THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN SPORTSMEN. 



305 





deal. We should remember that all great 

 reforms move slowly, and that we can not 

 hope to change the fixed habits and the 

 general opinions of a nation within a few 

 years. 



We have made marked progress during 

 the year in securing needed amendments to 

 the game laws in many States. It would 

 take up too much of your time to give full 

 details of this work, and I can only sum- 

 marize. 



We have induced the Legislatures of sev- 

 eral States to amend their laws so as to 

 prohibit the sale or export of game. At 

 this writing,, bills are pending in the Legis- 

 latures of a number of other States looking 

 to this same reform. In Colorado, Wyom- 

 ing, Idaho, Washington and Nebraska per- 

 sistent efforts are being made to prohibit 

 the killing of antelope for terms of 5 to 10 

 years. Wyoming and Montana sportsmen 

 are endeavoring to have mountain sheep 

 and moose included in their laws, and with 

 every prospect of success. 



A very important event in the year's 

 work is the fact that the President of the 

 United States has, at our request, extended 

 the Yellowstone and Teton forest reserves, 

 on the East and South of the Yellow- 

 stone Park, by adding thereto more than 

 8,000,000 acres of land, and he has appoint- 

 ed Mr. A. A. Anderson, one of the Vice- 

 Presidents of this League, as Superinten- 

 dent of this vast game range. Mr. Ander- 

 son has exercised great care in employing 

 forest rangers, and is keeping in close 

 touch with their work at all times. These 

 rangers have prosecuted and convicted 14 

 men for killing game illegally within these 

 forest reserves during the year. 



A bill is now before Congress authoriz- 

 ing the President of the United States to 

 set apart such portion of the various forest 

 reserves in the West as he may deem neces- 

 sary, as game preserves. Another bill is 

 pending in Congress, the object of which is 

 to clothe forest rangers with police power, 

 in order that they may make arrests when- 

 ever and wherever necessary, without wait- 

 ing to procure warrants. 



A circular letter has been sent to all 

 members of the League asking them to 

 write their Congressman and Senators, urg- 

 ing favorable action on these bills. If 

 •they can be passed, and with a League 

 member in the Presidential chair, we may 

 safely assume that within the next 6 

 months we shall have a number of veri- 

 table and extensive game preserves in the 

 Rocky mountains and the Cascades, where 

 big game, birds and fishes will be rigidly 

 and effectively protected. It is to be hoped 

 that every League member will do his duty 

 in this matter at once. 



Another important event of the year is 

 that the Governors of 22 States and Terri- 



tories have, at the request of the President 

 of the League, appointed our Chief War- 

 dens, Vice-Wardens and Secretary-Treas- 

 urers as delegates to this, the 5th annual 

 meeting. The States and Territories men- 

 tioned are : 



Arizona, New Mexico, 



Arkansas, North Dakota. 



Colorado, Ohio, 



Florida, Oregon, 



Iowa, South Dakota, 



Kentucky, South Carolina, 



Maine, Virginia, 



Michigan, Washington, 



Minnesota, West Virginia, 



Montana, Wisconsin, 



Nebraska, Wyoming, 



Nothing that has ever transpired since 

 the day the League was organized has ex- 

 erted a greater influence for good than this 

 action on the part of the Governors of 

 these 22 States and Territories. It is in 

 each instance an official recognition by the 

 State Government that the League of 

 American Sportsmen means something, that 

 it is doing something and that it has earned 

 such official recognition. 



I believe the time is not far distant when 

 the various States and the Congress of the 

 United States will appropriate money to 

 this League every year, to be used in en- 

 forcing the game and fish laws. 



Another important epoch in our history 

 has been marked by the sending out of a 

 letter to a large number of wealthy men 

 asking them to contribute money to the 

 League, to be expended in its work of en- 

 forcing the game laws. 



We have had responses to such letters, 

 containing checks, as follows : 



Contributors to the Game Protection 

 Fund — 



H. P. Whitney, 2 West 57th St., N. Y. $ioc 



Geo. C. Clark, 51 Wall St., N. Y 50 



A. F. Estabrook, Boston, Mass 50 



H. von Rensselaer Kennedy, N. Y 50 



T. H. Bartlett, 148 Jackson St., Chi- 

 cago, 111 50 



Henry B. Day, 321 Chestnut St., West 



Newton, Mass 50 



C. E. Sanborn, 87 Broad St., Boston, 



Mass 20 



Geo. D. Piatt, 33 Union Sq., N. Y." .'..' 25 



Geo. Eastman, Rochester, N. Y 25 



J. Walter Thompson, 41 Park Row, 



n. y ; 2S 



W. P. Clyde, 19 State St., N. Y 25 



Clinton Gilbert, 2 Wall St., N. Y 2=; 



J. H. Smith, N. Y 2K 



T. N. Seligman, N. Y .'.'".' 25 



S. B. Warren, 220 Devonshire St., 



Boston, Mass 25 



C. I. Hudson, 34 Wall St., N. Y. '.'.'.'.] ib 



F. A. Dollett, T3S Front St., N. Y 10 



H. L. Clark, Philadelphia, Pa 10 



