52 WILD LIFE PROTECTION FUND 



having "passed" that body, also. Then it went to the Gover- 

 nor for signature. 



To Governor Whitman we made our final appeal ; and the 

 forces that had passed the bill also bore down upon him in 

 its favor. 



In view of the host of enemies that the Chief Executive 

 surely would make by adverse action, it seemed almost un- 

 fair to ask for a veto. But we put the situation before him, 

 standing upon facts and logic, and asked him to save the 

 female deer, to save the lives of hunters, and to save the 

 good name of the state. 



Regardless of any and all consequences to himself, either 

 personal or political, in defiance of a strong element in the 

 legislature, and in response to the call of Duty and Honor, 

 Governor Charles S. Whitman vetoed that bill! And he did 

 it with a ringing, stinging veto message which in effect de- 

 clared that the men who had passed that bill ought to be 

 ashamed of themselves. 



The legislature of 1918 wisely refrained from passing an- 

 other repeal bill, because it knew that if it did so that also 

 would be vetoed by the Governor. 



On January 1, 1919, Governor Alfred E. Smith took the 

 executive chair ; and from the first day of the assembling of 

 the legislature (of 1919) a doe-killing bill was slated to be 

 passed by both houses. We were assured that "Nothing can 

 stop it." 



Feeling quite certain that the bill would be passed by the 

 Assembly, we made no serious effort in that body to stop it. 

 We concentrated our efforts on the Senate. At the hearing 

 granted us by the Committee on Fish and Game, the com- 

 bined forces of game protection made a representation that 

 literally was everything that could be desired. As usual, 

 the opposition appeared in strong force, and vigorously 

 fought us on every point. 



