282 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oct. 10, 1889. 



THE A. K. C. FINANCES. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In the January, 1889, issue and first number of the A meri- 

 can Kennel Gazette, as part of an editorial, is the following: 

 "The unflinching purpose of your officers is to administer 

 the affairs of the American Kennel Club with the strictest 

 impartiality, and for the benefit of one and all of its mem- 

 bers, both active and associate, whether far or near. It is 

 the active support and unbiased criticism of the breeders, 

 owners, exhibitors and lovers of the dog in the United 

 States, which alone c an make the good influence and useful- 

 ness of the American Kennel Club possible. Both are 

 earnestly invited, and in return the management, of the 

 American Kennel Club offer their very best efforts in serv- 

 ing them." 



After what has been published lately in the several papers 

 devoted to kennel and other interests anent the Stud Book 

 and Gazette, I fully expected that the officers of the Ameri- 

 can Kennel Club would submit a complete statement of the 

 financial affairs to its members at the meeting held Sept. 19 

 last,. In the report of that meeting appearing in the several 

 papers, 1 see that a complete statement of the club's finan- 

 cial affairs was not submitted, but simply a report, which, 

 while much longer than the preceding one, amounts to 

 practically the same thing, the receipts from all sources 

 between two given dates and the expenses for the same 

 period, as follows: 



TREASURER'S REPORT. 



New York, Sept. 18, 1889. 

 The Treasurer beas to report as follows: Receipts from all 

 sources: 



From Jan. 11 to date $6,002.81 



Expenses for same period 5,173.11 



Balance on hand $839.70 



BILLS RECEIVABLE. 



Dae for advertisements Gazette $637.37 



Due for advertisements Stud Book 32.00 



Due for petty accounts 92.25 



Accounts not: good 



BILLS PAVAULI5. 



Rogers & Sherwond, pnutiDg account.. 

 Balance due club 



STOCK ON HAND. 



Books bound in cloth: 



Vol. I. Hi copi. s at $2.00 



Vol. II. 15 copies at $3.00 



Vol. ill. 10 copies at $3.00 



Vol. IV. VI copies at $3.00 _ 



Boolvs bound in paper: 



Vol. 1 1. 100 copies at $2.00 



Vol. 111. 78 copies at $2,00 



Quarterly parts l otted in paper: 

 Vol. IV. Part 1. 326 copies 

 Part 1 r. 134 copies 

 Part III. 153 copies 

 Part IV. 90 copies 



703 copies at oOcts 



Vol. V. Part I. 36 copies 

 Part II. 185 copies 

 Part III. 163 copies 

 Part IV. 131 copies 



$7Gl.'i2 

 7100 



$690.62 



8135.7ft 



$554.87 



$288.00 

 45.00 

 30.00 

 39.00 



200.00 

 156.00 



498 copies at 50et s 249.00 



American Kennel Gazette* on hand: 



2,410 copies of the full issue at 20ets.. 



$1,358.50 

 . 482.00 



$1,840.50 



A. P. Vredenburgh, Treasurer. 



That the officers of such an important body as the A. K.C. 

 should furnish such a meagre and unsatisfactory financial 

 report to its members, is to me a matter of surprise. If the 

 last item tinder the heading "Stock on ITaud," part of the 

 last report, is as it should be, I would say, increase the 

 price of the Gazette; and if it is not as it should be, yet put 

 forward in good faith, I would suggest to the bench show 

 committees of local clubs, when ordering their printing, to 

 provide for an extra supply of catalogues, and not to dispose 

 of the unsold ones as has been the practice heretofore, but 

 to hold them as assets. Further, if all the items in "Stock 

 on Hand" are as they should be, it appears to me that each 

 associate member entails a loss on the A. K. C. of $1 annu- 

 ally, and more if they each register two dogs free. 



The American Kennel Club is composed of four compo- 

 nent parts: (1) the local clubs, (2) the Stud Book, (3) the as- 

 sociate membership scheme and (4) the Kennel Gazette. 



The Stud Book Committee of the A. K. C, in their re- 

 cently published card say, "When the present volume is 

 published and paid for, the result will be that it has been 

 published at a loss of over thirty-one cents on each and 

 every entry that the book contains:" which statement, I 

 think, is contradicted by the officials of the A. K. C. in a re- 

 cent issue of the American Kennel Gazette. And in the 

 same card they say that "the income and expense of the 

 Stud Book are kept entirely separate, and distinct from the 

 other departments of the American Kennel Club." If the 

 Stud Book account is kept separately, why is it that it, 

 together with the accounts of the other departments of the 

 A. K. C , are, before they are submitted to the members of 

 the A. K. C, put into a something resembling a milk shake 

 machine, from which they are taken in such a thoroughly 

 mixed condition that it is impossible to separate the one 

 from the other? 



At the beginning of this year the Stud Book was iu a pretty 

 healthy condition, and had entered in it about 6,660 dogs. 

 How many were transfers from the A.K.R. does not appear. 

 From Jan. 1 to Oct. 1 of this year the Stud Book has, as per 

 Stud Book Committee, entailed a loss of about $660. Now I 

 fail to see wherein and how the expenses of the Stud Book 

 have become so different since Jan. 1, 1889, from what they 

 were before that date, as to entail auy such loss. During 

 the meeting of the A. K. C, on Sept. 19 last, a matter came 

 up before the delegates present which I think was worth 

 more attention thau it received, namely, Mr. Pesball's com- 

 munication. During two or three minutes discussion of the 

 matter the secretary of the A. K. C. remarked that "we had 

 to destroy some eight pages of the manuscript," referring to 

 the steuographer's transcript. Now I say that the A. K. C. 

 had not, nor has now, the official minutes of that meeting, 

 of the reports of which eight pages were destroyed by "we," 

 and I think that Mr. Peshall's communication was very 

 summarily disposed of. Come, Messrs. "We," let the 

 breeders, owners, exhibitors and lovers of the dog in the 

 United States know exactly where the A. K. C. stands, ana 

 whether it is up in the clouds or on terra fi rm a. 



In the September, 1889, issue, and last number of the 

 American Kennel Gazette, as part of an editorial, is the 

 following: "Some critics, both press and personal, have 

 croaked about the rocks the American Kennel Club was 

 nearing in the shape of decreased receipts for the Stud 

 Book, the overwhelming burden of conducting the Kennel 

 Gazette, failure of the associate membership to properly fill 

 its role, damage to the specialty clubs from it, etc., etc., all 

 of which the last meeting of the delegates of the American 

 Kennel Club, and the treasurer's report, showed did not 

 exist at all in some cases, and in others the rocks were small 

 and quite deep enough to permit our ship to pass over them 

 in absolute safety. These critics, if with this name we really 

 should dignify them, one and all, assumed the garb of anx- 

 ious friends of the American Kennel Club devoted to its 

 "brilliant future. Since the meeting they have shown the 

 cloven foot by the bitter, and in some cases unconcealed, 



disappointment at the really prosperous and satisfactory 

 state of affairs in all the departments of the club. To such 

 we can only say that the American Kenn<d Club can but 

 benefit, by such badly concealed hypocrisy and selfishly 

 founded enmity." 

 Whither are we drifting ? 



I write the above as a criticism of the A, K.C, iu compli- 

 ance with the invitation held out by the officials of the 

 American Kennel Club, as appeared intheir "Greeting" of 

 January, 1889. Had I seen the last number of their Ameri- 

 can Kcrnicl Gazette before; 1 began to write this, it would 

 never have been undertaken. L, Livesey. 



Jersey City, N. J., Oct. 5. 



CRITICS AND CROAKERS. 



Editor Forest a,nd Stream: 



I supposed that 1 would not be surprised at anything the 

 present rulers of the A. K. G might do. I thought that nil 

 ndmirari would be my chronic condition after that intoler- 

 ably insolent editorial in the Kennel Gazette for June, 

 wherein Turf, Field, and Farm was so scored for daring to 

 have an opinion of its own as to the wisdom of the proposal 

 to require reports from judges to "pad" the Gazette, which 

 proposal had not even been considered by the A. K. C, but 

 was merely the proposal of one of its officers. But the pre- 

 sumptous," brazen folly and assurance of the. editorial in the 

 September number passes all comprehension. Has it come 

 to such a pass that when any one differs from action of the 

 A. K. G, either proposed or executed, he is to be black- 

 guarded by the official organ of the club? Are we to under- 

 stand that all the press and public have to do is to sit still, 

 nay, vociferously applaud anything the A. K. C. enacts? 

 and that any comments, suggestions or censures are treason 

 foul? Is there no possibility of honest criticism of the A, 

 K. C, or is all criticism hypocrisy? 



As to whether I am overstating the case I ask any fair- 

 minded man to study this astonishing editorial; it looks as 

 though it were intended for a defense from unjust criticism 

 and malignant attack from some parties, and the honesty 

 of these is directly impugned by such choice gutterisms as, 

 "These critics, if with this name we really should dignify 

 them, one and .-ill assumed the garb of anxious friends of 

 the A. K. C. * * * Since the meeting they have shown 

 the cloven foot * * * to all such we cati only s£y that 

 the American Kennel Club cm but benefit by such badly 

 concealed hypocrisy and selfishly founded enmity * * * 

 vaporing of our friends (?j" etc., etc. 



Now, in considering the above delicacies, so strongly savor- 

 ing of the Fata nsvil.lc Gazette, remember that the only criti- 

 cism of the A. K.C. to which this stuff could possibly apply 

 have been those of POBEST and Stream, Turf, Field and 

 Farm, Fanciers' Journal, and Messrs. Pesha'll, Hopf and 

 Shotwell, and I defy the production of a single sentence in 

 either of the named journals or written by one of the above 

 named gentlemen that warrants the disgraceful charge of 

 hypocrisy that the editorial makes. Tart. Field and Fa rm 

 remained quiet under a supercilious attack on its right of 

 criticism, which I suppose proceeded from an unwillingness 

 to damage the (dub for the. presumption of the attack, and 

 everything that it published as editorial was strictly within 

 the bounds of fair, honest, open criticism; FOEEST AND 

 STREAM and the Fanciers' Journal have been studiously 

 careful to avoid anything li ke attacking the A. K.C, and the 

 gentlemen I have named stated their objections to the action 

 of the A. K.C. and gave their reasons in a perfectly honest 

 manner, and the only lesson to be learned from this most 

 astonishing editorial is that no differing from the ruling 

 powers of the A. K.C is to be tolerated. Mind you, it is not 

 offensive criticism, malignant strictures or virulent ani- 

 mosity that is objected to, it is simply disputing what the 

 A. K.C (or its officers) do, and this disputing is to be " hypoc- 

 risy " per sc, without any qualification. 



Now I would earnestly ask the attention of the many 

 honorable gentlemen 1 know to be delegates to the A. K. C, 

 to ponder over what this last performance is and say whether 

 they will allow their official organ to abuse its position to 

 so insult such journals and gentlemen as I have named? 

 Was it ever heard of before that the official journal of a 

 ruling body was used for purposes of personal attack on 

 those differing from it? Of all journals the official one 

 should be particularly dignified and only resort to person- 

 alities under the pressure of overwhelming necessity. I 

 would particularly commend to Messrs. Perry, Moore, Hunt- 

 ington, Wise, Kelly, Collins, Leslie, Pay. Wilmerdiug, 

 Winslow, Seabury, etc., the consideration of whether they 

 propose to allow this abuse of official position to pass with- 

 out censure? Remember that the greatest stumbling block 

 of the A.K.C. has been senseless fulsome flattery and flunky- 

 like suppression of honest criticism. Whether it is worth 

 while to discuss the composition of this remarkable editorial 

 and its vacuous conclusions and unfounded assumptions, I 

 really do not know, I would like editorial opinion thereon, 

 but 1 think I may point out that it cannot be said that I 

 write this from feeling hurt myself, for my hostility to the 

 A. K. C. as at present managed has been too open and well 

 known for a charge of hypocrisy to lie against me, and I 

 cannot remember of ever writing as a "friend (?)." 



Hiiltok, Pa., OCt. 5. 



Wade. 



"PODGERS" TALKS DOG AGAIN. 



WHEN one- starts in on dog talk it is a good deal like 

 talking horse — no end to it. As I heard a lady say- 

 after listening to her husband and myself all one evening, 

 "Don't let me ever hear you say women talk about dress 

 until men go wild, 1 never heard in half a lifetime as much 

 about dress as I have heard about dogs this evening." And 

 I suspect she was right, for we did get deep into dog lore. 



You see there are a good many kinds of dogs to talk about, 

 and the subject is a wide one, a deep one and a broad one. 

 Every man has his particular aud peculiar views about 

 them and his favorite breed, which he advocates on all oc- 

 casions. With one it is the Llewellin (we are talking of 

 sportsmen now), another the blue belton, the red Irish or 

 the Gordon, and there is where your humble servant comes 

 in and raises his voice in paeans of praise, for he has eaten 

 and drank, slept aud lived with the Gordon for more years 

 than it ought to take to build several expositions; and he 

 has ever found the Gordon a gentleman. At the risk of 

 having a sharp rejoinder from some other kind of a thinker 

 I will say, and do say, that the Gordon setter is of the 

 nobility, the true aristocratic, These are my sentiments 

 after associations with dogs of every degree for years. 

 There are noble aud high-toned characteristics in the breed. 

 He looks the gentleman and his looks do not deceive. I 

 have seen more gentlemanly acts on the part of the Gordon 

 setters that I have owned and been acquainted with than 

 one is liable to see among the same number of presumed 

 gentlemen on two legs. 



The stories I could tell of dogs, things coming under my 

 own observation, would swamp the dog department of the 

 Forest and Steeam every week for twelve months. The 

 last one I must relate. I owned a fine large specimen of the 

 Gordon that went about with me a good deal. One day we 

 stumbled over a litter of puppies astray from their kennel. 

 They had crawled under the fence and the mother was be- 

 wailing on the other side. Rex stopped and took in the 

 situation at once. I never said a word nor did Rex, but he 

 picked up a pup in his mouth, jumped thefence with it, laid 



Iit down in front of the mother, returned and did the same 

 thing for the four others; and I have no doubt declined all 

 thanks. Doubtless he suggested that she had better close 



that hole under the fence if she wished to raise her family. 

 I said, "Rex, that was very gallant of you, considering that 

 you had not the least idea whether the mother was good 

 looking or otherwise. If you were a man now you would 

 have contrived to ascertain that important fact beforehand." 

 ReX answered with a faint wag of his tail and a look which 

 plainly said, "I hope you don't think a dog would be so 

 mean as that." Now, here was an instance, not of instinct, 

 except a gentlemanly instinct, perhaps. It was simply in- 

 telligence. I am weary of those people who are everquoting 

 instinct when an example is given of the kuowingness of 

 an animal. 



Dogs must do a good deal of thinking about us and be 

 greatly puzzled over some of our ways; and no doubt discuss 

 us at times in an uncomplimentary way. 



While I boast of the intelligence and gentlemanly quali- 

 ties of the Gordon setter, I do hot wish it understood that I 

 would detract from the qualities and qualifications of other 

 breeds. There are a good many other dogs that are very 

 high-toned and belong to the 400. Especially the beltous, 

 Llowellins, Eaveracks— all nice dogs, all dogs I am proud 

 to know and rank among my friends. There are but two or 

 three kinds of dogs that I do not like. Firstlv, 1 am not, 

 favorable to bulldogs. They rank low in the' scale, and 

 what their associations are we all know. They run to low 

 pursuits, prize fighting, pig retrieving and equally ungen- 

 teel game; and yet I have seen men, gentlemen, very much 

 infatuated with them. 



We see gentlemen infatuated with a good many other 

 things that we don't all want, fortunately. If we all had 

 the same tastes and preferences it would lead to trouble. If 

 all men pinned their faith on Gordon setters there would be 

 a corner in the market at the expense of every other breed. 

 So it is all right as it is. "Many men of many minds " 



There is one breed of small white bulls that are a degree 

 more respectable. I am acquainted with one, one up in the 

 country, and in spite of my prejudice Bob rather wou me 

 over to liking him very much, as he was playful, bright and 

 as full of fun aud humor as auy dog could well be. I make 

 an exception in favor of Bob. 



The next most undesirable dog to own is a black and tan 

 terrier, for he is an ungrateful little scamp, has no loyalty 

 nor love of home, and will run away from the best one 

 every time he can get a chance. He is a vexation and a 

 worry, to say nothing of expense. 



As a house dog of the most intense respectability the pug 

 is preeminently the dog. He has a proper respect for himself 

 and the family, aud no matter how often he may have the 

 opportunity he will seldom leave the frout steps to go down 

 into the street to make the acquaintance of any cur of low 

 degree. He knows his position in society, aud never lowers 

 himself nor loses his dignity of character. Then Puggy is 

 an amiable fellow, good tempered, and never resents teasing, 

 therefore safe for children. He is not so very playful, is too 

 digui fled for that; but will occasionally, surreptitiously as 

 it were, slyly indulge in a little private frolic with an old 

 slipper, but at once recovers his dignity if observed. There 

 is a degree, a point where ugliness becomes beauty, and the 

 pug has got there. His gravity is comical and nis proverbial 

 good nature makes him many friends. 



The Yorkshire is a nice dog, too, but he is a spunky little 

 chap aud plucky, not afraid of anybody's dog, imagines him- 

 self a Sullivan, and when a big dog with the magnanimity 

 of such quietly ignores the fierce growls aud threats of this 

 twelve inches of small dog and trots off, the little chap 

 firmly believes the hundred-pounder was afraid and ran 

 away' to avoid' a good licking. Then to see him scratch 

 grass, growl fiercely and wonder at his own forbearance in 

 not following up that big fellow and giving him a lesson. 

 A great dog is little Yorkshire. 



But the dog for all wear and weathers is the fox-terrier. 

 There is a dog now nobody can find fault with, gamy, 

 plucky, bright, smart, sharp, wiry, hung on steel springs: 

 aud lowers his tail to no man's dog. Then he is so clean and 

 neat, so fall of life and energy. He is a condensation of all 

 the cardinal virtues in small space; a jolly, companionable 

 little chap outdoors, a terror to rats and itinerant cats in- 

 doors, the children's pet and man's delight — but I am taking 

 too much space in the dog columns for this week. See you 

 later. Podgers, 



THAT LAD OF BOW PRIZE. 



CINCINNATI, O., Oct. 5—EditorForcst and Stream: At 

 J a meeting of the Board of Control of the American 

 Field Trial Club, held July 3, 1889, the committee appointed 

 for that purpose made the following report, which was 

 unanimously adopted by the Board: 



"Your committee to whom was referred eemmunication 

 from J. E. Anthony, relative to prize awarded to Ead of 

 Bow, find that the treasurer of this club made a legal tender 

 to the said Anthony of the amount claimed at the time said 

 prize was won, and the said Anthony refused to accept it, 

 averring that he made no claim against the club and would 

 never accept its money and directed the treasurer to return 

 such money to the treasury for the benefit of the club. We 

 further find that the American Field Trial Club is not 

 legally indebted to the said Anthony for any account whatso- 

 ever. The committee further finds that the said Anthony 

 now desires to claim said money and to revoke his refusal 

 thereof; the committee therefore unanimously recommends 

 that the treasurer be instructed to forward to the said An- 

 thony without delay the Lad of Bow prize, as in their opin- 

 ion the club should promptly avail itself of such a desirable 

 opportunity to surrender tftie said money to the repentant 

 contributor. We further recommend that a committee of 

 three be appointed to review all the correspondence in re- 

 lation to this matter, as well as correspondence between the 

 said Anthony and the judges who made the award to Lad 

 of Bow, as well as correspondence in regard to the appeals 

 referred to and present their findings to the club at its next 

 meeting, with such recommendations as they may think 

 proper to make." 



The Advisory Committee of the American Kennel Club, 

 had no right to consider the appeal at all as it had no juris- 

 diction, and in so doing they exceeded their authority. The 

 meeting of the board held July 3 was the first one heid after 

 the "contributor" named indicated that he had changed 

 his mind, aud it promptly gave the money back to him. 

 The Advisory Committee of the American Kennel Club ren- 

 dered its decision before the American Field Trial Club had 

 considered the case at all, a very arbitrary and uncalled for 

 proceeding. Had the club declined to pay the prize, which 

 they might properly have done, action (then) by the Advis- 

 ory Committee might have been in order, though if the 

 ruling was contrary to the findings of the Board of Control 

 they would have made a mistake. One understanding the 

 situation, does not wonder at the Stock-Keeper, when it 

 said in a recent issue that "For au institution in a republi- 

 can country we must say the American Kennel Club is an 

 extraordinary autocratic body." Tne Stocli-Keeper evidently 

 did not know that we had a "King Jim" in this "republican 

 country." A "king" usually has his way or there is a dis- 

 turbance. The history of our "king" as a kicker is well 

 understood. I. Smile. 



GORDON SETTER STOLEN. - Baltimore, Oct. 7.— 

 Editor Forest a nd Stream : My Gordon setter bitch Mistle- 

 toe, about 223^in. high, racy built, weight about 371 bs., was 

 stolen from my yard with chain and collar on. She has been 

 taken out of this eity. I will thank any brother sportsman 

 who may find her if they will address me. — W, P. ZOLLINGER 

 (P. O, Box 336). 



