GAME KEFUGES. 21 



the right to so control the lands that belong to the United States as to 

 exclude people therefrom for whatever Congress may see fit. They 

 have done it in regard to the protection of the public timber, water 

 flows, and things of that nature. 



I might add here also that Congress has several times, in legislating 

 for the national parks and in creating a specific national park, 

 authorized the Secretary of the Interior to make regulations which 

 will preserve the game and birds within the parks. 



Mr. Mondell. Will you permit me to interrupt you right there ? 



Mr. Williams. Certainly. 



Mr. Mondell. I want to call your attention to the fact, with 

 which, of course, you are familiar, that in the case of national parks 

 the States have ceded their jurisdiction. 



Mr. Williams.* Let me say to Mr. Mondell I think that is quite 

 doubtful. 



Mr. Mondell. It is not only not doubtful, but absolutely true. 

 The State of Wyoming ceded jurisdiction over the lands within the 

 Yellowstone Park and the other States have ceded jurisdiction to 

 the Federal Government over the lands contained in the national 

 parks as soon as that legislation could be secured from the legisla- 

 tures after the parks were established. We passed a bill the other 

 day by unanimous consent accepting the act of the State of Oregon 

 ceding jurisdiction over Crater Lake National Park. A bill has re- 

 cently been reported accepting the act of the State of Washington 

 ceding jurisdiction over Mount Rainier National Park. Montana has 

 ceded jurisdiction over Glacier National Park. The cession of juris- 

 diction follows the establishment of a national park. In the case of 

 the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado the legislature ceded 

 jurisdiction before the park was established and it was accepted in 

 the bill creating the park. 



Mr. Jacoway. That is a very important question, T think. 



Mr. Mondell. They are all established with the understanding 

 that there will be a cession of jurisdiction and action generally quickly 

 follows establishment. 



Mr. Jacoway. You stated a while ago that you were absolutely 

 certain that all the States in which national parks were located had 

 ceded or surrendered to the Federal Government their rights. Is that 

 correct ? 



Mr. Mondell. Well, I think perhaps they have not all done so, 

 but in the matter of the more important parks that has been done or 

 is in process of being done. Everyone realizes that such cession is 

 essential to the control the Nation assumes over the national parks. 

 In creating a new national park in California I called attention in the 

 House a few days ago to the fact that section 2 of the act would be 

 absolutely inoperative until the State ceded its jurisdiction, and Mr. 

 Mann concurred in that, and Judge Raker said that the cession of 

 jurisdiction would follow, that the State could not cede jurisdiction 

 until the legislature had met and the Federal Government had de- 

 scribed the territory. 



Dr. Hornaday. Just a word. Only two weeks ago I put to Dr. 

 Palmer, of the Biological Survey, who follows this matter of the 

 national parks closely, the question: "Is it true that all the States 

 have ceded to the National Government jurisdiction over the national 

 parks that have been created up to this time?" He said, "Up to 



