314 



RECREA TION. 



most prominent and influential sportsmen 

 of the Dominion. Several of these men 

 are deeply interested in this work and write 

 me they are anxious to see enough mem- 

 bers enrolled in the different provinces of 

 Canada to warrant the early organization 

 of a division in each. From present indi- 

 cations it is safe to assume that divisions 

 will be organized in at least Quebec and 

 Ontario within a few months. It is of the 

 utmost importance that Canadian sports- 

 men should be induced to join us in this 

 great work of game, fish and bird protec- 

 tion; especially in order that migratory 

 birds may be protected in so far as possible 

 during the months when they live in 

 Canada. 



On the other hand, as I have already 

 said, the missionary work of the League is 

 being pushed into the Southern States as 

 rapidly and as energetically as the funds 

 at our command will permit. There is 

 a most urgent need of legislation and en- 

 forcement of good laws in the Southern 

 States, in order to protect these same 

 migratory birds during the winter months. 

 There can be little encouragement for 

 sportsmen in the Northern States to pro- 

 tect waterfowl and song and insectivorous 

 birds during spring, summer and fall, so 

 long as unscrupulous and thoughtless hunt- 

 ers are allowed to slaughter them, without 

 regard to species, or to numbers ; all 

 through the winter. 



The letters I get from some friends of 

 game protection in the Southern States, 

 recounting the fearful destruction of even 

 song birds, as carried on there by pot 

 hunters, are enough to bring tears to 

 the eyes of any bird lover. Early in Janu- 

 ary I received a letter from the Hon. J. H. 

 Wallace, a member of the Alabama Legis- 

 lature, imploring me to write to the Chair- 

 man of the Judiciary Committee asking 

 him to report favorably a bill which he 

 (Wallace) had introduced for the protec- 

 tion of game birds, song and insectivorous 

 birds in that State. I wrote the Chairman 

 of that Committee, as requested. I wrote 

 him as I felt — imploring him in the strong- 

 est language I could command, to report 

 the bill favorably and to work for its pass- 

 age. Mr. Wallace wrote me, a few weeks 

 later, that his bill had passed both houses 

 of the Legislature and had been signed by 

 the Governor. He did me the honor to 

 add that for a long time it was impossible to 

 secure any interest in the bill, on the part 

 of the members of either house. Finally 

 he got the bill reported in his branch, and 

 in making his final argument in behalf of 

 the bill, he read my letter to the house. It 

 was greeted with vociferous applause, and 

 the bill passed by a large majority. The 

 interest created in the bill in the lower 

 house enabled its friends to pass it through 

 the Senate and it is now a law. 



While I personally do not claim any 

 credit for the passage of this bill, yet I do 

 claim that, as Mr. Wallace has assured me 

 over his own signature, its passage was 

 largely due to the influence exerted by 

 this League. 



Some months ago, James L. Tooker, a 

 New Jersey game warden, caftight an Ital- 

 ian in the act of killing song birds in viola- 

 tion of the law. Mr. Tooker ordered the 

 man under arrest, when the man drew his 

 gun on Tooker and was about to fire. 

 Tooker shot and killed the Italian, purely 

 in self-defense, yet he was arrested on a 

 charge of murder and placed in jail. 



At a meeting of the Executive Commit- 

 tee of the League, held in December, the 

 Secretary was instructed to tender to Mr. 

 Tooker the sympathy and the moral and 

 financial support of the League in so far 

 as it would be possible to aid him. An 

 appeal was made to members of the League 

 for contributions to the Tooker defense 

 fund, and the sum of $22 was contributed. 

 This was turned over to Mr. Tooker's 

 friends who had immediate charge of his 

 defense. 



Strange to say, Mr. Tooker was con- 

 victed of manslaughter and sentenced to 

 20 years' imprisonment. After all, this is 

 not so strange, for one of the judges who 

 presided at the trial was himself arrested 

 and convicted a year ago of violating the 

 game laws of the State of New Jersey. 



We are now negotiating with the Court 

 of Pardons, of the State of New Jersey, for 

 a hearing in Mr. Tooker's behalf, and if 

 such hearing can be obtained, several offi- 

 cers of the League will go to Trenton and 

 make arguments with a view to obtaining 

 his release. 



The New York Zoological Society has 

 accorded the League a most generous and 

 important recognition, as shown by the 

 following extract from the minutes of a 

 recent meeting: 



Resolved, That the sum of $100 be and is 

 hereby appropriated from the General Fund 

 of this Society, and paid into the Treasury 

 of the League of American Sportsmen, to 

 be expended under the direction of the 

 League Warden for the State of New York, 

 Mr. A. E. Pond, in the actual work of en- 

 forcing existing laws for the protection of 

 the birds and quadrupeds of this State. 



Passed by Executive Committee, Decem- 

 ber 15, 1898. Madison Grant, Secretary. 



In conclusion, gentlemen, I congratulate 

 you most earnestly and heartily on the 

 grand work this League has done, and on 

 its great achievements during the past year. 

 I thank you, and every member of the 

 League who has contributed a dollar to it, 

 or who has aided in its work in any way, 

 for your support and co-operation, and I 



