The San Francisco call., 1910-08-25
DOG Trusts
BARK LANDS
IT IN COURT
w. q. Rockefeller, August Bel
mont and Other MilliOnaireS
Sued by Western Breeder
Combine" Accused of Robbing
Blue BIOoded Beasts of Their
Noble Ancestry

In the firm belief that the bark of
the American kennel club is worse than
its legal bite, the National dog breed
ers' association. rival organization
which has been growing and swapping
at the other FOR some time past, threw
hesitancy to the winds yesterday and
sailed in for a finish fight. bringing
suit for $500 damages on the strength
Of the Sherman antitrust act in the
federal court and formally complaining
20 the United States district attorney
that the American kennel club is q
trust in restrain OF trade
The suit is brought through W. T.
Chute. 2 dog fancier or San Francisco,
and the complaint made by Henry B.
Lister. an attorney and president OF
the Marin kennel association. The lat
ser asks that warrants be issued for
the arrest of the officers, VINO include
August Belmont. William G. RockefeI-
Ter Jr- nephew Of the oil magnate;
Howard Willets. II. x. Bloodgood, J.
". Appleton, Edward Brooks, Chet-
wood Smith and John H. de Mund. all
Of whom are New York millionaires Of
sporting proclivities.
TO THE BOW vows WITH YOU
the American kennel club, while nom
inally an organization formed for the
purpose OF improving the breed OF
dogs, has developed into a money max
ing concern and has arrogated to it
self powers and privileges which give
il complete monopoly of the dog trade.
And furthermore that its officers and
directors have conspired TO restrain
and limit this trade 20 those friendly
10 the organization. Those who have
refused to obey the commands, it is
held, are politely requested to go TO the
demnition bowwows.
Tribute. il is asserted, is levied tie
country over. and dealers who have
refused 10 pay have had their animals
stricken from the rolls of the stud
book. the act taking from their dogs
all Official pride Of ancestry and all
hope OF posterity.
A vital part Of Chutes complaint
surrounds the stud book. BY an act of
congress passed recently, the American
kennel club was made the official Gus
todian OF the pedigrees Of pups Of high
degree Blue blooded animals brought
TO this country were allowed to go
through the customs free Of charge if
they were registered with the club and
enrolled on the stud book. This made
the club the official medium for every
thing aristocratic in the canine line
dogs of nobility having q greater value
than many Of the foreign human nobil-
tty, and the duty, at times. being ex-
ceedingly high. The aim Of congress in
granting the privilege was to improve
the breed Of dogs in the United States
but Il is the complaint of the National
dog breeders association that it gave
the kennel club practical control of the
dog business in that anyone who did
not obey the dictates of the club was
not allowed the privilege of the stud
book
HORROR ON HORRORS
Every dog fancier knows what that
means said Henry B. Lister attorney
FOR Chute. Take the suit brought by
Chute He is q dog faneier with
profitable business. He does not belong
70 the American kennel club, nor has
he anything TO do with it. A short time
ago he acted as judge at a show in
Larkspur, given by the Marin kennel
association. and which was governed
b. the rules Of the National dog breed
ers' association. In this he committed
The ohense Of associating himself with
= show which was not under the
auspices of the American kennel club.
II short time afterwards he received
letter from the American kennel club
informing him that he had violated the
rules Of the organization and that he
was disbarred and disqualified from
using the stud book; also, that he
would not be allowed TO exhibit A dog
IN any show. He was blacklisted and
his name published throughout the
country as a breeder who did not re-
ceive Official sanction.
Now the main reason for the Ameri-
can kennel club showing this desire to
have shows held under it's auspices is
that in every such instance the pro-
naoters Of the show have to pay SIS
AID 25 cents head is charged for
the numerous dog shows IN this coun<
try it can be readily seen what lucra-
tive business this must be. In return
the club gives some cheap medals to
the prize winners and officially dubs
them champions. The American ken
mel club is q New York corporation of
two years standing. Necessarily the
dog fanciers of the west objected TO
this continual drain, for so far as we
could find out the money was being ex-
pended in paying salaries TO num-
Der Of officers and in maintaining a
clubhouse in New York. There was
no opposition. however, until a few
months ago when objection was raised
70 the judging Of dogs in shows under
the auspices Of the American kennel
club. A number of US were not salts
ned with ii and formed our own organf-
zation and started the fight against
the trust
DUTY ON DOGS
sOur main contention is that while
the American kennel club may DO what
Il pieases with its own members it
certainly has no right to dictate to
those outside its ranks as it did to
Chute. The act OF congress which gave
II control of the stud book did not
mean that IT had the power to state
what dogs should be enrolled. Chute
has contracted TO import three dogs
from England. and because he acted
as q Judge in a show not sanctioned
by this eastern organization he is told
he can not use the stud book and there
fore must pay duty. Such tactics are
so high handed that they are ridicu-
lous.'
Listers statements are. in effect, the
same as those contained in the suit
for damages and also form the basis
of the complaint TO the United States
district attorney in which he asks for
the arrest of the officers of the kennel
club. Named as defendants in the
damage suit are members OF the Pa
ciflc advisory board of the American
kennel club: w W. Stettheimer, Nat.
7. Messer, Norman ]. Stewart and ]. P.
Norman
4 was requested" said Lister, ito
lx, fot,