Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-03-22
r HE YOSEMITE VALLEY.
Has IT'S Care Been Intrustcd 10 Careful or
Negligent Hands

"A competent Judge has characterized
the ar nounced policy OF an active mem
her OF the Yosemite Valley Commission
10 cut down every tree lin the valley
that has sprouted within the last thirty
years' as policy which, IL il were car.
ried ont. would eventually result in AN
irrepa+able calamity calamity To the
civilized world This member il repre-
sented as declaring that his policy has
she support of the commission; Ii re-
mains to be seen whether his associates
will follow such fatuous leadership. But
the history OF the Yosemite makes II
only tbo probable that crisis in It's man
agemdnt is near at hand.
The American people are probably
not aW are of their proprietorship in the
Yosen ito. In 1854 by act OF Congress.
the valley and the grounds in the vicin.
ity of the Big Trees of Mariposa were
granted 10 the State of California with
the stipulation nevertheless that the
said State shall accept this grant upon
the express conditions that the prem
ises shall be held for public use. resort
and re erreation; shall be inalienable for
all time etc. Thus is recognized by
las the moral claim OF all humanity to
an interest in the preservation of the
wonders OF the world. A citizen Of New
York Is as much one of the owners of
the Yosemite as a citizen of California,
and his right to be- heard In suggestion
or protest Is as undonbted. There are.
unfort hnately, few resident Californians
who are well acquainted with the val
ley. An actual count has indicated that
one-half of the visitors are foreigners,
chiefly Englishmen, while one-fourth
are frorn the Eastern States. The opifs
ion of these outsiders might be sup
posed 10 have a special value, being dis
connected with the local dissensions
which have gathered about the val
ley. .
1T ii unfortunate that the first pub
lie reAentation OF the subject and the
resulta nt investigation by the Legisla-
ture OF California were complicated by
personal. political and com mercial con-
sdcratIons to snch an extent as to OBJ
scare the important point-Iias the
treatment OF the Yosemite landscape
been irtrusted TO skiliful hands? We
have before ns the report of this in
vestigation, together with large num-
Der of photographs showing the condi-
tions of portions OF the valley before
and after the employment of the axe
and pldw. Without going into the de-
tails of the alleged abuses, monopolies.
rings and prosecutions, IL is easy 10 see
in the d bove testimony and photographs
abundant confirmation OF those who
hold IN IL the valley has not had the
benefit OF expert supervision. In say
ing this We are not impagning the good
faith of past or present commissions or
commissioners appointed for other
reasons than their skillfulness in the
treatma nj of landscape. They are Ger
tainly TO be acquitted of any intention
to injure the valley; that would be un-
belieyable 1t Is no reproach to them
that they are not trained foresters-
Their responsibility, however, does not
end there; II is. in fact, there that il
begins: for, in the absence of knowl-
edge OF = professional nature, 1t should
BE- their first aim to obtain the very best
man or men available TO do this work. !"
-Cestuty.