The Owosso times., 1922-02-17
Crwood Believes Governor
Should Probe Conservation
BY James Oliver Curwood.

would know something was wrong
somewhere. If in every settlement
and town he could feel his ears
| burning with the complaints and
hopelessness of their best citizens.
| he would act. If he could see the
countless game and fish and forest
| fire violations under the very noses
of those who are paid to protect
these things, he would not sleep
| nights until he had remedied the
situation. If he travelled day after
day in the very heart of the deer
hunting regions without meeting a
| warden, and returned to civiliZa-
tion to find them always waiting
at the railway stations, he would
rnete out honest Judgment upon
them.
Conservation does not narrow
itself down to those men, hundreds
of thousands though they be. who
so hunting and fishing. The flu
ture of our state, the future of the
world, our very lives depend upon
intelligent conservation, and an ef-
ficiency not based solely on polit-
ical influence. The directing of
that work of conservation should
be one of the mightiest efforts of
the state, and no man Is too big
for it. That man who does not
get absolute efficiency and a full
measure of duty out OF the men
below him Is too small for the job.
That man who cannot thoroughly
protect the priceless interests in
his care, and who cannot do this
without favoritism and politics, is
not large enough for the work
under his hand. The excuse that
Michigan is large Is no excuse.
Duty, efficiency, men who are on
their jobs every minute. men who
know neither favoritism nor poll
tics, will overcome that. We have
occasionally good game and fire
wardens who prove this is SO. But
there must be a drive-master be-
hind. as in every big business. And
conservation is the biggest busi-
ness in Michigan today.
There have been many mis-
quotations in the newspapers since
the beginning of my crusade. But
here, as many times before and i'll
all my public utterances, repeat
that l have nothing against the in.
dividual members of the Conserv-
alton Commission. 1t has been my
frequently expressed belief that a
number of them at least are highly
efficient, but that they are hope
leSsly hampered by the system
which binds them.
I believe that our Conservation
Law should be changed so that
the members of the Commission
possess tE9 power to appoint the
of Conservation, and that
this Director of Conservation be
directly responsible to the Com
mission.
If this is not so, If the law is
allowed to exist as it is, wherein
does the power of the individual
members of the Commission lie?
If they cannot outline the work of
the Director, if they have no au-
thority over him, If they do not
possess the power to release him
If, in their opinion, he is not the
right man, what are the members
of our Conservation Commission
but lot of figureheads? Dunn
mics set up. to give little advice.
and nothing more? Should such
men as Professor Filibert Roth,
Mr.. George Millen. Mr.. T. r. Mars
ton, Mr.. John Galster and Mr..
Charles Lawrence be only figure
heads when it comes to, an actual
expression or real authority?
In my humble opinion they
should have authority and power
If they are to render that service
to the state of which they are cap
able. And it is also my opinion
that along with them should al
ways be working as Director of
Conservation the biggest and best
man that can be found In Michi-
gan for the job. and that he should
be appointed either by the Gov
ernor or by the members of the
Commission irrespective of the fact
whether he Is Republican,
Democrat, a Prohibitionist or
Socialist, just so he is a one hun
dred per cent conservationist.
respectfully ask the Governor
of Michigan to take this matter
into immediate and serious consid-
Grafton.