34 



RECREATION. 



native life. As a part of this work I have 

 recently written a circular letter to all the 

 Indian agencies in the Western States, of 

 which the following is a copy: 



As you are, of course, aware, the Indians 

 of most tribes in the West get permission 

 from the agents each summer or fall to 

 leave the reservations, under some pretext 

 or other, and when once they go into the 

 game countries they destroy great quanti- 

 ties of game. Some of this hunting is done 

 in close season and some in open season; 

 but, in any event, the white settlers in the 

 vicinity invariably feel aggrieved. Some 

 of them always complain to this office and 

 ask that measures be adopted to stop this 

 killing, whether legal or illegal. There are 

 always 2 sides to every such case and the 

 Indians are entitled to a certain amount of 

 consideration ; but the game has become so 

 scarce everywhere in the West and is so 

 sorely threatened with total extermination 

 that all thoughtful men, especially all 

 nature lovers, East and West, are extreme- 

 ly anxious that every precaution should be 

 taken henceforth to reduce the killing, by 

 white men as well as Indians, to a mini- 

 mum. 



You are doubtless aware that, realizing 

 the danger of the total wiping out of cer- 

 tain species of wild animals in New Mex- 

 ico, the Legislature of that Territory at 

 its last session, in obedience to an urgent 

 request made by this League at its annual 

 meeting 2 years ago, passed a bill prohib- 

 iting the killing of antelope, deer, elk and 

 mountain sheep at any time prior to 1906. 

 There is no longer any reason why the 

 Indians should be allowed to hunt in that 

 Territory at any time. There is no game 

 they would care to kill that may be legally 

 killed at any time. 



I do not assume to instruct you as to 

 how to handle the Indians under your 

 charge, but I do venture, as the President 

 of this League and as a representative of 

 its 7,000 members, distributed throughout 

 the entire United States, to beg you to do 

 everything possible to prevent the Indians 

 under your charge from killing any of 

 these species of game within the time 

 above specified. I realize that it may be 

 necessary for some of these Indians to 

 leave their reservations at certain times. I 

 also realize that nearly all permits granted 

 in such cases are abused. The majority 

 of the Indians have no regard for law. 

 Neither have they any sentiment on the 

 subject of protecting the game. They care 

 not how soon any species of wild animal 

 is exterminated. It, therefore, rests with 

 white men, and especially with the Indian 

 agents, to do whatever may be done for 

 the preservation of these grand animals. 



This League represents the best thought 

 of the whole country on the subject of 



game protection. You can readily under- 

 stand this when I tell you that the League 

 includes in its membership the President 

 of the United Stares, 7 members of Con- 

 gress, the Governors of 7 States, including 

 your own, the ex-Governors of at least a 

 dozen States and at least 100 members of 

 the Legislatures of the different States. 

 Furthermore, our membership includes 

 hundreds of prominent men in all walks 

 of life. 



Added to this, I speak for the 330,000 

 readers of Recreation, nearly all of whom 

 are friends of game protection. I say this 

 advisedly, for I have waged such a re- 

 lentless warfare against market hunters, 

 skin hunters, and game destroyers of all 

 classes, for the last 5 years, that I have 

 alienated nearly all such from my list of 

 readers. On the other hand, I have re- 

 formed thousands of men who were at some 

 time or other thoughtlessly destroying 

 game and who have written me that after 

 reading Recreation a few months they 

 have seen the error of their ways, have 

 quit all such destructive work, and have 

 joined the ranks of game protectors. 



I, therefore, earnestly beseech you to 

 cooperate with us in every way possible 

 in this great work and especially to refuse 

 to grant permits to any of the Indians un- 

 der your charge to leave their reservations 

 in any case where there may be the least 

 suspicion that they will slaughter game 

 when they get away. If you will give us 

 your assistance in this way, you will there- 

 by merit, and I shall see that you are ac- 

 corded, the hearty approbation and the 

 thanks of every one of these thousands of 

 good men I have mentioned. Should be 

 glad to hear from you on this subject, and 

 shall await your reply with keen interest. 



Sportsmen and nature lovers of the far 

 West are again requested to notify me of 

 any cases that may come under their notice 

 of Indians hunting off their reservations in 

 violation of law. In order to make such 

 reports / effective with the Indian Bureau 

 it is necessary that detailed information 

 should be given. If possible the names 

 of the Indians should be obtained. In 

 most cases this is impossible ; but in every 

 case the complainant should ascertain to 

 what agency the Indians belong, where 

 they have been hunting, dates on which 

 the killing was done, and all data pos- 

 sible. In every case where such reports 

 are made to me I transmit them to the 

 Commissioner of Indian Affairs, with a 

 request that the agent giving the permit 

 may be called to account and restrained, 

 if possible, from giving passes to such 

 Indians in future to leave their reserva- 

 tions. 



The Indian Department is kindly dis- 

 posed toward efforts of this character to 



