498 



RECREATION. 



The Hon. Z. T. Sweeney, Commissioner 

 of Fish and Game of the State of Indiana, 

 is also a member. He has made a most en- 

 viable record in his position. Here is an 

 extract from a letter recently received from 

 him, which, however, was not written for 

 publication: 



"Yours of July 9th came during my ab- 

 sence from home, and in reply I beg to 

 say that the case of Maurice Thompson is 

 barred by the statute of limitation. I re- 

 regret this as, like yourself, I desire to 

 make examples of such men. Since I have 

 been in office, over 3 years, I have fined 

 8 ministers of the gospel, 10 justices of the 

 peace, and a much larger number of road 

 supervisors, constables, etc. I have also 

 convicted and fined about 600 other men 

 for violations of our fish and game laws, 

 and about 25 men for killing insectivorous 

 and song birds. This is not a great record, 

 but when you recall that our laws were a 

 dead letter before that, it is a good begin- 

 ning. The laws of Indiana are not what 

 they should be, but we have the foundation 

 for a good law and are hoping to make 

 great improvements in the Legislature 

 next winter. 



"I beg to enclose you my application for 

 membership to the League of American 

 Sportsmen, and one dollar to pay my dues 

 for the year. I am in most hearty sym- 

 pathy and accord with every work of the 

 League, and shall watch and assist its 

 growth with much pleasure. I have or- 

 ganized a number of clubs in the State, and 

 see no reason why they should not be 

 transferred to the League. If you think 

 this feasible, please write me." 



If all men holding similar positions 

 would work as hard as Mr. Sweeney does, 

 there would be more game and more birds 

 in the country than there are. — Editor. 



SAMPLES OF PUBLIC FEELING. 



Here are a few letters, selected from the 

 many hundreds received in response to my 

 editorial article on page 282 of October 

 Recreation, entitled "How the Other 999 

 Shirk": 



I enclose $2, for which please continue 

 the subscription of E. H. Russell and pre- 

 sent his application for membership to the 

 L. A. S. This latter action, if I may be 

 permitted to judge, is as strong a recom- 

 mendation of your work and the worth of 

 your cause as you have yet received. It is 

 much more a spontaneous tribute to you 

 and your efforts than the result of my per- 

 sonal solicitation. For 25 years Mr. Rus- 

 sell has been principal of the Massachu- 

 setts State Normal School at Worcester, 

 and the enthusiasm with which his alumni, 

 who practically form the entire teaching 



force of this city, have preached the gospel 

 of humanity to our birds 'and animals is 

 sufficient testimony to the earnestness of 

 his instruction. He is no sportsman, but is 

 glad to stand in line with them in this 

 campaign of education in which the L. A. 

 S. is carrying the banner. I congratulate 

 you on the increasing favor with which 

 Recreation is being regarded, and endorse 

 most heartily your course. Your appeal to 

 the "other 999" was particularly strong and 

 I trust will 'bear fruit. 



G. R. N., Worcester, Mass. 



Enclosed please find $1, for which put me 

 in the League of American Sportsmen. 

 For more than 20 years I have been a sub- 

 scriber to The American Field, for which 

 I have paid $4 to $5 each year. I have 

 helped, as you know, to fill its pages 

 with articles in regard to 'better game pro- 

 tection. I have paid that company at least 

 $100 for subscriptions, and now they will 

 not aid you in the fight against the game 

 hog. They have shown their hand, and it 

 will be a cold day when they get another 

 year's subscription from me. Recreation 

 is a generation in advance of that publica- 

 tion. May Recreation ever remain the 

 champion of game protection. 



Geo. O. Greene, Princeton, 111. 



I am a charter member of the L. A. S., 

 and consider it the best society in exist- 

 ence for game protection. I have been a 

 subscriber to Recreation almost since its 

 start, and mean to be as long as I stay on 

 earth. My next way mark is 70 years. My 

 eyes grow dim, but the spirit of the sports- 

 man still exists, although the flesh is weak. 

 The Lacey bill I honor, and my quarter 

 has been passed on for the watch. My 

 great-grandfather on my mother's side was 

 named John F. Lacey, a remarkable coin- 

 cidence. 



Stanley L. Warner, Lanesville, Conn. 



Have been a reader of Recreation sev- 

 eral years, and have always taken an inter- 

 est in the L. A. S. I am fully aware of 

 the destruction of game in this part of the 

 country as well as to the North of us. I 

 can not take so active a part in assisting the 

 League as I should like, yet the dollar en- 

 closed will help somewhat. Your exposi- 

 tion in Recreation of various game hogs 

 as you come across them is but a light 

 chastisement. The penitentiary is the prop- 

 er resting place for such. 



Frank P. Storm, St. Louis, Mo. 



I'm one of the 999, but please take me in 

 out of the wet, for I enclose $t for mem- 

 bership in the L. A. S. I do not get more 

 than a week's shooting out of the year, but 



