178 WILD LIFE CONSERVATION 



It is at this point that the citizen at large looms 

 upon the scene and begins to play his part. The 

 leader will ask the committee for a public hearing, 

 which will be granted, for a date fixed well in 

 advance. Then the leader sends out his printed 

 matter, broadcast, and calls upon the people at 

 large for support. On the date fixed for the hear- 

 ing, a large delegation appears, representing all 

 sorts and conditions of men. A list of speakers has 

 been carefully prepared and handed to the sponsor 

 of the measure. The opposition should be heard 

 first, and in nine cases out of ten, the opposition 

 will contain chiefly men who have private interests 

 to serve, and their attorneys. 



From this point onward, the friends of the 

 measure, all over the state or the nation, should 

 write to their representatives in the legislature or 

 in Congress, stating their views of the bill, 

 always in their own language and never in machine- 

 made letters, asking that it be supported. The 

 press must be vigorously invited and urged to help 

 the cause, and all necessary facts must be furnished 

 in order that the editorial mind may be able to 

 judge the case on its own merits. 



The larger the measure, the greater is the cer- 

 tainty that it will affect adversely some large com- 

 mercial interests, or that it will interfere with the 

 special privileges of a large class of selfish persons. 

 Every large measure is certain to be opposed by 

 numerous enemies. When the time arrives to advo- 



