come up in that bod}' for final passaf^e, before the end of 

 the session. At the same time, the impending opening of 

 the Flathead Reservation lands for sale at stated prices 

 per acre, rendered inmiediate action absolutely imperative. 

 The purchase of any portion of the range lands by private 

 individuals, or corporations, would assuredly block the en- 

 tire undertaking, and it was clearly impossible to have the 

 matter wait over for another session of Congress. 



By reason of this urgency Senator Dixon and his 

 friends decided to attach the bison measure to the Agricul- 

 tural Appropriation bill, as a Senate Amendment, which, 

 with the consent of the Secretary of Agriculture, Hon. 

 James Wilson, was done. Through this action, the fate 

 of the bison proposal was placed in the hands of the Con- 

 ference Committee on the Agricultural bill. If the House 

 conferees accepted it, its success was assured ; but if two of 

 them firmly opposed it, its failure for that session was 

 equally certain. 



The three conferees on the part of the House were Rep- 

 resentatives Charles F. Scott (Kansas), Chairman; Gil- 

 bert N. Haugen (Iowa), and John I.amb (Virginia). In 

 view of the ver}^ evident responsibility resting upon them, 

 those three gentlemen went into the merits of the bison 

 measure carefully and thoroughly. Before reaching a 

 conclusion they obtained the views of President Roosevelt, 

 which we know were favorable to the cause. 



Ultimately, the House Conferees unanimously agreed 

 to accept the bison amendment, without alteration, and of 

 this decision we were prom])tly and graciously informed by 

 Chairman Scott. It is not known by the Society to what 

 extent Speaker Cannon aided the decision that was made 

 for the House; ])ut in view of his keen interest in all ])ro- 

 posed new government establishments, either for or against 

 them, and of the interest that he took in the founding of 

 the National Zoological Park, at Washington, in 1880-90, 

 it is quite certain that the Montana National Bison Range 

 came into existence with his entire approval. 



The Agricultural Appropriation bill was signed by 

 President Roosevelt on May 23rd, 1908, and the good steel 

 pen with which the Montana National Bison Range was 

 brought into dc facto existence, was forwarded to the ])resi- 

 dent of the Society as a souvenir of that im])ortant event. 



