106 RECREATION. 
men who have requested you to destroy 
these seals because they in turn destroy 
some fishes. It is a fact that the seal 
lives on fish, but this is a part of the great 
plan of nature; and while man is to have 
dominion over the balance of Nature, yet 
I do not believe—and the sportsmen and 
naturalists of the country do not believe— 
that you would be justified in exterminat- 
ing these animals for the mere purpose of 
placing a few more dollars in the pockets 
of the fishermen than they might other- 
wise be able to accumulate. 
Throughout the states of Illinois, Iowa 
Minnesota, Nebraska and the Dakotas the 
prairie chicken eats more or less of the 
farmers’ grain each year All through the 
Southern and Middle States quails do 
likewise; yet no state in all this group has 
ever declared a war of extermination 
against these beautiful Lirds for that rea- 
son. Throughout Michigan and Wiscon- 
sin deer annually destroy more or less of 
the farmers’ crops of various kinds; yet 
these states do not for this reason declare 
a war of extermination against these ani- 
mals. Robins and other song and in- 
sectivorous birds destroy more or less 
fruit every year, in many states; yet who 
ever heard of a state declaring a war of 
extermination against such birds? 
I might name many instances such as 
the foregoing, where the destruction 
wrought by a species of bird or mammal 
is much greater than that wrought by the 
seals of your coast; but these will suffice. 
You will pardon me for saying that 
your.action in this matter is wrong, and 
in violation of the wishes of hundreds 
of thousands of reople who have a pro- 
prietary interest in these seals, which your 
honorable body should respect. 
Comparatively few of us are fortunate 
enough to visit your coast at any time, 
but to those of us who do go there one 
of the greatest attractions your people 
can show ts is the seals and sea lions on 
the rocks about the Golden Gate. Why 
should you rob us of this pleasure, when 
the only people to be benefited by such 
destruction are the few fishermen along 
the coast? 
It does not appear from the reports 
of the many people who live in your state, 
and the many Eastern people who visit 
you each year, that there has ever been a 
shortage in the fish food supply. If you 
kill the seals and sea lions the fishermen 
may produce a few more fishes each year, 
but this would probably mean that the 
price of fish would decline in the market 
and that in the end the fishermen would 
be no richer than they are now. A lower 
price of fish food would be a benefit to 
the poor people of your state, but, so far 
as we have learned these are not clamor- 
ing for the destruction of the seal. The 
demand for this seems to come from the 
fishermen, and to be inspired purely by a 
love of money. 
I trust you will reconsider your action 
and that you will allow none of the seals 
er sea lions to be killed. 
Then I wrote Dr. Everman of the 
United States Fish Commission, inform- 
ing him of the proposed slaughter and 
asking him to do all he could to stop it. 
In due course I received the following 
reply: 
I received your letter of the 18th inst. 
The proposition of the California Fish 
Commission to kill the sea lions on that 
coast is monstrous and objectionable in 
every way. I have talked with the chiefs 
of the various divisions of the Fish Com- 
mission this morning, Dr. Merriam and 
others of the Agricultural Department, 
and with Dr. True, of the United States 
National Museum. They all agree that 
the proposition is a monstrous one and 
sure to result disastrously to the fishing 
interests of the California coast. The 
United States Fish Commissioner and 
Dr. Merriam have both telegraphed the 
California State Fish Commission this 
morning asking, (1) if the newspaper clip- 
ping regarding the proposed action is 
true; (2) expressing a decided opinion 
that the results of such a course would be 
disastrous and objectionable in every way, 
and, (3) asking that the matter be held in 
suspension for further i1.vestieation. 
While it is probably true that the sea 
lions do eat some fish, what of it? Fifty 
years ago, both sea lions and food fishes 
were much more abundant on the Califor- 
nia coast than they are to-day; but there 
is no more evidence to show the decrease 
in the food fishes has been due to the sea 
lions, than that the decrease in the sea 
lions should be charged up against the 
fishes. This question of killing off the 
sea lions is one which has come up fre- 
quently in the past, but apparently it has 
never reached such a serious stage as at 
present. 
I have also arranged to have the Secre- 
tary of the Light House Board seen, and 
interested in the matter. He will be able 
to stop anything of this kind so far as 
the Farralone Islands is concerned. The 
intention is to get him to telegraph the 
California commission asking them to call 
a halt in their foolish course. 
I am very glad that you have called my 
attention to this matter. I had seen one 
or 2 newspaper items but it had not oc- 
curred to me that this course was to be 
seriously considered by the California 
commission. You may be sure I shall do 
everything I can among the people here 

