FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



369 



represented that he would take measures 

 to break up the business. 



I am convinced that these parties have 

 not been interfered with, but are still do- 

 ing a prosperous ^business. They have 

 about ruined the reputation of La Salle 

 as a desirable place for angling. 



It seems as though political influence or 

 some other pull enables these men to vio- 

 late the game law with impunity. 

 Yours respectfully, 



C. F. Witmer. 



Buffalo, December 20th, 1899. 

 Mr. C. F. Witmer, 



Williamsville, N. Y. 

 Dear Sir: — Yours of December 16th re- 

 ceived. I am inclined to agree with you 

 in your inference as to why nothing has 

 been done in regard to Mang and Perry. 



I have made copies of my correspon- 

 dence with you and with Chief Protector 

 Pond and have mailed them, together with 

 a personal letter, to Governor Roosevelt. 

 I trust that it will be productive of results. 

 Yours truly, 



Thomas Cary Welch. 



Buffalo, Dec. 19th, 1899. 

 Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, 

 Executive Chamber, 

 Albany, N. Y. 



My dear Governor : — For the past four 

 or five years I have tried, as far as I 

 could, to assist in the cause of fish and 

 game protection in this neighborhood. 

 / While I am not Utopian. I really believe 

 that more can be done than is being done 

 in this direction for Niagara river, and as 

 I know your position on the subject, I am 

 submitting to you herewith some corre- 

 spondence in regard to a matter of illegal 

 fishing on Niagara river, which I think 

 deserves your attention. I have personal 

 knowledge of the fact that no protector 

 was ever detailed for the purpose men- 

 tioned, and the letter received from Mr. 

 Witmer yesterday shows that he is of the 

 opinion it is politics and not protection. 



I should like to have an outside protec- 

 tor sent here to investigate this matter. 

 Mr. Witmer owns considerable property, 

 has a high standing in the community, and 

 as far as I know has no axe to grind. 

 Yours respectfully, 



Thomas Cary Welch. 



State of New York, 

 Executive Chamber, 



Albany, Dec. 20, 1899. 

 Mr. T. C. Welch. 



Buffalo, N. Y. 

 Dear Sir: — I am directed by Governor 

 Roosevelt to acknowledge receipt of your 

 letter of December 19th, and to thank you 



for the same. He has referred it to the 

 Fish and Game Commission. 



Very truly yours, 



William J. Youngs, 



Secretary to the Governor. 



And now the Pond is roiled: 



Albany, N. Y., Dec. 21, 1899. 

 Mr. T. C. Welch, 



Buffalo, N. Y. 



Dear Sir: — I wish to ask you as a sports- 

 man, not as an attorney, what, if any- 

 thing, can be done more than is being 

 done along the Niagara river to better 

 protect with the present force of protec- 

 tors that we have for the entire State, 

 viz., 36, and with the state of affairs that 

 has existed with the courts in that locality? 

 When you assert that you have personal 

 knowledge that no protector was ever de- 

 tailed for the purpose mentioned, viz.. 

 the investigation of a matter referred here 

 by you in the early part of the summer, 

 you are mistaken. 



Certainly 2 protectors outside of that 

 locality were asked to and did special 

 work there at several times during the 

 past season. I feel like defending the 

 Fisheries, Game and Forest Commission 

 when unnecessarily assailed, and with the 

 very insufficient funds for protectors and 

 the meagre amount paid them for ex- 

 penses, that more is being accomplished 

 than by any other department in the way 

 of enforcing laws. 



Very truly yours. 



J. W. Pond. 



Chief Protector. 



Buffalo, N. Y., Dec. 27th, 1899. 

 Mr. J. W. Pond. 



Chief Protector, 



Dear Sir: — Yours of 21st received. I am 

 sorry I can not give you any definite an- 

 swer to your question as to how the fish in 

 Niagara river could be better protected, as 

 I am entirely ignorant what work is being 

 done, or the manner in which the protector 

 goes at it. 



Concerning the matter mentioned in my 

 letter to Governor Roosevelt, if your pro- 

 tectors do not attend to cases which are ac- 

 tually shoved under their noses they must 

 expect to be criticised, and in regard to 

 their not obtaining convictions in our 

 courts, I believe the courts are unfriendly 

 because they have come to regard the pro- 

 tectors as often unreliable and untrust- 

 worthy. Moreover, it has frequently 6c 

 curred that the protectors have attempted 

 to obtain convictions on evidence which. 

 irrespective of its character, was entirely 

 insufficient to justify a conviction. I ob 

 tained 33 convictions out of 37 cases, for 

 violations of game and fish laws, not 

 through any brilliancy on my own part, 

 but because I had proper evidence pro 



