, 1916-12-28
The Protection of Wild Game.

In Bulletin Nc, 5, printed December LIST, 1916, issued by William
I. Hornsday, Campaigning trustee, Of New York, entitled "Permanent
Wild Life Protection Fund" he heads his pamphlet, Save the Sage
Grouse from Extinction, Il demand from Civilization to the Western
States"
West. Think of it, "a Demand from Civilization to the Western
States" AS much - to say, that we played the game hog in the east,
until we killed everything and thereby became civilized, and now that
you western states aen not civilized, we demand that you protect your
game, and when we get time and the law is out again, we will come
out and kill it for you.
The stayed old east will never get over the idea that the west is
civilized. Especially the fact that perhaps for real civilization the
west leads the east and the continued slurs O our civilization doesn't
tend very strongly to bring about Il working harmony, which was ct.
Pecialy portrayed in the presidential election in November, and it has
cropped out in many other matters that cn call to mind.
The ignorance of the east, on game protection and why it can't be
protected will never penetrate their dense minds. In the first place
it would cost the west millions of dollars to protect what little game
is left, and " that protection and cost would 10 prevent the final
obstruction of wild game. The day Of the wild game is passing and if
not killed legitimateIy, 1t will be porched, and which of the evils is
the lesser ?
the grazing natural home Of the big game taken up aud put to agri-
cultural uses while Its range has been taken by livestock of all dscrp-
tions. There is no longer room for the wild game, and the growing
herds Of cattle, horses and sheep and the homestead aud land owner
1t is a natural consequence, that the big game go, aud this applies
equally as we'll t.. the smaller game.
Who today can imagine the roaming herds of thousands of an
tIops, elk, deer and buffalo, if they continued today on the open
prairie and in the mountains, as they did in the early days forty and
fifty years ago. Where would the decided lands lay, whore would the
cattle, horses and sheep range be, % that they would not interfere
with the big game
The game of the east gave way to civilization, and why should it
not follow the same natural course ia the civilization OF the west As
a boy in this country, even 80 years ago, we remember the countless
antelope, and nearly as many deer and elk. whose range TODAY is
covered with domestic stock, that have many times the value il equal
numbers of the wild game.
in the northwestern part of the state, known as the jackson Hole
is the best example of what becomes of the big game, when the home
stead and the pillow and livestock invades it's territory There the
government and the state spend thousands of dollars annually. feed
ing the remaining elk through the winter, because the winter range
of the elk Is now patented lands that support thousands of head of
livestock. Civilization crowds all wild life out ahead of ii, and the
big and little game has served is purpose and it's natural extinction
ID the result over which no law or power of man has any control
We would like to see the big game with us always, Is we'll as MIR.
Hornaday and his association, bur this world since the beginning of
time, has been ruled b" that great law of the survival of the fttst"
II te prrylhR OF me animal upon another. until in the natural
eonase OF events, the great game trails of the west will be history and.
the only resemblance of what it was, will be the sketches in word and