46 



WILD LIFE PROTECTION FUND 



of the Federal government to show its 

 practicability.* * * 



Will the People Protect the Game? — 

 The people are ready and willing to 

 protect the game. The present abuse 

 of the game laws and destruction of 

 the game comes from a feeling that it 

 will not be protected, and that he who 

 is on the ground should take all he can. 

 The people want to see the game pro- 

 tected and will assist any honest and 

 sincere move upon the part of the au- 

 thorities to this end .* * * 



Citizens Help Effective Workers. — 

 On the head of Green River, in Wyom- 

 ing, where big game is plentiful and 

 ranches are few, and where the law- 

 abiding citizen who needs fresh meat 

 kills an elk at any time of year, there 

 was a. ranger who, under the Forest 

 Service agreement with the State, as- 

 sisted in the enforcement of the game 

 laws. This ranger liked the job, and 

 enforced the law without fear or favor. 

 He got convictions before the justice 

 of the peace, who became nervous at 

 the thought of turning a man loose 

 when the evidence against him was good. 

 Ihe people helped and respected the 

 ranger for his stand. All the hunters 

 that went into that section knew the 

 ranger, and knew that the game law was 

 the game law. 



That ranger was transferred. A new 

 man was put in his place, and a game 

 warden was placed on the river by the 

 State. He is the kind that has done 

 much to give the position its present 

 reputation. The ranger, who is not par- 

 ticularly heavy on this question, has 

 left the game business to the warden; 

 and the very people who helped the old 

 ranger are raising hobs with the game. 

 * * * 



Federal Government Should Take the 

 Initiative. — These cases I have cited 

 spell one thing to me : The people want 

 the game laws enforced and will give 

 the keenest support to any honest move 

 to that end. Here again the Federal 

 government must come to the front. I 

 have no patience with those who advo- 

 cate that the Federal government should 

 follow the State in this matter. The 

 Federal government must stand ready 

 in game protection, just as she does in 



everything else, to assist the State to 

 better things where she cannot help her- 

 self. The States are glad to get sug- 

 gestions from the Forest Service upon 

 game legislation; they are glad to get 

 its assistance in the enforcement of the 

 game laws. Much improvement can be 

 brought about by a frank criticism of 

 the game wardens appointed by the 

 State, under an existing agreement, that 

 are not doing their duty. This will lead 

 the way for game protective associations 

 and citizens to take up this same ques- 

 tion with the States. In this way, and 

 in this way only, will the standard of 

 the personnel of game wardens be 

 raised to that point where such men will 

 receive the respect of the people and be 

 able to enforce the laws. 

 _ In outlining a policy, then, let us con- 

 sider the game upon the same dollar- 

 and-cents basis as the domestic stock, 

 and its actual value to the public. In 

 place of marking time behind the State, 

 let the Federal government point out 

 means for better game laws, and ma- 

 chinery to enforce them. 



A NEW FORCE FOR WILD 

 LIFE PROTECTION 



_ The Permanent Wild Life Protec- 

 tion Fund is all that its name implies. 

 Its foundations "have been well and 

 truly laid," and its income will carry on 

 the work of its originators long after 

 they have become dust and ashes. Happy 

 are the protectionists who can leave be- 

 hind such a legacy to the harried and 

 persecuted beasts and birds. 



This Permanent Fund already is the 

 second largest endowment fund in ex- 

 istence for the benefit of wild life. The 

 lines on which it will work are briefly 

 as follows : To stop the sale of game, 

 and all late winter and spring shooting; 

 to stop the killing of insectivorous birds 

 for food, and of all birds for millinery 

 purposes ; to increase the number of 

 -jame preserves ; to make perpetual close 

 seasons for all species threatened with 

 extinction; to stop the use of automatic 

 and "pump guns" in hunting, and to 

 prevent aliens from using rifles and 

 shot-guns in hunting. 



