THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN SPORTSMEN. 



OFFICERS OF THE L. A. S. 



President, G. O. Shields, 23 W. 24th St., New 

 York. 



1st Vice President, E. T. Seton, 80 West 

 40th St., New York. 



2d Vice-President, W. T. Homaday, 2969 

 Decatur Ave., Bedford Park, N. Y. 



3d Vice-President, Dr. T. S. Palmer, Dept. of 

 Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 



4th Vice-President, A. A. Anderson, 6 East 

 38th St., New York. 



jtA Vice-President, Hon. W.A.Richards, Gen- 

 eral Land Office, Washington, D. C. 



Secretary, A. F. Rice, 155 Pennington Ave., 

 Passaic, N. J. 



Treasurer, AustinCorbin, of the Corbin Bank- 

 ing Co., 192 Broadway, New York City. 



ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE STATE 

 DIVISIONS. 



MINNESOTA. 



In the year just closed the League has 

 secured some gratifying results in Minne- 

 sota. With the active assistance of the 

 Herron Lake Gun Club, a large number of 

 petitions were sent out last winter asking 

 the Legislature to prohibit the sale and 

 shipment of all game, including ducks, 

 within the State. We found the sentiment 

 in favor of such a law stronger than we 

 had expected. Within a few weeks, we had 

 secured about 6,000 signatures from all 

 parts of the State. The thanks of all true 

 sportsmen are due to Senator Meilicke, of 

 Windom, who introduced the bill in the 

 State Senate, and gave it his constant at- 

 tention until it had received the Governor's 

 signature. So strong was the influence of 

 the League and its friends that the bill 

 passed with little opposition. This bill has 

 relegated the exploits of the market hunter 

 in Minnesota to the realm of history. 



I can not too highly speak of the efficient 

 work done for game protection and for 

 extending the influence of the League by 

 Vice Warden Henry A. Morgan, Albert 

 Lea ; Rear Warden C M. Morse, Winona, 

 and Secretary-Treasurer Albert R. Bixby, 

 St. Paul. 



The thanks of the League are also due to 

 this county, and confidently expect favor- 

 State Game Warden S. F. Fullerton for 

 his zeal in prosecuting law breakers and to 

 Dr. Justus Ohage, Health Commissioner 

 of St. Paul. 



The Minnesota division has grown from 

 50 to 300 members within the calendar 

 year and now includes nearly all State 

 officers. We are sending out thousands of 

 circulars, and by the time the next Legis- 



387 



lature meets, we expect to be at least 2,000 

 strong. 



The outlook for efficient game protection 

 in Minnesota is decidedly encouraging. 



But I regret to state that thus far all 

 the active work has been done by men of 

 moderate means and little leisure. It seems 

 that the men of wealth and leisure might 

 find as noble a field in providing and pre- 

 serving wholesome recreation for the 

 masses as in providing them with schools 

 and libraries. 



The following local chapters have been 

 organized : 



Albert Lea. Henry A. Morgan, Rear 

 Warden. 



Winona. C. M. Morse, Rear Warden. 



St. Paul O. T. Denny, The Bucking- 

 ham, Rear Warden. 



D. Lange, Chief Warden. 



The 18th day of July last, I received in- 

 formation that one C. B. Conlin, at Alden, 

 this county, had violated the game law by 

 killing or having quails in his possession. 



1 immediately placed the information in 

 the hands of Deputy Game Warden Louis 

 Kroessin, of this city, who investigated 

 the case, and secured the evidence necessary 

 to convict. July 20th, 1901, complaint was 

 made before D. K. Stacy, a city justice of 

 this city, against C. B. Conlin, charging 

 that on the 14th day of July, at Alden, this 

 county, he unlawfully had in his possession 



2 quails. Conlin was accordingly arrested 

 and arraigned the same day. He pleaded 

 not guilty, and had the case adjourned 

 until the 26th day of July, for trial, but 

 when the case was called, pursuant to 

 adjournment, he changed his plea to that 

 of guilty, and was fined $20 and costs, or 

 25 days in the county jail. The costs 

 amounted to $7.30, making a total of $27.30, 

 which he paid. 



Conlin's youth and his plea of guilty 

 saved him from more severe punishment, 

 but the case excited much interest, was 

 widely commented on, and had a deterrent 

 effect. The League was responsible for the 

 prosecution and conviction, which gave it 

 an enviable position and placed it in good 

 standing at once. 



The 22d of August, 1901, Deputy Game 

 Warden Louis Kroessin was informed by 

 Claude Judd that F. W. Kahler. Charles 

 Fink. J. E. McGrane and Thomas Clements 

 had gone or were going into the country 

 with sundry dogs and guns, and under 

 circumstances that were suspicious. Ac- 

 cordingly, Kroessin and Judd shadowed 

 them and sighted their outfit in a field in 

 the town of Pickerel Lake, some 5 or 6 



