Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-05-27

80 structlon OF timber and vegetation gen.
1" orally thereon. Second-The regulation
d" of the use of the floor of the valley and
a. its immediate surroundings, in order
" tina. the verdure be not altogether tram
" pied out of existence, or useful vegeta-
" ton supplanted by that less desirable
d" but more able to resist the influences OF
" civilized occupancy. Third-The coun-
" teracting of natural depreciative action
&" to be found in the movement Of its
" waters; the improvement of its
" streams"
The first of these desiderata is by far the
most important one. 1t is self-evident
that the principal attractions OF the Valley
depend upon the maintenance of conditions
extraneous to itself The beautiful cata-
racts which relieve the sombre and ma
iestic stiffness of the place cannot be kept
up unless the streams which feed them are
protected against the ruthless vandalism OF
man. The slopes which feed these streams,
shade checks evaporation and prolongs
their fullness late into the summer, cannot
perform their functions if they are denuded
by the ak, and stripped again by sheep.
Mr.. Hall points out that at present the
Commissioners are quite unable to preserve
the Valley from these dangers, for the rea
son that the entire watershed of the MERGED
river is about 229, 600 acres, but only about
30, 500 acres of this territory are included
within the grant Now this is very
serious and real danger Already, as the
State Engineer points out. parts OF this
watershed outside of the grant have passed
into private hands, and in few years more
the whole of the 1873, 500 acres outside the
grant will have gone the same way. 1t
will then be impossible for the State to
do anything, for the matter will have
passed out of its control, and the denuda-
ton of the mountains and the pastursge
of the hillsides with sheep will in an in
credibly short time destroy the most at
tractive features of Yosemite, and at the
same time expose it to constant and
yearly increasing danger from land slides.
What must then happen it is easy to de-
scribe. The streams which now pour into
the valley, and which supply Yosemite,
Nevada, Vernsl, Bridal Veil, Illouette,
Royal Arch, and other falls, would by
reason of the denudation Of their water
shed become furious torrents for short
period, and would then dry up altogether.
Meantime they would cease to run clear
water as heretofore, but would be charged
with the washings of hillsides, as are all
streams above which sheep or cattle are
pastured. The natural wash being greatly
increased by the constant trampling and
cutting of the soil, and the holding back
power OF the timber being removed, every
winter would exert a greater securing force
upon the soil on the mountain sides, the
tendency being to scrape this soil clean
away down to the bedrock, and to sweep
it into the streams, and send it down into
the valley, there to produce great silt de-
posits. Should the watershed of the Mer-
ced be once given over to these influences,
in short, it is certain that the glory of the
Yosemite Valley will be over, and to pre-
vent such a calamity we agree with the
State Engineer that the whole of the wa.
tershed of the MERGED ought to be added to
and included in the grant, so that the dan
gers we have specified shall be averted for
all time.
We are fully prepared to find that this
proposition is disagreeable to few persons
such as those who have raised 80 insensate
a clamor over the proposal to protect the
red-woods. But the Yosemite Valley is
national possession and glory, and what
ever selfish private interests may be con-
cerned in encroaching upon it, and in
diminishing its attractions, ought to give
way to the requirements of the whole
country. 1t is not at all necessary that A,
B, C, and d should have these particular
acres for sheep pasturage or to cut timber
on. There is plenty of grazing and timber
land elsewhere. This land should not be
used for such purposes. Inasmuch as it is
necessary to preserve the beauties of the
valley, it must be regarded as being ma
tional appurtenance of the valley. The in
tention in making the grant was that it
should be large enough to include whatever
was necessary to the protection and pre-
servation of the valley. The State En-
gineer has shown that this intention is not
carried out, because theigrant is too small,
and his demonstration is in our opinion
conclusive as to the necessity of enlarging
the grant. Whatever is requisite to the
full protection Of the Yosemite Valley
should be applied for at once. 1t is certain
that the whole country would take this
view if its opinion could be ascertained by
polling. The mingled greed and folly
which are so rapidly denuding the Sierra,
and which are producing changes there
which must prove disastrous if not ruinous
to succeeding generations, must not be al
lowed to destroy the noble scenery of the
Yosemite Valley. We commend Mr. Halls
pamphlet to the careful consideration of
our Congressman and legislators and think
ing men generally, for it conveys a note of
warning in this connection which cannot be
neglected. 1t contains many other inter-
esting considerations relating to the care of
the valley, but the point upon which we
have dwelt here is the one which above
all others calls for earnest attention, and
therefore we have singled it out for special
comment.
THE AMERICAN FREE TRADE LEAGUE.
Under the style and title of the Ameri-