Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-06-25
NATURE LOVER
EXCORIATES
ROOSEVELT
Or. Long Makes Some Quotations
From Teddy's Books

"It Is an unwritten law of the
camp" says DR.. Long, the natural
list, in an interview in the New York
Times, that you may go after game
when you need 1t, but must spare the
animal that comes confidently to
your own door. But Mr.. Roosevelt
makes his own laws.
Sitting on his veranda, deer
comes to drink at the river In front
of him. The great huntsman re-
cords:
Slipping stealthily into the
house / picked up my rifle
held true, and as the smoke cleared
away the deer lay struggling on the
TOO bad that deer did not know
sands"
the heart of humanity as well as
Mr.. Roosevelt knows the heart of the
wild things.
HE writes of two antelope: They
stood side by side facing me, mo-
tionless, unheeding the cracks of the
rife. He killed one. after four
shots, and then took several vain
shots at the mate as II ran away
This deer did not seem satisfied he
says, but kept hanging around in
the distance. looking at u.s. A
nature writer would say here that
the deer was looking for his lost
mate; but that, of course, would be
a lie. He was merely ashamed of
not letting himself be killed by so
great a hunter.
There was one last elk left In the
country wherein Mr.. Roosevelt had
his ranch in the West. One day the
lonely old fellow, the last of noble
race. wandered upon the ranch. He
belongs 10 a gregarious tribe. and
he probably felt that he might find
a sort of companionshlp among the
cattle. or course writes Mr.. Roose-
welt. such n chance was not to be
neglected. He grabbed his rife and
rushed out:
My bullet struck too far back,
but made a deadly wound. The elk
disappeared In a wild. plunging gal
lop. We followed the bloody trail
|and found him dead in thlcket.
No sportsman can ever feel
keener pleasure and self-satisfaction
than when he walks up TO n grand
elk lying dead In the cool shade of
the evergreen.
To this last sentiment Mr.. Long
utters a distinct denial. addressed
directly to his opponent In the con-
troyersy:
you are mistaken. Mr.. Roosevelt.
profoundly. absolutely, hopelessly
mistaken. There was a better chance
that you neglected when. that lonely
old elk. the last OF his race. wander
cd to your ranch, seeing your cattle
|unmolested, and thinking. Il may
even be. In his dim. brute way, that
here was place where he might be
safe from his enemies. And there
is keener pleasure than to walk up
to noble animal dead In the cool
shade OF the evergreen. his glad life
gone. his symmetry distorted In the
death struggle. his beautiful brown
coat all ciotted and blood stained,
and his soft eyes glazing rapidly as
~ to hide the reproach that is In
them. There Is a greater pleasure
and wisdom In all this; but you
will never know what they are.
The bloody endings over which you
gloat bring little 'self-satisfaction TO |
a thoughtful man who has seen the |
last look In the eyes OF a stricken |
deer. and who remembers that even |
this small life has its mystery, like
our own. You are not a sportsman, |
though you have slain your thou
sands: you are not a naturalist,
though you have measured hides and !
horns; you do not and you cannot
understand the hearts OF the Wild
things. though you have made a
srievous quantity OF them bleed. II
needs no eyewitness nor any affida-
vi TO support this statement. You
nave yourself furnished ali the