JUNH 15, 1898.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



B29 



THE MEN OF ALL NATIONS COME TO THE WORLD'S FAHl SHOOT. 



It alone, out of all Chicago and all America, is fit and readv to start I 

 in a World's Fair shoot. The .J. Watson World's Pair pigeon out- ! 

 classes the World's Fair shoot, even in these listless days of June. 

 One by one the shooters fall down upon themselves in trying to com- ! 

 pass the destruction of this stalwart fowl. It is said that John Wat- 

 son is afraid of these birds himself and never goes near the barns 

 alone. When he wants to get out a lot of birds for a shoot he has to 

 take a deputy sheriff along with him, and even then the birds often 

 chase him out of the coops. They are a tough lot, utterly fearless 

 and unprincipled. This you may discover when you go to hunting for 

 10 straights in the Board of Trade badge shoot. 



I had an idea that something more striking, although nothing more 

 touching, could be devised than the conventional portrait of a snooter 

 arrayed in a pleased expression and a Sunday necktie, and so laid the 

 question before Billy WeUs, whom I take to be without doubt the 

 greatest artist on sporting topics there is in the country. Mr. Wells is 

 possessed of a facile pencil and a wild, exuberant, untamed imagina- 

 tion. The result of these two combined is shown in the great piece of 

 black and white which appears on these pages, in the execution prob- 

 ably as artistic a work as ever appeared in anj' sportsman's journal, 

 and all the more valuable on account of its absolute novelty. Old 

 methods will do for the other papers, not for Pobest and Stream. 

 Mr. Wells's apotheosis of the Chicago hard bird will go on record as 

 the nephis ultra of description, and will be remembered and laughed 

 over long after all written comment is forgotten. All alien, foreign 

 folk not so happy as to have seen the fastest pigeon grounds in 

 America may now have a perfect opportunity for certifying them- 

 selves as to the personal appearance and general character of the 



food, but tough Chicago bird. John Watson had sleigh bells tied on 

 is score ropes. They asked him why he had sleigh bells on, and he 

 said he had to have them to be in it all right, because all the birds had 

 their skates on. That's why there were sleigh bells on the ropes in 



I "I do not wish to make a motion this time. Mr. President," said he in 

 ' substance, "and I do not wish to be thought as criticising or oppos- 

 ing the celebrated Illinois State rules. I will not Introduce a motion 

 to repeal these rules. I would rather have them stand right where 

 \ they are, for reasons that are good, and I might or misht not support 

 a motion looking to their alteration in the matter of handicap. You 

 yovirself may remember, Mr. President, that it was my vote in the 

 board of managers which decided that the lUinois rules should gov- 

 ern at this World's Fair tournament. I want all the world to see the 

 Illinois rules, for I firmly believe there is nothing like them. Still, I 

 beg to call the attention of this association to an awkward complication 

 into which these same rules have gotten us. We have announced in 

 our programme that we were to shoot under the Illinois rules, yet in 

 the L. C. Smith cup we did not so shoot, as we should have done in 

 all State events, whether or not any announcement had been made. I 

 understand that a protest was made against 10 and 12-gauge guns 

 standing at the same score, and that thereupon you, Mr. President, 

 conferred with two members of the board of managers and decided 

 to make the 10-bores go back 2yds. Now, what I want to say is that 

 no meeting of the board of managers can change these rules, no mat- 

 ter how regular that meeting. This was an irregular one certainly, 

 for no notification was sent out, and I, one of the board, never heard 

 of it imtil this evening. Only this association can change these rules, 

 we of the committee could not. Yet where we are commanded to 

 shoot all guns at the same score, we did not do it, but disobej^ed the 

 conditions of this contest. I do not hesitate to say to you, sir, that 

 we have had no L. C. Smith cup race here to-day. The action of 

 the secretary in paying out moneys on that event needs ratification 

 before it can relieve him of personal responsibility, and the meritori- 

 ous win of Mr. Eobbins must be confirmed by vote of this assembly 

 or it is not worth a snap of j^our finger. As it stands now, any 10- 

 gauge man who was put back 2yds., or lin., in that shoot has the per- 



changed. I rather like them. I' am pointing out the complications." 



Col. Felton^^'lVs all nonsense about these rules anyhow. The 

 Illinois rules nor any other rules can't change the original conditions 

 under which this cup was offered. Both the Smith cup and the Board 

 of Trade badge had certain conditions attached. Mr. Roche, donor of • 

 the diamond badge, left it entirely to myself as to changing the con- 

 ditions. It was by my consent that the number of birds was changed 

 from 15 to 10 in this shoot." 



Mr. Hough — "Did you personally ever change the conditions of the 

 Board of Trade badge shoot in the matter of handicap? Have those 

 conditions ever been altered to put all guns at the same score ?" 



Col. Felton — "I made such change in the conditions tacitly when I 

 w^ent into that badge shoot myself to-day. I accepted the conditions." 



Mr. Hough — "But j^ou did not change them? " 



Col. T^eifon— "Only tacitly." 



Mr. Hough— "Yon did not do this as Mr. Boche's representative? 

 You did not have the former conditions with you? You did not say 

 anything about it to anybody, did you?" 



Col. Felton~"No, I just did it tacitly." 



Mr. Hough— "Well, now, Col. Felton, I want to say to you what you 

 know just as well as I do, that if this is the state of affairs in our rules 

 and our conditions, then we have not only one but two of our events 

 on our hands to-night, absolutely void, and all because of that wise 

 rule removing all handicap. I wish to state to the gentlemen of this 

 convention, and know that they will agree with me, that under these 

 rules as they now stand the winning of either your L. C. Smith cup or 

 your Board of Trade badge is irregular and w-orthless, and legally not 

 worth a pinch of snuff. I will not move to change these rules. They 

 will change themselves after awhOe. But I would like to ask what we 

 are going to do about this." 



Dr. Rowe—"l think all this is unnecessary. If the gentlemen pres- 

 ent will look at Rule 3 of the target rules they will find it to read as 



THET MEET THE CHICAGO HARD BIRD. 



he merry month of June, if you want to.know about the sleigh bells. 



THE BALL OPENS. 



Shooting began in the great Board of Trade shoot, the test event of 

 this annual tournament, at a seemly hour in the morning, and before 

 evening the entrj'^ had tied that of last year, 84. This event will be 

 flnished to-morrow, and the scores giveii in full under that day's 

 shooting. The entry is held open until to-morrow. 



The weather to-day was clear but oppressively warm, with little 

 wind. The late rains had left the grounds soaked full of water. The 

 shooters had to confine themselves to the board platforms, fortun- 

 ately ample in extent. The ground was so soft that Jack Parker, 

 manager for the American Manufacturers' Association, was unable 

 to put up his tent, as were also others who purposed doing so. 



The Annual Convention. 



The nineteenth annual convention assembled at the Sherman House, 

 at 9 P. M., this evening. The president, Mr. R. B. Organ, dispensed 

 with the usual feature of the retiring president's address. Roll call 

 and the minutes were the first business. The Alpine and Dixon gun 

 clubs were admitted as new members. Out of the membership of 

 twenty-nine clubs there were thirteen represented by their delegates, 

 as follows: Audubon Gun Club, Cumberland Gun Club, Chicago Shoot- 

 ing Club, Duck Island Sbootiug and Fishing Club, Douglas Shooting 

 Club, Evanston Gun Club, Eureka Gun Club, Garfield Gun Club, Lake 

 County Club, Pullman Gun Club, Prairie Gim Club, Forrester Gun Club, 

 Grand Calumet Heights Club. 



THE DODO RTJLKS SHOWX ABSURD. 



The order of new business was now called up, and under this Mr. 

 Hough took up the question of the Illinois rules for target shooting. 



feet right to protest the event and we could not say a word of reason 

 against his claim. I do not propose to make any. protest, hut will 

 later move to ratify this win and to ratify the action of Mr. Shepard. 

 What I want now is to ask where we stand. Again I repeat, I do not 

 move to change Rule 7, the celebrated one-score clause. I want that 

 to remain on our records as a monument of what men can do when 

 they get together and try real hard." 



This brought out general excited and unparliamentary discussion. 

 Dr. Rowe looked grieved. Col. Felton thought all this was absurd 

 and out of order. Mr. Eich arose and stated tliat he was on the com- 

 mittee which framed the rules, and that the target rules were not 

 changed at all, so that the 2yds. handicap still remained. Dr. Rowe 

 also spoke to this effect. 



"I beg your jjardon about this," said the first speaker, "but the 

 point I want to make then is that your rules are contradictory and 

 absurd. Now, here is Rule 6, of the live bird rules, and it reads in all 

 its wisdom, as follows: 



" 'No gun of larger caliber than 10-gauge shall be permitted in the 

 contests of this association, and all guns shall stand at SO.vds.' 



"That abolishes all handicap. Now, Rule 1, of the target rules, reads 

 as follows: 



" 'The rule for Uve bird contests, as to judges and referee, and their 

 general duties— loads, loading, holding of guns, handicaps, handicaps 

 of guns, misfires, springing of traps, rising of birds, missing of birds, 

 penalties and all other appropriate provisions, shall be followed in all 

 contests at inanimate flying targets.' 



"Now, as these target rules were not changed, the handicap in them 

 remains as it was, that is to say, the same as the handicap in the live 

 bird rules, which is no handicap at all. Therefore, a ground of protest 

 lies for any 10-gauge men who were handicapped in this L. C. Smith 

 cup shoot" You can't evade this. It is only one of the workings of 

 your beautiful new rules. Understand, I don't want to see tliese rules 



follows: '-'The standard score shall be 18yds. from the traps in 

 single target contests, and 15yds. at double target contests.' " 



Mr. Hough~"l fail to see, Mr. President, what that has to do with 

 this question. The standard distance has nothing to do with the 

 handicap, and the question of handicap reverts back to the live bird 

 rules, where you have no handicap. The best way you can fix it, 

 you've got not only an absurdity but a discrepancy in your rules as to 

 handicap." 



Further talk ensued. Mr. Abner Price rose to a point of order, there 

 being no motion before the house. Mr. Hough then at once moved 

 that the convention pass a vote of ratification confirming Mr. Robbins 

 in his winning of the L. C. Smith cup, and protecting the secretary, 

 Mr. Shepard, in his act of disbvu-sing moneys in that event. This was 

 seconded. 



Mr. Eich supported this motion, saying, "We had better settle this 

 right here and not have any trouble later on. We don't want any pro- 

 tests filed after a while." 



Col. Felton still persisted in his weak and indefensible position, and 

 moved to table this motion. The chair therefore cut off debate 

 and put Col. Felton's motion to table. It was lost. Mr. Hough's mo- 

 tion was then put and was carried, with but one dissenting vote, that 

 of Dr. Rowe, who said "No," in a loud, solemn tone of voice, all by 

 himself, and then looked sorry that he had said it, when he found how 

 loud his voice sounded all by itself . 



Thus the dodo rules were left standing on the books. So long a.s 

 they do stand there a similar rstiflcation vote will be necessary from 

 year to year, or until a change in the conditions of these two main 

 trophies is formally and regularly made. As the Board of Trade badge 

 shoot is not concluded to-day, and as the convention rises to-night, 

 there can be no such vote of ratification for the winner of the diamond 

 badge, and he must hold it throughout the year subject to the techni- 

 cal question of regularity in the win. Of course this question will 



THEY GO HOME SATISFIED. 



