Show 6 y 4 7 rk r M 9 x 4 4 rk k Ix y c v f p pv F y wm a r v Evokes i Policy of jnes Complete 0 for Our National Parks J By JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN HE liE national parks lost a good goodfrIend goodfriend goodfriend friend when Warren G. G Harding r died His His- appreciation and approval up ap of the national park move movement ment were signally shown at the I iii 1923 opening of Yellowstone for its first fifty first year ear by an official II declaration of administration polIcy policy policy pol pol- icy worthy of Its place as the first national park In all history and largest and most famous of all nil Americas America's nineteen pu public playgrounds playgrounds play- play grounds set apart by congress for the use of the I people ope forever forcer That official declaration of nd- nd administration ministration policy was nothing less than absolute te 1 protection of the national park parl system against commercial Invasion and exploitation John John Hill Hlll chancellor of Lincoln Dr Wesley Memorial university un made the declaration He officially represented President Harding and Secretary Sec Sec- rotary of the Interior Work at th the Yellowstone opening His Ills statement was prepared careful l and emphatic It contained the following And w we are here toda today to celebrate the annual a opening of Yellowstone park the largest and mot moat far famed of our national parks a wooded wilderness of three thousand three hu hundred dred squares square miles containing Incomparable waterfalls more ge geysers than arc are found in the rest of the world all ll put together irrigated by rivers like mh miniature lature lakes and beautified by lakes Ul like e Inland seas cane carved by can canyons ons of sublimity decorated with colors defying the painters painter's art punctured with Innumerable boiling springs whose steam mingles with Ith fleecy clouds stuccoed with vast ast areas of petrified forests a sanctuary of safe retreat for feathered s songsters and wild beasts a wonderland wonderland wonderland wonder- wonder land playground sanitarium and university allIn alln all allIn In n one where the eye feasts upon the riotous colors of flowers ferns and rocks the ear Is surged with the symphony of melodious sounds the the mind Is Js sated with a thousand revelations of truth and beauty and the Jaded body wear weary wh time the trudge of ot tho thought and toll toil and travel for song and dance beneath the shadows of the hills u Yellowstone Yellowstone history is replete with crises crisel where the he friends of the park and the park parI Idea f e have ve had to fight with a heroism worthy Its explorers explorers ex ex- plo rs and discoverers to retain It Intact against the bold and presumptuous claims of the advocates advocates cates rates of special privilege determined to commer commer- 1 this land of wonder to build through It tunnel its mountains dam Its lakes f and streams and secure stranglehold monopolies with small comp compensation to the government and andI I total loss to the people I And rc regardless nr less of f all nil facts and figures s appeals appeals' r and and threats therefore any imy plan however men inert on its face for the time commercial tion n of parks must by the very ven nature of Its uI ns' ns and and purposes s be Immediately doomed to tot t E failure g Good projects bad projects project's Indifferent projects projects all must face the same fate for far it is at last j. j established policy C of ot the government go that our J national parks panics must and shall forever be main- main In absolute unimpaired form not onI 1 fog tor for r pe present but hut fo for all nil time to come a It i llcy t which has the time unqualified support of President mt mtHr Harding Hr ng f This f Is the fixed policy the administration pond and I can con ns assure you u it will not be modified It j will III not t be swerved a u hairs hair's breadth b by any e ence financial political or otherwise r I n It rights are arc granted to one claimant others 5 must mst follow so a precedent must not be bo d. d It would Inevitably Ine ruin the entire national f park f.-park park s system Doctor might have been heen more definite In time t r or of the time attacks by com commercial interests r upon Yellowstone Since early In n 1920 It ha hal has hast 1 t r required increasing vigilance and aggressive organized or- or effort on the on the port part of the vast army urmy of r r national park pall enthusiasts enthusiasts- to defeat these attacks v Y f During the r and spring spring- of 1020 1920 the Sixty Sixty- ff sixth congress on ress nearly passed the Smith bill cre cre- J sting a commercial Irrl irrigation atlon reservoir In the 1 O l southwest com corner l' l of Yellowstone for the benefit of Idaho And It did pass the water power ver hill bill billt t s t granting t to n commission slon power to ease ense public g waters those tho e of the national parks oVid and lU monuments ll for water power powel II I II I II I I I A national organization of defense about strong was quickly effected The Smith bill was vas killed In the house after It had passed the senate The Jones Jones-Esch bill exempting national national national na na- na- na parks present and future from the Jurisdiction jurIsdiction jurisdiction Juris jurIs- diction of the water power commission n was Introduced Introduced introduced Intro Intro- and forced forward d. The water power Interests Interests In ln were powerful enough however to force a compromise amendment which exempted only the the existing national parks s. The Tones Jones Jones-Esch Esch bill was passed by the time Sixty-sixth Sixty congress In December of 1920 1020 Senator Walsh of Montana championed a bill to dam Yellowstone lake for foran foron an on Irrigation scheme In Montana 1 A long lon and ocl har hard fought fought battle followed In June of 1921 1021 Secretary Secretary Secretary Sec Sec- of the Interior Fall reported on the billand bill and straddled on the question of protection holdIng holdIng hold- hold Ing tug that power and find Irrigation development In the the- national parks parIes should be only on specific authorization author author- of congress the time works to be constructed ted and controlled by the federal government g Thereupon Thereupon Thereupon There There- upon Senator Walsh proposed a n new bill providing that the United States reclamation service should build and operate the Yellowstone lake dam darn The defenders of the park parI proved that the thes dam could be built to greater advantage outside the time park In 1922 1022 the upholders of the parks won a victory by electing Scott Lea itt In In Montana 1 to congress o- o over or r Jerome Locke e originator of the dam dim project The final result of pf the fight was that the tIm Sixty- Sixty seventh congress adjourned March 4 1923 le leav leaving wIng w- w ing lag the Walsh dam In tl the e committees committee's pigeonholes Efforts t to revive It are expected In the time Sixty Sixty- el eighth congress During these three years another victory of or great Importance along the same line was the smothering In committee of the Year All National park bill personally drafted d and und sponsored by Secretary Fall This bill created a national park hark parkIn harkin In the Mescalero Indian reservation In New Mex Mexico leo ico out of several Insignificant spots widely separated separated sep sep- separated plus an Irrigation and power power- reservoir ninety miles ayn away It would have introduced both water power and Irrigation In into o the national park system There was a wide nation protest against this bill blU In which New Mexico itself took an active part The he bill Is too dead It Is believed to be resuscitated A third vl victory tory call called d wide nation-wide attention to another danger that threatened threatened and and still threatens threat threat- ens the ens-the the national parks The victory was the fhe defeat defeat defeat de de- feat of the Slemp bill creating the time Appalachian lan National park out of a Virginia mountain top It was opposed on the ground that the area was below the proper national park parle quality It was favored by Secretary Fall who In his ids report to the time public lands lunds committee said that tits policy was to substitute a wide wide open open recreational recreational park system of many small playgrounds for our historic his tone national park purk s system st m. m The late Franklin K Lane as secretary of the tho Interior In 1918 1018 nailed down this plank In the national park parl platform In studying new park projects you should seek to find and scenery of or supreme quality or some natural feature j so extraordinary or or unique unique as to be of or national Interest and Importance The national park system as now constituted should not be lowered In standard dignity and prestige by the inclusion of or areas which express In less than the highest terms the particular clays' clays or 01 or kind of or exhibit which they thoy represent President Harding was the first president ent to announce announce an an- publicly a general administration policy of ot absolute conservation n for the national parks parts s system stem and for all of or Its units Both Roosevelt and Taft Tott were good friends of the national notional parks park's but preservation against commercial Invasion was not a question In their days duya President Wilson In his first term sl signed the Hetch Hetchy bill bill giving San Francisco Fr the time water supply reservoir In n Yosemite which has Just been completed Its secret water power purpose was not then generally generally generally gen gen- understood Pr President Wilson however stood by the national parks panics loyally and powerfully in the fi fight ht to exempt them from the time Jurisdiction of the water power commission s y o President Harding In announcing this adminIstratIon administration admin admin- policy was not anticipating a popular demand de ile- mand manil mu d so much as answering It The truth Is that the American people have within the last lust three years ears our nineteen national parks parIes as ns a apart apart apart part of their conception of the greatness of their nation Hands Hods off oft 1 applies to to the national parks parIs as well as fis to Old Glory The They are eager to defend them and to keep them Inviolate And the they have have developed org organized strength through h the affiliation atlon of a n dozen or so wide nation-wide organizations organ organ- to see that congress shall legislate concerning the national parks parIs The announce merit meat of the conservation poll policy C was received with wide nation delight Th The national park hoped hop d that the conservation policy would be brot broadened d 1 d to uphold Secretary Secretory Lune Lanes Important plank t y Yellowstone also gets Into the limelight this season season because President Harding paid It a two- two da days days' s visit on on n his way to Alaska Alaska- The Presidents President's party went vent In and out through the north entrance and abD about t miles miles' of dd did motoring in seeing various points of Interest On the Continental Divide they they drove through snowbanks The President President Pres Pres- ident went ya yachting on Yellowstone lake lake un un dammed He saw many wild animals and fed fed gingerbread and molasses to a black bluck bear and her cub lie le saw the Painted Terraces of Mammoth l Hot ot Springs Old Faithful geyser spouted feet Into the air aIr every sixty the minutes for him him him-as as It oes d-oes does for every visitor The Time photograph reproduced d herewith shows the President and anil Mrs 1 Harding under escort of Superintendent nt Horace Horace forace Hor for ace M M. M I. I Albright viewing from Artist P Point nt the Grand Can Canyon on of the Yellowstone and the time Lower Falls FoUs The fihe P resident President was visibly Impressed by the sight sight ono one of the glUn grandest est and most beautiful beau beau- In the tho world Just three sixty years 1870 1807 years were were were required re re- re- re to put Yellowstone mo put on the map the American Ameri Ameri- can people simply woul wouldn't nt believe o there was wars any such place The Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804 00 passe passed close h by It but the time Indians never mentioned It considering it the abode of ot Evil Spirits wig who all nil t talk lI about them theta John Colter a n member of the time party who I went back back- to trap beaver discovered itin 1807 Upon his return to St Louis in unD 1800 the people d it Cotters Hell Bell and laughed him and his tale out of court James Bridger er rediscovered It about 1828 1528 and the public said Just another of Jim Jhn big yarns arn The hold gold prospectors of 1802 1862 described It and were set down as os liars it took the time Langford expedition of ot 1870 1370 to make the time h believe lIeve I people in Its wonders The Tho mem mem- members bers hers of that U expedition were for fOI PIN pre the scenic points paints and making their fortunes Cornelius Cornelius Cor- Cor nelius Hedges rebuked them ani and proposed national park the plan the first In nil all history T Time pork park was established b by act lIet of congress confess In nn and hS Yellowstone U Crated d Its 1572 last f fall Yell Yellowstone contains contain square tulles in W Wyoming IDS In Montana iT and anti W n In Idaho Big as It I is the plan is ls to S enlarge tron tion e It by bj the I of ot ninny many squire square miles to the South time ck s son Hole n Hole country which c contains IS Jackson nt s 's a lid the 1 ton mountain and und Is a mm J pai lake part or of IH the park |