44 GAME REFUGES. 



He left our people all feeling very good indeed, and I think they 

 would have signed anything that Dr. Hornaday presented to them 

 that seemed to mean game preservation. A number of those good 

 people have written to me. I have simply said to them this: I can 

 not find written anywhere in my commission anything that justifies 

 me in shortening the jurisdiction of the State which I represent. 

 Whenever you point out to me anywhere any commission of that 

 kind then I will consider a bill of this kind favorably. 



I am not so tremendously insistent upon State or local rights that 

 I stand for them in an extreme way, but I feel convinced, as much 

 as I ever felt convinced of anything in my life, that if the Congress 

 had the power to do it it should not establish Federal control over 

 game in the West. The friction, the loss, the damage would be so 

 tremendous compared with the benefits, that there is no argument 

 for it. 



But whether viewed from the standpoint of the policy involved I 

 personally favored the bill or not, I would not be justified in voting for 

 it because in doing so, as a representative of the people of Wyoming 

 to the Congress, I would be surrendering or attempting to surrender 

 a part of the jurisdiction of the State. I have no authority to do 

 that. That's not what I am sent here for. I am sent here to repre- 

 sent the people of the State and with no authority from them to sur- 

 render any part of their jurisdiction. 



If those who are favorable to legislation of this character do not want 

 to take the trouble to influence the States to legislate as they think 

 they should, or if they are of the opinion that the people of the States 

 would not, in any event, legislate as they think they should, they at 

 least should go to the proper source of power to secure the surrender 

 of the State's jurisdiction. If the legislature of my State, which has 

 authority to do it, will by proper action, acting on behalf of the people, 

 surrender the jurisdiction of the State over game to an extent that 

 would justify such legislation as this, I would not feel warranted in 

 objecting to it. 



If the bill provided for the creation of these game preserves or 

 sanctuaries upon the approval of the State legislature, the situation 

 would be very different, and while I might doubt the wisdom of the 

 policy of dividing jurisdiction, as a loyal citizen of the State I would, 

 of course, acquiesce in any action which the legislature representing 

 the people of the State should, after consideration, conclude to take. 

 I prize my commission as the representative of the people of Wyoming 

 in Congress, but I do not forget its limitations. It does not authorize 

 me to agree to any measure which conflicts with the State's jurisdic- 

 tion even though certain of my constituents might desire me to do so. 



I have already taken up as much of the time of the committee as 

 I am justified in doing in discussing the game situation in our State, 

 but if the committee will allow me I want to say just a word more 

 about the moose, in view of what Dr. Hornaday has said on that 

 subject. Dr. Hornaday told you that " about 10 years ago it was 

 discovered that there were moose in the southwestern corner of the 

 Yellowstone National Park. It was counted as a fine discovery, 

 because everybody thought they were extinct." When I asked Dr. 

 Hornaday as to his authority for that rather remarkable statement, 

 he said he was speaking from the testimony of Mr. George Shiras, 3d, 



