THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN SPORTSMEN. 
have the courage to decorate their head- 
gear with the skin of a song or an insect- 
ivorous bird. A few of them still wear 
gulls, terns, owls or other birds on their 
hats, but even this number is- decreasing, 
and I believe that in another year all bird 
skins will have so completely gone out of 
fashion that a woman would as soon think 
of being seen in public with the skin of a 
fish tacked on her hat as that of a bird. 
Many.of the local chapters of the League 
are doing effective work in their respective 
localities, independent of and auxiliary to 
that of the parent organization. These 
chapters hold regular meetings, enact their 
own by-laws, get out their own posters, 
which are distributed in common with ours, 
maintain special wardens to patrol the sur- 
rounding country, and in this way have a 
marked influence on would-be law breakers. 
A number of gun clubs have been organ- 
ized in the United States within the past 
year, which provide in their by-laws that no 
man who is not a member of the L. A. S. 
is eligible to membership in such gun clubs. 
The United States Fish Commission and 
the various State Fish Commissions have 
long since recognized the League as an in- 
stitution which should be rewarded in their 
work. Several local chapters have made 
applications to their State Fish Commis- 
sions for small fry for stocking local wa- 
ters, and all such have been promptly 
granted; while many of those sent in by 
“jndividuals have not been filled for lack of 
the necessary supply. 
For instance, Local Warden A. C. Coop- 
er, of Fort Sill, Oklahoma, applied to the 
United States Fish Commission for 28,000 
crappies, and the request was promptly 
granted. The fish were shipped to Fort 
Sill and planted in a local stream. Every 
angler in that section of country appre- 
ciates the good work thus done by the 
Fort Sill Chapter, and in consequence most 
of the sportsmen in that region are members 
of the League. 
As an instance of the energy and per- 
sistence with which certain members go 
after law breakers, I quote from the report 
of Local Warden Isaiah Vosburg, of Sara- 
nac Lake, New York: 
August 26th, Willard J. Jessup, New 
York City, fined $85 and costs. 
August 29th, J. D. Alexander, Tupper 
Lake, N. Y., fined $100 and costs. 
October 3d, Elmer Barton, Westville 
Center, N. Y., fined $200 and costs. 
October rth, John Soper, Malone, N. Y., 
fiued $100 and costs. 
The Georgia Legislature, at its past ses- 
sion, enacted an up-to-date game, fish and 
bird law. Governor Terrell at first de- 
clined to approve it, because of a provision 
therein that the complaining witness in 
311 
cases of violation might receive one-half 
the fines collected. - 
On learning of the Governor’s objection 
to the bill, I immediately wrote a personal 
letter to each member of the League in 
Georgia, asking him to take up the matter 
with the Governor and to urge him to ap- 
prove the bill. Our Georgia members act- 
ed promptly on this suggestion. Not only 
did they write and telegraph the Governor 
themselves, but each man induced many 
other sportsmen to do so. As a result the 
Governor promptly approved the bill. So 
Georgia is in line with a good game, fish 
and bird law. 
There are so-called sportsmen, in nearly 
all the States, who for various reasons are 
fighting this League. They are advising 
their friends not to join it; or if already 
members, to withdraw from it and to con- 
nect themselves with certain local game 
protective organizations. The League has 
no desire to compete with any local body 
working along the same lines. On the 
other hand it is our aim to co-operate with 
all such; and by reason of our broader and 
more general field of work and of our great 
influence with law makers and with the 
public at large, we can be of great genefit 
to the cause in any locality, as well as in 
the country at large. It is, therefore, a 
source of keen regret that any man should 
deem it necessary to oppose this League 
in its great philanthropic work. Each 
member of the League should make it a 
part of his duty to explain to all such 
misguided men the error of their ways, and 
to induce them not only to cease their op- 
position, but to join the League and to 
work with it. 
The President also regrets that indepen- 
dent game and fish protective clubs are 
occasionally being organized, that should 
instead be local chapters of this League. 
As such they could do their local work 
more effectively than they can possibly do 
it as independent bodies. At the same time 
they would be a part of this great National 
League, would have the advantage of its 
power and its prestige, and would serve to 
make it still stronger and greater. 
The great need of the League is a larger 
membership and a larger working fund. 
Let every member make it his business dur- 
ing the next year to make better known the 
principles and precepts of this great organ- 
ization, and to do everything in its power 
to build up its membership and thus in- 
crease its usefulness. 
Little Amzi (who has an inquiring mind) 
—Uncle Timrod, what’s a bonanza? 
Farmer Neckwhiskers (painfully experi- 
enced)—A bonanza, durn it, is a hole in 
the ground, owned by a liar! That’s what 
a bonanza is !—Exchange. 
