The San Francisco call., 1896-11-14
Charges the State Board With
All Kinds of Official
Misconduct.
CHRONIC ABUSES UNFINISHED
Game Out of Season Openly Sold in
San Francisco Markets and No
Arrests Made.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, Nov. 13.-"I
shall never attend another meeting of the
Fish and Game Commission. / will never
sign my name to its reports, and shall
send my resignation to the Governor as
member of the State Fish and Game Com
mission at my earliest opportunity" said
Fish Commissioner James II. Morrison
this evening.
"My reasons for doing so are many and
all sufficient. When l accepted the ap-
pointment from the Governor did so not
for the honor en- tailed nor for any thought
of self-elevation, but because, as
sportsman, and knowing the requirements
of game protection throughout the State,
| considered that as a member OF this
commission 1 might be enabled to more
effectually further this greatly needed
protection. l have found out my mis-
take. l am thoroughly disgusted with
the whole affair, and have too many per-
sonal and business matters to attend TO to
waste further time in endeavoring to turn
farce into reality. l have refused to
attend its meetings in the past because it
was tirely useless on my part.
Every subject to be acted upon was
cut and dried before I arrived and l had
no voice whatever in any of the affairs
which came before the commission. When
new men were to be employed l was
never even informed of it, and was to-
tally unable to ascertain their fitness for
the position, and even now / know moth
ing of the Qualitica ions of any of the en-
ployes, never having heard them discussed
before the board. have, on the other hand,
never refused to sign any OF the mems
claims, because / think that, no mat
ter what mans qualifications are for The
position he fills, if he holds it and does
the work, he is entitled TO his pay. But
kept in entire ignorance of the workings
of the commits ion as l have been, l have
had to sign warrants for men who of my
own knowledge l did not know whether
they had performed the work or not, aud l
do not like to work in the dark.
Before | became mem Der of the
Board of Game Commissioners always
understood that Its functions were the
protection OF the game and fish of the
State ana the game as well as the fish. l
had not ever looked upon the commission
as mere social Arrangement. The fish
are protected, will allow that.
1t Is advantageous to the cannery in
terests that they should be, but go into
the open markets of San Francisco to-day
and see how well the game are protected.
See how well The members of the Fish
Commission enforce the law for the pro-
tectlon OF the feathered tribes. There is a
fund set aside for the prosecution of those
who expose game for sale before the 18th
OF October, but it has never been drawn
upon and no arrests have been made.
Market hunters have received notice to
forward ali the game they can secure to
the markets, and the law is hagrantly vio-
laled every day.
AG m harn nf fhao Z l.
always protested against this aud have
demanded that the deputies make arrests,
and that conviction be attem pted vet
my protests have BEEN of no avail, and in
consequence ! have no hesitation in saving
that l will no longer lend my name to
this com mission.
~ find no difficulty in enforcing the
law throughout this section of the coun-
try. You never see game or fish offered
for sale out OF season in Sacramento.
Why? Because would be violators OF the
law realize that they will be punished
and punished severely. We have demon
strated, with the aid of but one deputy in
this great section, that the law can be en-
forced. We have made numerous arrests
and secured convictions in every case.
Why cannot this be done in San Fran
cisco?
"As to the appointment of Mr.. VogeI-
sang do not care to say anything, as l
KNOW noIuing OF tne gentleman, but /
hope that he will consider the game in
terests of the State as well as the fish in
terests.
II have refused to sign the report of the
Game and Fish Commission and shall
still refuse to do so. am by no means
satisfied with it. / know nothing of its
truth or talsity, and in consequence feel
that acted rightly by refusing to lend
my name TO it. am sick and disguised
with the com mission and its doings and
will wash my hands of the entire affair."