Foster. — The Sportsmen's League. 53 



Discusssion. 



Mr. John P. Woods: A year or so ago a chapter of the Isaak 

 Walton League was organized in St. Louis, and I was honored with the 

 office of President. AVithin a few weeks I found it necessary to go 

 abroad with my famiily, and therefore could not give to the work the 

 attention that it deserved. On that account I resigned the presidency, 

 but I have not by any means lost interest in the work of the organiza- 

 tion. Were it not for the fact that I am Chairman of the Resolutions 

 Committee I would be willing to present a resolution to this meeting en- 

 dorsing the work of that splendid organization. (Applause.) 



President Leach: Someone may have a resolution to offer to the 

 Resolutions Committee on that subject. Is there any further discussion 

 of this paper? 



Mr. C. M. Baskett (St. Louis) : I have been busy for the past 

 five and a half months organizing chapters in the State of Missouri for 

 the Isaak Walton Leagvie of America. In a period of fifty-five working 

 days we have instituted thirty-five chapters in the State of Missouri. I 

 have pledged the National Board one hundred chapters. This move- 

 ment is sweeping over the country like v/ildfire. Kansas is crying for 

 it: I organized a couple of chapters there a few weeks ago. Every state 

 wants it; it is the only thing that is going to save the day. 



Mr. Avery: What Mr. Baskett has said is wholly true, and he has 

 merely touched upon the subject. The sportsmens organizations, of 

 which the Isaak Walton League is the most powerful example in the 

 country to-day, are going to do what he predicts. But this Society is 

 just as necessary as any other organization. The American Fisheries 

 Society is not a society for propaganda, not a Society to arouse the 

 people or to get legislation, as these other institutions and organizations 

 can do. I want to make this suggestion to Mr. Baskett: every chapter 

 of the Isaak Walton League ought to ta]:e out a club membership in this 

 Society. If there are seven hundred chapters and they all took out 

 memberships in the American Fisheries Society, the Society would be 

 placed in a position to finance its work. This is a learned Society; its 

 purpose is investigation and scientific research, things which are 

 absolutely necessary to supplement the work of such organizations as 

 the Isaak Walton League, no policy, no code of laws which is worth a 

 cer.t, can be alopted in this or any other State or in the United States as 

 a whole unless it is based on actual knowledge, upon scientific facts 

 which this Society is accumulating. Therefore I believe that the Isaak 

 Walton League could do nothing better than give its support to this 

 Society. 



Mr. Culler: I am a member of the Isaak Walton League, I am 

 proud to say. In connection I may point out that if the Winneshiek 

 bottoms, of which Mr. Busier spoke, are saved, it will be due only to the 

 Isaak Walton League, through Mr. Will Dilg, who made a personal 

 inspection of that country and who has written on the subject on a 

 number of occasions, and to a local chapter of the Isaak Walton League 

 in Iowa which arranged for funds to carry the case to the Supreme 

 Court of Wisconsin, hoping to gain time so that these bottoms could 



