26 AUTOMATIC SHOTGUN. not tell what it is going to do; you may kill only one of them, and you may kill all of them. But with the automatic gun we make but the one-size of bore. He speaks of the 10-gauge gun and the 8-gauge gun. We make nothing but the 12-gauge, one of the smallest size used by sportsmen. It can not be loaded with anything but a certain amount of ammunition. It can not be utilized in killing song and insectiverous birds, for the reason that the load is such that it would blow that little bird clear out of existence. _He cites you to the Boone and Crockett Club and other clubs of New York, composed of men who are willing and able to own their own preserves and do own them. I was talking with a man not long ago, walking down the street with him after a meeting, and I sald to him, * Why do you oppose this automatic gun?” He said, Oh, you American manufacturers don’t make anything that is fit to be sold or used, anyway.” He said, “ Take my English oun, and just look how fine that is; all rubbed down by hand.” “But,” I said, “ our American citizens, most of them, can not stand it to purchase that kind of a gun.” He wanted an English gun, and that was just the kind of a man that I would approach to unload a $700 gun on, and they are just the people that Mr. Shields cites to vou to-day. They were the people that he landed for a gold brick perhaps. Ss _Now, in regard to the communications from the sportsmen’s assoclations of this country, they have the National Game Wardens’ convention, where each year the game wardens from each State in the United States meet. They convened in St. Paul on the 24th and 25th of January this year. There were 21 States and Territories represented by the game wardens and commissioners of those States and Territories. Mr. Shields and I were present together. Mr Shields had with him a resolution which would indorse a bill of the character of this which is here to-day. That resolution never oot any consideration whatever from that association. Thev said that the way to protect game was to limit the bae and protect game except in the prescribed seasons, and if you wanted to propa gate game put a residence tax on sportsmen which will place a sufficient amount of money in the treasury, which will enable them to eo on and reproducein those States where the game has been depleted. Phat was in this organization that I speak of. | ws ere ai Of a resol tious introduced in the New Jersey State I ens Association, the original copy, which they gave to me and I have it here, and that opposes this legislation and says that it is wrong and in the wrong direction, and that it is not the way to protect game, and is an injustice to the sportsmen of this country. because if you limit the bag it makes no difference to that poor suffering bird whether he is killed with an automatic oun or a Puzciedigadee It makes no difference to the Territories and States. If we limit the bag to 20 birds, it makes no difference whether a man voes out and kalls them with a bow and arrow or with an atitomatic oun. _ This name “-automatic gun ” is simply a trade-mark. Mr. Brown- ing 1s here to-day, and if you desire to see the action of this oun we willbe very giad the inventor of the to demonstrate Colt automatic it to you. Mr. Brownin e is also riot aun, which fires 500 shots a minute. That is an automatic gun, because all you have to do is to hold the trigger back, and that gun continues to shoot as long as hold you the AUTOMATIC SHOTGUN. this automatic trigger. But 97 is absolutely shotgun under the control of the operator at all times. I have here a short communication addressed to me from the game warden of the State of Ohio, which I would like to read to show. you that this gun is not in the hands of the pot hunters or the so-called game hogs. This reads: STATE OF OHIO FISH AND Columbus, Mr. Tom My A. 318 Dear MARSHALL, Broadway, New Mr. MarsHaty: GAME COMMISSION, Ohio, February 16, 1906. York. I am in receipt of yours of the 14th instant, inquir- ing as to our observation and experience with an automatic and repeating shotOut of many hundreds of guns that our wardens have siezed from poachgun. ers in the State of Ohio, we never have so far secured an automatic shotgun. By careful reference to records, we find that the wardens have only secured from This proves to me four to five repeating shotguns out of every hundred seized. conclusively that neither of these guns are in the hands of the poacher and It is a fact that if all the hunters in this State were comgame hog, as arule. the guns of their such guns as they pelled to use the repeating or automatic shotgun instead of choice, they would kill less game than is killed to-day by using are familiar with. In regard to the protection of Game addressed to the National game, I have expressed myself in an article at St. Paul, that no Association, Wardens’ amount of prohibitory or gun legislation will ever result in again restocking this State with game birds; that the physical conditions of our country are such If there is any legisthat it is impossible to expect such legislation to remedy it. lation that will remedy in possession, prohibit present conditions, sale and cold limit the bag per diem, number storage, and provide a suitable will afford protection from their natural enemies and inclemency Yours, very truly, } J. ©. PoRTERFIELD, home found that of the weather. Chief Warden. The Cuarrman. What is Mr. Porterfield’s position ? Mr. Marsuatu. He is the State game warden. . When a man goes before the national game wardens of the United States, who discuss and rehash and weigh these matters up, and they absolutely refuse to take any action in regard to this matter, claiming and stating that it is the wrong way to protect game, why should he come to you people and ask you to drop into the Territories and enact this legislation, when he was the father of 35 bills that were introduced last year, some two or three in a State, and not one of those bills The States turned it down, and now he comes here and becamealaw? asks you to “rake his chestnuts out of the fire” by slipping the Territories in—this to make capital for him, to obtain contributions. We say that this is wrong, and we ask you simply to leave the matter as it stands. STATEMENT OF MR. MATHEW S&S. BROWNING. The Crarrman. Mr. Browning, where is your residence ? Mr. Brownine. Ogden, Utah. The Cratrman. And what is your occupation? Mr. Browntne. I am in the patent business, the inventing of fire- arms. recoil, The gun is operated by the This is the automatic shotgun. and conseauently I can not demonstrate it to you, as Mr. Marshall has said, for it requires that a cartridge be fired in order to I can show you how it does throw it back. throw the action back. When the gun is fired this is thrown back in this manner [indicating].