The Audubon Societies 



393 



SENATOR GEORGE P. McLEAN 



The one big outstanding figure for bird- 

 protection in the Congress of the United 

 States is George Payne McLean, Senator 

 from Connecticut. There are, of course, 

 many men in Congress who may be depen- 

 ded on to always stand for the conserva- 

 tion of wild-life, but Senator McLean is 

 the one ever on the alert, who rounds up the 

 friends of the birds when times of stress 

 arise. If they are slow in mobolizing, he 

 is the redoubtable Belgian who throws 

 himself into the path of the invaders of 

 the rights of the birds, and holds them in 

 check until the forces of the country can 

 come to his assistance. He has done this 

 sort of thing over and over again. This is 

 the gentleman who is the father of the 

 Federal Migratory-Bird Law, which is so 

 often referred to affectionately as the 

 "McLean Law." It was his speech, de- 

 livered on the floor of the Senate last year, 

 in favor of the Plumage Law, that carried 

 the day, and won for America the distinc- 

 tion of being the leading nation on earth 

 in the matter of bird-protective legislation. 

 He is known as "the bird man" of 

 Congress. 



Here is an instance that will serve to 

 show his influence with his colleagues: 



Last spring, the Finance Committee of 

 the Senate decided to starve the Federal 

 Migratory-Bird Law to death by cutting 

 off all financial support for its enforcement. 

 This action was taken after the House had 

 passed the Agricultural Bill, in which an 

 appropriation of $50,000 had been pro- 

 vided for the enforcement of this measure. 

 The committee was determined that no 

 money should be made available for this 

 purpose. Many of us had made appeals, 

 but all in vain. Senator McLean went 

 before the committee, stated the case forc- 

 ibly, and asked them to reconsider and vote 

 an appropriation of $10,000. He felt sure 

 that if they would do this he could get the 

 original amount put back when the com- 

 mittee made its final report and the matter 

 came up on the floor of the Senate. Mr. 

 McLean, remember, is a pronounced Re- 



publican, and the control of the committee 

 was in the hands of dyed-in-the-wool 

 Democrats. What happened? Just what 

 those who know Senator McLean and his 

 influence expected would happen. The 

 committee gave him the $10,000, and later 

 the Senate made the appropriation 

 $50,000. 



The Audubon Association and other 

 organizations may labor with all their 

 might for federal legislation, and do much 

 good in stirring up the country to demand 

 protection for the birds; but Senator Mc- 

 Lean, more than all others combined, must 

 be given the credit for actually steering our 

 two most important federal laws through 

 the machinery of Congress. 



Few persons not members of Congress, 

 or among those who know him intimately, 

 are aware of his great work for the birds. 

 He is modest to a most unusual degree. 

 Perhaps that is one reason why his col- 

 leagues esteem so highly his opinion; they 

 know he is not trying to make political 

 capital of his achievements. After he has 

 won a great battle for the birds in Wash- 

 ington, he does not boast of his accomplish- 

 ments, but straightway gives the credit 

 for his work to others. Here is a typical 

 example: After the Government appro- 

 priation above referred to was secured, he 

 sat down and wrote the Secretary of the 

 National Association as follows: 



"Too much praise cannot be given to 

 your Association for its assistance in the 

 fight for the appropriation. We carried 

 the Senate by more than two-thirds on 

 both votes. This could not have been done 

 but for the intelligent and timely appeals 

 to senators emanating from the Audubon 

 Societies and friends of the birds through- 

 out the country." 



Everybody loves a generous man, and 

 Senator McLean is generous, as well as 

 strong, influential, and powerful. He first 

 entered the Senate in 191 1, and, for the 

 good of the birds and the benefit of man- 

 kind, let us pray that he may remain there 

 for very many years to come. 



