GAME EEFUGES. 27 



Mr. Jacoway. That is one of the cases where there is a choice of 

 two jurisdictions. 



Mr. Williams. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Jacoway. And there are lots of those cases. 



Mr. Williams. Yes. The State has the undoubted right to say 

 that the game within the State shall be shot during certain periods 

 of the year or that it shall not be shot during certain periods of the 

 year or during several years, and such a law would be operative over 

 the public lands of the United States, and nobody can go in there to 

 hunt otherwise than in accordance with those provisions. The Fed- 

 eral Government may say that a man may go there, but that he 

 shall not violate the State laws. Or it may say what any private 

 individual has the right to say with regard to his land, "You can not 

 go on these lands to hunt, because we do not want any hunting on 

 these lands." 



Mr. Reilly. The United States simply has the right to make that 

 closed season closer ? 



Mr. Williams. It has the right to say that you shall not come on 

 there to hunt at all at any season of the year. 



Mr. Reilly. It could also say, if the State permits hunting for 

 six months, that a man can only hunt on the lands for three months ? 



Mr. Williams. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Reilly. In other words, the United States Government only 

 has the right to make that closed season closer ? 



Mr. Williams. Yes, sir; that is right. The Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture in making rules and regulations under this bill, if it is enacted, 

 may say that a person might go upon these sanctuaries in the forest 

 reserves to hunt for half of the period prescribed by the State law, 

 and a man would have the right to go in there and hunt for that 

 period and for no longer. I want to impress upon the committee 

 again that I do not claim that Congress can say to anybody that they 

 may go upon the public lands and hunt game during the closed 

 season prescribed by the State law. To that extent the State law is 

 supreme and there is no question about that. This bill does not 

 attempt to do anything like that; if this bill should be passed our 

 regulations will have to be fitted in with the State laws; we can not 

 allow anything greater than the State laws allow, and that is the 

 whole theory of this Federal regulation of the protection of game. 



Mr. McLaughlin. It is conceded, I believe, that the Federal 

 Government has the right to do anything that is necessary for the 

 protection of the national forests ? 



Mr. Williams. Yes, sir. 



Mr. McLaughlin. Or the public domain ? 



Mr. Williams. Yes, sir. 



Air. McLaughlin. Would it be reasonable to say that the Gov- 

 ernment ought to have the right to protect the game, that the game 

 is just as much necessary for a proper park as trees and grass ? 



Mr. Williams. Absolutely so. 



Air. Elliott. The general welfare ? 



Mr. Williams. No; the general welfare has nothing to do with 

 it at all. 



Mr. Jacoway. Have you embodied in your remarks all that you 

 want to say? 



