The morning call., 1895-02-15
SPORTSMEN MAY HAVE A CHANCE
OF SHOOTING ON ALL MARSH
LAND.
MEN WHO FAVOR AND OPPOSE
A BILL THAT THE LEssEES OF
DUCK SHOOTING PRESERVES
WILL OPPOSE.

bill.
The committee, which is presided over
by Joseph Bassford of Solano County, de-
cided. at the earnest request of several
sportsmen who are opposed to marsh-land
preserves. to exempt from the operation of
the clause prohibiting shooting on culti-
vated or inclosed grounds such lands as
are designated as marsh or overflow land.
The gentlemen who have leased large
tracts of land in Solano, Sonoma, Contra
Costa and Alameda counties have become
very mucn stirred up over the matter and
considerable influence will be brought to
bear upon the Fish and Game Committee
with the hope that the latter body will
allow the bill, as proposed by the State
Sportsmen's Association to pass without
anv alterations being made in it.
Prominent repre- sentatives of the Cor
della, Tule Belle nd Ibis Gun clubs, who
have leased thousands of acres of overflow
land in the vicinity of Suisun and con-
structed clubhouses thereon at great e1-
pense, are especially anxious that the
change in the bill as proposed by the Fish
and Game Committee shall not pass the
Senate and Assembly.
On the other hand, there are large num-
bers of sportsmen who are strongly op-
posed TO salt water marsh preserves now
working like beavers in the hope of getting
a law passed which will give every person,
rich or poor an opportunity of enjoying
the pleasure of the chase upon lands that
are worthless excepting for the game that
is found thereon.
The sportsmen who cannot afford to
lease property and construct clubhouses,
etc, are of the opinion that unless some
restriction is placed upon members of
oil 10 iS
tant when the man of moderate means
must find some other way of outdoor en-
ioyment besides shooting.
So far as the action of the Fish and Game
Committee, in favoring law which will
give all sportsmen a right to shoot upon
marsh or overflow land is concerned, sew
eral prominent sportsmen who were inter-
viewed yesterday express themselves very
forcibly.
Henry F. Emeric, the new Fish Commits
sioner. said: Il understand that under
the constitution an owner of land has the
right to all its privileges, whether it is COW
cred with water or not and whether fenced
in or not. Agitation of this matter is apt
to bring the attention of all owners to
their rights, and the result will be that the
lines will be drawn more strongly against
those non-owners of preserves, particularly
if it appears that the clause in regard to
salt marsh lands is shown to be unconsti-
tutional Under the present circumstances
exceedingly large liberties are given to
them, greater, in fact, than in almost any
other part of the world.
81 am in favor of giving to them as many
privileges as possible, but l believe that
all preserves should be respected by the
law They do a great deal to preserve and
increase the game. In all the Eastern
States there is much more game than in
California for that reason, and the poor
hunter who can barely afford to go hunt
ing gets more shooting on the outside of
the preserves than he would on their
grounds if they were not protected
J. 0. Cadman, ex-president of the State
Sportsmen's Club, said: THE question is
simply whether a man may say who shall
or shall not go on his property. Still there
would be no need to cry down the pre-
serves if the people would live up to the
game laws.
NJ. Hall McAllister of the Ibis Gun Club
said: THE great argument in favor of
preventing promiscuous shooting on these
marsh lands is the preservation of game.
While law allowing all to shoot on
marsh land would increase the territory
over which the public might shoot, it
would decrease the amount of game they
could get. [ have shot over those marshes
ever since | was boy, and have seen the
land not protected become entirely waste
as far as game was concerned"
c.. W. Kellogg said: "The bill before
the Legislature is all right, except for that
! little Joker in regard to marsh land. 1t is
really class legislation. People who own
that sort of land have as good title to it
as the owners of other lands have to theirs.
! They pay their taxes, and | cannot see
any reason why they should be legislated
against"
Austin Tubbs of the Country Club said :
You cannot quote me too strongly as op-
posed to the clause of the bill excepting
salt marsh lands. In the first place it is
an unfair and unjust discrimination
| Then we need more preserves to increase
the quantity OF game. 1t is to the pre-
| serves that we owe what game we have"
II am more than pleased that the COM
mittee on fish and game has taken up this
| important matter" said John Stack, land
changed the wording of the bill that re-
fers to game preserves so that the man of
small means will be given little oppor-
tunity of enjoying himself occasionally
thousand miles from his home to avoid
seeing that obnoxious sign, N Shooting
! Allowed
! when l say that am antagonistic to
preserves, you must not think that l am
opposed to game protection" continued
Mr.. Stack. "On the contrary l am
strongly in favor of game birds and ami
Aidlc DCluS tiic ulOuJliS VI
the year that shooting is prohibited. My
objections have been against rich gun
clubs monopolizing every inch of land
that birds frequent during the seasons that
are opened to sportsmen. Of late years
gun clubs have become very numerous,
and every inch of marsh land contiguous
to the bay has been leased by clubs, who
have engaged keepers to keep poachers, so
called, from shooting. | certainly think
that every American citizen should have
right, without interference, to enter upon
overflowed marsh lands that are barren
for the purpose of shooting at whatever
game he may find"
Ex-senator Williams said that he did
not think it just law that shuts out
sportsmen from entering upon unculti-
waited and overfowed lands.
"a trespasser cannot possibly commit
any damage to property when duck-shoot-
ing on the marshes, and why, therefore,
should the gun clubs have their way in
everythingY said Mr.. Williams, land so
far as this country is concerned l am cer-
tainly in favor of equal rights and privi-
leges for all lovers of the chase"
Ex-Assemblyman Wentworth, who as
sisted Mr.. Stack in the defeat of the Emeric
game bill at the last meeting of the Legis-
lature, said he hoped that the overhowed
lands would be thrown open to sportsmen,
ar, Il I, = IL.