
THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN SPORTSMEN. 
ANSWER, 
I must say I have never seen more false- 
hood crowded into a few lines than is 
contained in this letter. I hand you here- 
with 5 clippings from as many issues of 
RECREATION, containing various reports of 
the action of the League in the Tooker 
case, and several appeals to League mem- 
bers and to sportsmen generally in Took- 
er’s behalf. While several of us contrib- 
uted $5 each, and many others $1 each to 
aid Tooker’s defense, and to aid in sup- 
porting his family during his imprison- 
ment, I fail to find that you have ever put 
up one cent for this cause. Now you get 
up on your hind legs and roar because 
we have not released Mr. Tooker. 
As stated in one of the clippings here- 
with, we have made strenuous efforts to 
get a hearing before the pardon board in 
New Jersey. “This we were denied but 
we drew up a strong petition, which was 
signed by all the officers of the League, 
reciting the cruelty and the injustice that 
had been done Mr. Tooker, and sent it to 
the court of pardons, We also drew up 2 
general petitions which were widely cir- 
culated and numerously signed and which 
we also sent in. 
Mr. Tooker is not a League warden, 
as you state, and is not even a member of 
the League; but that has made no differ- 
ence to us. We have done all we could 
for him because he got into trouble while 
enforcing a game law. 
Now, with this evidence before you as to 
what has been- done by the League, and 
in view of your contemptible conduct in 
the matter, you should feel heartily 
ashamed of yourself. If you are any part 
of a man, you will apologize to the officers 
of the League for the injustice done them. 
EDITOR. 

A FRIEND OF THE BIRDS. 
I recently learned that Mrs. Redding 
of this city was deeply interested in bird 
protection, and wrote her as follows: 
Dear Madam: I understand you are 
interested in the cause of bird protection 
and beg to send you documents explain- 
ing the nature and aims of the L. A. S. 
This body was organized primarily for 
the purpose of protecting the game and 
the song birds of this country and I 
should like to have you join us. We have 
a number of lady members but not nearly 
sO many as we need. 
To which Mrs. Redding replied: 
In reply to your courteous note per- 
‘mit me frankly to state that I am not in 
sympathy with the main object of your 
League, as set forth in your letter-head. 
Viewed from the standpoint of non-cruelty 
I cannot see any difference between 
slaughter at indiscriminate times and 
399 
slaughter by indiscriminate persons. Any 
one, however inexpertin handling firearms, 
has free title under game laws to go on 
his blundering way inflicting incalculable 
misery on innocent creatures. Sport that 
kills is a survival of savagery—please 
pardon my directness—and before I die I 
hope to see Charles Dudley Warner’s 
feeling toward the shooting of Adiron- 
dack deer shared by the majority of his 
countrymen, not only in relation to deer 
but to include all present objects of the 
sportsman’s aim. 
If I can be identified with some branch 
of your work that aims at protecting birds, 
fish or game animals, for life, and not 
merely for seasons, I shall be glad to be 
associated with it. 
Very truly yours, 
Josephine P ding, Bayonne, N. J. 
ANSWER, 
I appreciate your position fully; yet 
you are, of course, aware that all great re- 
forms must be accomplished gradually. 
An attempt to force a radical and sweeping 
change suddenly, often has the opposite 
effect of driving people to greater ex- 
tremes in the wrong direction. I there- 
fore consider it a better plan to go among 
sportsmen, some of whom are the worst 
offenders against our birds and animals, 
anu instead of trying to shut them off en- 
tirely and absolutely from customary sport, 
to educate them, limit them and check 
them. This League has accomplished 
more for the protection of game, fishes, 
song and insectivorous birds than any 
other body ever formed in this country. 
Because of this working for the protection 
of birds and mammals, everyone who de- 
sires that end accomplished should sup- 
port the League, even though unable to 
agree fully with all its aims. I hope you 
will reconsider the matter, and decide 
to favor the League with your applica- 
tion for membership at an early day. 
We have many embers who are not 
sportsmen in any sense, who never fire 
a gun and who are opposed to all killing 
in the name of sport. Among these are 
Dr. C. Hart Merriam, one of our 
vice-presidents. If we can induce a man 
who formerly killed 100 quail or grouse 
in a day to join us, to conform to our 
views and in future to always stop when 
he has killed 10 birds, it seems to me we 
are accomplishing a great reform and 
that we thereby merit the sympathy and 
cooperation of all such good women as 
you. 
We have already reformed thousands of 
men who were formerly the most blood- 
thirsty bird destroyers, but who now quit 
when they get game enough for a meal, 
and who have quit killing song and in- 
sectivorous birds entirely. EDITOR. 
