New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-19
TgE YELLOWSTONE PARH.

The Yellowstone Park bill which was passed
BY the Senate last week, is compromise meas
ure. 1t surrenders a strip of territory on the
northern edge of the Reservation in order that
railway communications may be opened out
side the Park with Cooke City and adjacent
mining camps. In compensation for this small
concession of an unimportant section OF the
| Park One-half of the districts designated in
the Presidents proclamation has been added
to the Reservation. While the friends of the
Yellowstone Park regret that the remaining
one-half reserved by the President has been
left outside, they are constrained to believe
that compromise was necessary in order 10
secure prompt and decisive legislation at the
present session. Senator Vest, who has made
a most determined fight year after year for the
preservation and enlargement of the National
Park, has recognized the necessity of conced-
ing some points to the Senators representing
the new States The bill as it has passed the
Senate enlarges the area of the Park fully
one third, annexes on the east side mountain
Gus and wooded districts essential for the
preservation of game and amply protects the
watershed. All the legitimate interests of the
adjacent States have been satisfactorily met,
and there is no reasonable ground for opposing
the measure.
1t remains now for the Democratic House TO
decide whether the railway lobby which has
persistently INSTRUCTED wise legislation in the
interest of the Park shall be allowed to defeat
this bill. That lobby has been headed by
fernando De Soto Money, of Mississippi and
Colonel ]. G. Ayres, of Kansas City. Ii has been
acting in the interest of speculative enterprise
known as the Montana Mineral Railway Com
pany, which has solicited an exclusive right of
way through the Park to Cooke City 1t has
succeeded year after year in defeating lcgisla-
ton by insisting upon having monopoly of
railway communication established in the Ma
tional Reservation This year it has secured
favorable report from the House Committee
on Public Lands upon a bill granting a tran
chise to the Mineral Railway. That bill is now
before the House, and is indcfensible from
every point Of view The mining camps at
Cooke City do not desire to be placed at the
mercy of monopoly. The spectators who are
employing this lobby do not represent the in
dustrial interests of the new States. They are
strikers bent upon obtaining exclusive priv
ileges of building and operating railway in
the National Park and then selling out their
franchise TO the highest bidder.
If Mr.. Cox were alive there would be no
danger Of the passage of this iniquitous rail
way franchise. He was one of the few men
on the Democratic side of the House who took
al intelligent interest in the Yellowstone Park
While there are only few members of the
Democratic majority who have given any at
tention to this subject, there ought to be no
difficulty in securing the defeat of the bill re-
ported from the Committee on Public Lands
and the enactment of the measure passed by
the Senate. The bill supported by the lobby
creates a monopoly for the benefit Of a small
group of railway spectators, The bill passed
by the Senate opens the district on the north
ern edge Of the Reservation 10 competing
railways. 1t removes all difficulties in the way
of railway communication with the mining
camps, and at the same time protects the Park
against invasion from monopolistS. If the
Democrats of the House either refuse to pass
the Senate bill or persist in Sanctioning the
railway franchise. they will place Themselves
on record as the patrons of monopoly and the
partners of lobbyists.