The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-31
TO PROTECT THE GAME.
Movement to Organize "A League of
American SpOrtsmen CHAPTER.

American SpOrtSmen Chapter.
A movement is on foot to organize a
chapter of the League of American Sports
men in Georgia. Several well-known
sportsmen of Atlanta and this city have
started the bali rolling and have already
enlisted the aid of a number of representa-
tive Savannahians and Atlanuans in the
movement. Twenty-Five members are nee
essary to constitute and perfect a chapter
and this number has nearly been secured.
The membership is open to all sportsmen
as defined by the laws of the association,
from Is years old upward. Ladies are
also eligible to. membership, and in many
of the Northern states form large part
of the organization.
When thoroughly organized the chapter
will be of inestimable value to sportsmen
generally, and will no doubt be the means
of greatly increasing the game supply in
the next few years.
The League of American Sportsmen has
recently been organized in New York state
for che purpose of enforcing with the ut
most rigor such laws as have been en-
acted in the various states for the preser-
Vation of game birds, song birds, fish,
who earn their own living in their own
way and carry fin and fur and feather
without harm or hurt to any man."
Not only does the league enforce exist
ing laws, but it also works for the en-
actment of new laws, which will still more
protect game and song birds, game fish
and wild animals, and opposes the excess
.sive slaughter of game and fish under the
name of sport, and the killing of harmless
birds or animals, which are not game for
commercial purposes or in pure wanton-
ness.
The league advocates the passage of laws
in every state which will limit during the
hunting and fishing seasons the bag of
game for each man for each day-or, where
| necessary, for the season; it is in short.
| the contention of the league that all birds
| and harmless animals not specified in the
game laws should be protected by law
at all times
For many years the idea that natures
abundant supply of wild game would never
| become exhausted was laughed at on all
sides, and steps taken at the time to stop
The needless destruction and slaughter
were met with Indifference and very often
contempt. The virtually complete extinc-
| ton of the buffalo and scarcely less alarm
ing decrease of one-half the bird life serve
as examples which bring home to the most
skepical and Indifferent something of the
gravity of the situation; and enough at
| this late day It has been left to sports
| men, men who love the gun and rod, to
| perfect an organization that will afford
| protection to the game remaining in our
woods and fields. The League of Ameri-
can Sportsmen advocates a gun license law
| and its strict enforcement against all vio-
| lators as one possible way of protecting
| the innocent birds at all times and the
| ruthless slaughter of game birds during
the hunting season by irresponsible par
| ties, many of whom if requested to pay a
license for the privilege of owning a gun
would doubtless prefer not to own one
The officers of the league are among the
most prominent men in the country. George
| o. Shields, president and founder, is one
of the greatest authorities of the gun and
rod in America. His books Of outdoor
life, written under the cognomen of Co
| quina," are familiar to every sportsman
| in the country. The third vice president
of the association is the Hon. w. A. Rich
| ards, Governor of Wyoming and, in fact,
| the organization has the very best mate
| rial obtaInable behind it, not least of whom
are First Vice President c. Hart Merriam.
| chief of biological survey, agricultural de-
partment, Washington, D. c., and Fourth
Vice President w. T. Homaday, director
| New York Geological Society
Since its organization, two years ago.
| the league has grown wonderfully until
| at the present time it has chief wardens
| in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
Massachusetts. Connecticut, Michigan,
Montana and Washington, while its mem
bers are scattered through forty states and
| territories and numbered at the end of 1895
| 1000 members.
1t is the intention of the league to per-
feet chapters in every state i'm the union
and it is safe to assume that it will be
but a very short while when Georgia will
not only have wei organized chapter
look after the interests of the sportsmen
and protect the game Every sportsman
or in fact every person who loves the
beautiful gifts OF nature, should join in
this movement and help to make it sue
cess, from every point of view. j. s. e.