass across state lines . Hawes authored the bill and sounded the alarm for bass protection .
“ Without vigorous action , the bass … will soon become extinct ,” he said , adding , “ this greatest of American game fishes is certain to become extinct within 10 years unless extraordinary efforts are made to protect it .”
As evidence that bass were deserving of these measures , Hawes tugged mightily at patriotic heartstrings with analogies comparing bass life to life in America : “… as the family grows , the male defends the nest like our frontiersman did his cabin .” “ The bass is found everywhere . He is as adaptable as the
American citizen …”
And if comparing the bass to the best America had to offer wasn ’ t enough , Hawes wasn ’ t nearly done . He made clear that bass and fishing were essential to a quality future .
When we lose our pep , when good food tastes bad , when friends do not satisfy , when life becomes a bore , when music seems out of tune , when the old dog annoys , when the doctor fails , and the good wife irritates , there is but one remedy for the run-down , and it is found in the forests or on the streams in the big outdoors .
Amen . Hawes even wrapped the bass in the cloak of Old Glory and made it clear that fishing was a cornerstone of American life .
“ When we lose the big outdoors , we lose part of our national pride , pluck , and patriotism . When we keep the big outdoors , we keep our best thoughts , our best resolutions , and , above all , our best traditions .”
Hawes ’ Black Bass Bill was passed in 1926 . It was a start . Subsequent legislation has served to further protect bass and bass fishing from the harms that Hawes railed against .
In 1930 , Hawes wrote and published a book – My Friend : The Black Bass – which not only touched on those same themes but offered plenty of solid bass-catching advice along the way . Robert Paige Lincoln , in his book Black Bass Fishing : Theory & Practice ( 1952 ), said that Hawes ’ book “ probably has a greater amount of readable fact in it than any angling book ever printed .” That ’ s high praise , even for a savior . Harry Hawes died in Washington , D . C ., in 1947 at the age of 77 . He was cremated , and his remains were sent to Missouri . Fittingly for a bass man of his considerable stature , his ashes were scattered in the Current River near Doniphan , Missouri , home to many of his black bass friends .
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2022 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 27