THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 201 
THE DUTY YOU OWE THE STATE 
ASSOCIATION 
(Michigan Sportsman.) 
It should be considered by every sportsman in Michigan his 
imperative duty to become a member of the state league, now known 
as the Association, either as an individual or through membership of 
his local organization. 
In the last two years of its existence, especially, this league has 
made itself a power for good by bringing to the aid of practical 
protection, propagation and conservation the organized thought and 
systematic action of the best and most truly disinterested and unselfish 
sportsmen of the state. It represents the united purpose and the 
concensus of ideas of the fraternity. It has been able not only to 
guide legislation on the subject of game, in a large measure, by its 
support of meritorious measures and its condemnation of worthless 
or vicious bills, but it has initiated many valuable ideas, presented 
them to the Legislature and by its influence procured their enactment 
into law. The best of this year’s changes in Michigan’s game and 
fish laws are the direct result of its suggestions and untiring effort. 
But aside from owing the duty of your personal membership and 
active participation in league work, you will derive a great personal 
benefit and liberal education from its meetings and will, in addition, 
find keen pleasure in your association with the men you meet there. 
They are not little fellows, but big and broad-minded men from every 
walk of life, imbued with unselfishness of purpose and with a single 
mind to do what they can to better conditions. Their aim is not 
to benefit them'selves or the few, but to improve the field of sport 
for all. 
At the last annual meeting they added a sportsmen’s show which. 
was one of the best ever held in the West. This will be a feature of 
their future meetings. Their annual supper, addresses and moving 
_ picture lessons are occasions of immense interest and pleasure which 
you cannot afford to miss, and were you to lend yourself to the enjoy- 
ment of them you would go back with an added zest for the cause 
that is yours and ours, and an impulse to do something concrete toward 
its furtherance. 
Come, be a good sportsman, brother. Send in your dollar for 
membership to Hugh B. Gilbert, Flint, Michigan, the secretary of 
the Association. Then turn to and have your local organization (if 
there isn’t one, it is time for you to organize it) because a constituent 
member, with the right to one delegate vote for each ten members, 
by remitting to Secretary Gilbert the required annual fee of ten cents 
for each local member. There’s a lot of work to do yet. With all 
the accomplished legislation of last year, our laws are not yet com- 
plete or perfect. In fact, a number of defects crept in before this 
year’s grist was ground through the legislative mill, and these must 
be remedied. As we try out in operation the new laws, other short- 
comings will appear. Perfection doesn’t come at once. The progress 
must be step by step, light added to light. 
For all this you need the league as a melting pot for ideas, to 
formulate into a single principle the universal thought, and as an 
engine to promulgate and enforce it. Until you are organized through- 
out the state you can never get what you Michigan Wild Life Con- 
servation want. Your strength is in loyal union. Organized, you 
can be a power, irresistible and respected. Organize now, brother! 
Join the Michigan Wild Life Conservation Association at once. 
