The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-02
WHICH ARE YOU?

The Duluth SpOrtsmen's Club
has written a personal letter to
it's membership which will hit the
spot if passed on to the balance of
the people. The letter is signed
by President M. F. lamar, Jr., of
the club and j. A. Lawrie, Secre-
tary and is as follows:
The Jelly-6sh VS.. the Sportsman.
Fellow Sportsman: "a criticism
was made the other day of the
sportsmen of this locality that
am going to pass on to you. This
friend of the Club said: Sports
men! All rot. Most of them are
hypocrites or spineless jelly-hsh,
afraid to come out in the open
and stand for what they know is
right and lawful They haven't
got the CUTS of rabbit because
they let the pot hunter, market
hunter and game violator rob them
of their rights by illegal hunting
and they stand back and allow
law violation to continue because
they do not want their names
mentioned or being involved"
'Now, Fellow Sportsmen, this is
straight from tire shoulder talk.
1t is time for the true sportsmen
of this community to stand up and
be counted. AS that great sports
man, Roosevelt, said: Aggressive
fighting for the right is the noblest
sport the world affords" Surely
you can subscribe to that.
I'VE must face the facts square
ly. There are toe many violations
of the game law occurring in this
section in the shooting of partridg-
es and deer out of season, the
hunting without license, and from
automobiles, and there is a tend
ency on the part of the public
and on that of some sportmen to
condone these offences, or to
simply stand back and criticize the
game warden for failure to pre-
vent them, assuming that it is
solely the duty of the state officer
to handle such cases.
With only one warden to many
hundreds of hunters, covering an
area of thousands of square miles,
it is a physical impossibilitys for
the wardens to know, or to handle
or prevent many of the violations
and here is where your duty
comes in as member of the
Sportsmen's Club whose constitu-
ton provides for the assistance
in the enforcement of the game
law"
did you ever look at the mat
ter this way: that the game of
the State belongs to the public as
whole, and no one individual has
any right to acquire it out of
season or by illegal methods, any
more than were it a store-house
of foods, or other commodities.
The game laws provide when
and how, and how much the in
diviual may take and any one
violating these laws is in reality
stealing from the rest, or cheating
the others.
Nov the whole scheme of Game
Protection and Propaganda is go
ing to fall fat without the back
ing of public sentiment and it is
up to every member of the Sports
mems Club to help mold that senti-
ment in favor of law observance
and true craftsmanship by OPEN,
OUTSPOKEN CONDEMNATION of
law violation.
Now it seems to your officers
that your duty as sportsn IN and
as a member of this Club $:
LIST. To obey the law yourself.
End. To stand suuarely on the
platform of law observ-
ance.
3rd. To demonstrate with your
friends and hunting COM
panions VIII have been
law violators or whom you
believe contemplate being
such.
4th. When your protests are in
vain, to LAY the facts be-
fore the officers Of your
Club, or the local warden
and help get the necessary
information to lead to a
CONVICTION will o q {
FEAR OR FAVOR.
Nov, Fellow Member, what are
you going to do about it? Come
out in the open and be counted
as Sportsman in the true sense
OF the word; or, by inaction and
indifference, confirm the assertion
that the majority of the members
OF this Club are bunch of spine