Connecticut western news., 1916-09-14
SENATOR M'LEAN'S GOOD WORK
Great Victory for Wild Birds. Their
 Prote ct,on Assured.

Protect Assured. Senator Mclean has just brought to successful termination six years of work to preserve our migratory birds. When the senate, last week, ratified a treaty between the United States and Great Britain, providing for mutual protection of migratory birds between this country and the Dominion of Canada, it was given very little pub llcity and attracted little attention, but to the devotees of necessary con- servation measures it loomed large. William T. Hornaday, the naturalist, work in protecting wild life, charac. terized it as 1.-The greatest victory for birds ever achieved anywhere" and telegraphed to Senator Mclean, "It is enough to make any man famous for lifetime.
 MT. Hornaday says: "With record breaking celerity the international treaty between Canada and the United States for the federal protection of all the migratory birds of North America north of Mexico, has been ratified by Congress, and is now a law. It was initiated, over two years ago, by Senator George P. Mclean of Con. necticut, in a Senate resolution. At that time President Wilson wrote a letter to Secretary Bryan, approving the idea, and requesting it's advance. ment.
 After a great amount of labor in n- Hewitt, of the Department of Agricul. ture, played a very important part, the treaty was finally sent down from Ottawa early in August, for ratif1ca- tion by this country. On August 16, it was signed by Secretary Lansing and Sir Cecil Arthur Spring. Rice, British Ambassador
 By the President it was transmitted to the Senate on August 22. It went to and through the Committee on Foreign Relations in a few hours; and Senator James A. O'Gorman, fully resolved to secure action at this session, was designated to take charge of it on the floor of the Senate, For several :lonths past Senator Mclean has been hard at work paving broad and smooth road for It's passage.
 On August 29 it was brought before the Senate, and quickly ratified by two thirds majority. The swiftness with which Congress did its part in the matter amazed and delighted the de. fenders of the birds. That quick action is the Senate's answer to the very bitter and abusive attacks that have been made on the federal migra tory bird law and it's defenders by Senator James A. Reed. of Missouri, and few of his duck shooting con. stituents who vehemently demand duck shooting in spring as a special privilege.
 Once more the United States Senate has added to its fine and quite un- broken record in the enactment of sane and reasonable wild life protec- tion laws. The ratification of that treaty is the most important and far reaching step in the protection and in- crease of birds that has yet been taken, in any country! It extends the strong arm of federal protection over about 1,022 species and sub bspecies of the most valuable and interesting birds of North America.
 The news, of the event of August 29, will be read with thrills of pleasure by the millions of farmers, forest owners, bird lovers and sportsmen who are in- terested in the increase and perpetua. ton of the birds of North America
 Except to Senator Reed, the people of the United States owe to the Presi- dent. the entire Senate and above all to Senator Mclean, a profound and lasting gratitude."