WILD LIFE AND DEMOCRACY 



"Above all, the people, as a whole, should keep steadily in mind the fact 

 that the preservation of both game and lesser wild life — by wise general 

 laws, by the prohibition of the commercialism which destroys whole species 

 for the profit of a few individuals, and by the creation of national reserves 

 for wild life — is essentially a democratic movement. It is a movement in 

 the interest of the average citizen, and especially in the interest of the man 

 of small means. Wealthy men can keep private game preserves and private 

 parks in which they can see all kinds of strange and beautiful creatures; 

 but the ordinary men and women, and especially those of small means, can 

 enjoy the loveliness and the wonder of nature, and can revel in the sight of 

 beautiful birds, only on terms that will permit their fellow-citizens the like 

 enjoyment. In other words, the people as a whole through the government, 

 must protect wild life, if the people as a whole are to enjoy it. This applies 

 to game also." 



Theodore Roosevelt and Edmund Heller. 

 Life Histories of African Game Animals. 

 Vol. i, pp. t-5S-i$6, i9U- 



