The Creating of Game Refuges 



sition in certain quarters to the creation in the 

 various reserves of game refuges by Federal 

 power on the ground that this would be to sur- 

 render to the Government at Washington 

 authority which should be solely exercised by the 

 State. In a certain sense it is the old issue of 

 State rights. Where this feeling exists it is ad- 

 hered to with extraordinary tenacity, and it is as 

 catching as the measles; just so soon as one State 

 takes this stand, another is liable to raise the same 

 issue. They are jealous of any power except their 

 own which would close from hunting to their citi- 

 zens considerable portions of the forest reserves 

 within the confines of the State. Their claim is 

 that by an abuse of such delegated power, a Presi- 

 dent of the United States might, if so inclined, 

 shut out the citizens from hunting at all in the 

 forest reserves of their own State. This argument 

 is not an easy one to wave aside. Should, how- 

 ever, the size of the individual refuges be limited 

 to four townships each, and the minimum distance 

 between such refuges be defined, one grave objec- 

 tion to these refuges would be overcome, and the 

 citizens of the various States would cooperate 

 with Federal authority to accomplish that which 

 the sentiment at home in many instances is not at 

 present sufficiently enlightened to demand, and 



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