Franklin D. Roosevelt: Typed Proclamation Signed as New York Governor....

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Franklin D. Roosevelt, a full-page folio, State of New York vignetted document signed as Governor, undated. FDR sends a greeting to sportsmen in this interesting statement that reads: "A Greeting to Sportsmen [underlined]/ I have a special interest in the thoughts and doings of hunters and fishermen and all other out-of-door sportsmen because for as long as I can remember I have been an enthusiast in the matter of the preservation of the forms of natural wealth that are not measured in dollars and cents but in human satisfaction and the joys of living. In New York State we are devoting a lot of thought and effort to saving values of this kind, and we think it well worth while. Protecting and increasing our bird and animal population and our supply of game fish is tied up closely with our forest preserve, reforestation and State parks policies./ We think it important to preserve opportunities for gunning and fishing, camping and hiking in wild natural forests–the sort of pleasures our ancestors knew–because in a double sense they help us to keep our feet on the ground. They build stability of character as well as health. They also give us a fine chance to practice the sort of co-operation for the common good that we need more and more to make our government work satisfactorily under the conditions of today./ I do not hesitate to commend to the American people the true sportsman's attitude toward our natural resources, toward his fellow-men and toward life in general./ Franklin D. Roosevelt." What an interesting letter, in which FDR courts the interests (and votes?) of naturalists, most probably geared towards upstate New Yorkers, as opposed to New York City residents. FDR also discusses his personal interest in the "vigorous life" as his cousin Theodore Roosevelt put it earlier in the century, even though FDR himself could not avail himself of too much outdoor vigor due to his physical handicap. A wonderful, and historic item and proclamation by Governor FDR to the sportsmen in his midst. A fabulous item.