Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-05

As stated in The STAR, the secretary Of the
Smithsonian Institution has transmitted to
Congress a resolution Of the board Of regents
of the institution representing to Congress the
impossibllity of maintaining the administration
of the United States National Geological Park
with less appropriation for maintenance than
s260O0 or with less total appropriation than
$4,000 This action was taken in consequence
of the reduction made in the appropriation by
the House committee on appropriations. At
the Smithsonian Institution to STAR reporter
who asked for an explanation Of this resolution
of the regents a statement was given to the fol-
lowing effect:
There exists a condition of things which the
people of the District perhaps do not fully I'M
derstand, but which they are interested In.
for this resolution. together with the
recent action OF the House commit
tee on appropriations reducing the to-
tai appropriation TO $4,000, means that
the park must be closed or the animals sold if
they are not to be starved. Complaints as to
the inadequacy Of congressional appropria-
ton excite very little attention and il does not
seem to be noticed that in this case there is q
popularity in the fact that this inadequacy
means imperfect protection for living ami
mals-human beings included-and that these
complaints are founded upon impending
emergency tnat Will compel those In cnarSe OF
the park to consider whether they will en-
danger the lives of visitors prevent acct
dents by dispOsing of the animals which they
have not the means to feed and care for.
THE HALF CHARGED TO THE DISTRICT.
ut is well known" said the official who
talked with a STAR reporter, that, contrary to
the anticipations and wishes of most Of those
interested, one-half of the appropriation of
S92. 900 for the organization and maintenance
of this National Park made by the act approved
April 80, 1880. was charged to the revenues of
the District of Columbia, but 1t has not been
pointed out that this indirectly had the tend
ency not only to change the character Of the
enterprise. but to increase its cost, for the
chief interest of the taxpayers of the District
was In fact, and, very naturally, not what
was to benefit Oregon or Alaska. but in the
secondary feature of recreation As their
moral right to be heard with reference to the
disposal of the money they had them
selves in part contributed clear there
was thus necessarily introduced tendency to
place the park on the footing of an ordinary
geological park or menagerie, where animals
are kept primarily for the amusement of the
public, a change which the debates show found
many advocates in Congress. The change was
to be looked for under the new condition, but it
was probably not noticed that it demanded
different and more expensive buildings than
the simple barns originally intended and gen.
orally more cost for maintenance and the pro-
lection of the public, implying it did the
presence and provision for the safety of crowds
of pleasure seekers.
lin view of this unexpected action of Con-
gress and the natural opposition of taxpayers
20 any unavoidable expense, an appropriation
was asked for on amost economical scale. For
the maintenance of the collection that is, for
watchmen to protect the public from the as
yet imperiectly housed animals and to provide
for the warming and feeding of the latter
rs, 900 was estimated; less than is spent at
either the Philadelphia or Cincinnati gardens,
having areas of thirty-three and thirty-fOur
acres respectively. When it is reflected that
these latter enterprises are conducted for BUSH
ness purposes by business men, that they have
already collections of some magnitude, and
purchase but few animals, 1t Will be seen
that the sum asked for the maintenance of the
l67 acres of the National Geological Park was
certainly not extrayagant Bearing in mind
that maintenance means necessarily the pre-
lection and care of living things, including the
public first, but also helpless animals unable to
provide for themselves, it will be understood
that whenCongress appropriated but sl7 500 for
the latter 1t was not failure so much as disaster
that was threatened"
INADEQUATE PROVISION FOR ANIMALS.
After referring to reduction OF the amount
asked for for buildings and Enclosures from
s36,s5O to $4,000 and for improvements from
$29, 500 to $1,000 the Stars informant went
on: "As, however. the animals had to be some
how provided for at once they were placed in
temporary structures, In some cases so insecure
that without sufficient watchmen they still are
a constant danger to visitors. What was of i'm
mediate necessity, then, was not only the
means for caring for these creatures and pro-
tecting them. but for protecting the public.
This was what maintenance meant; and Con-
gress cut down maintenance also to one-half
that is to say, SH, 500, 50 that the actual con-
dition threatened to be not only unsuitable and
dangerous to the animals, but menacing to Wis
itors.
KS an illustration. we may take the elephant
house. In the beginning the management not
having means to buy elephants. which are one
of the main attractions in geological park,
had accepted the gift of one elephant and the
loan of another Subsequent experience has
shown that it would have been wiser to have
refused them a gift even, but it was hard to
realize at first that means even for their food
and care would be lacking. A shell of pine
wood was hastily built to cover them until bet
ter quarters eonld be provided. Through this
they could walk as through paper should they
by accident break the chains which hold them,
and here they would perish in a single winters
night should the fire kept in a rude stove be
overlooked; but there has been no means pro-
vided to improve these quarters since they were
erected This Is hardly fair to elephants even,
and it is dangerous to the public. which must
be admitted to this insecure structure. where
crowds not only of adults, but of children, are
around the animals. The elephant. in confine-
ment. is a much more dangerous beast than is
popularity supposed. and one of these has on
several occasions attempted to kill his keepers,
yet only the presence of watchmen prevents
children from climbing upon their platform or
from exqsperating the animals by teasing. Tho
case of the elephant is merely q single illustra-
ton, and similar conditions exist with other
animals. Some means for erecting not magnit-
cent, but secure buildings. then, is one of the
first things demanded for the protection OF the
animals and the public. The committee on APP
preparations has recommended for the next
year only $40 600 for this purpose for the entire
park. including the finishing of the large ami
NAL house. the elephant house, the various
shelter barns and all the Enclosures required,
and scattered through 167 acres.
''As already stated there was asked for main
tenance' for the present fiscal year the sum of
s35. 900. not us sufficient but in view of the
general policy of Congress. Only 1850 was
granted, and it would, therefore, have been
impossible to carry the park during the
year had not certain balances of the funds ap-
proprIated for the present year been available
for use, and had not the Smithsonian given to
the park the use OF office rooms rent free and
the partial service Of its employees to meet the
exigency. With the knowledge that it was alb
solutely impossible to maintain the park on
this sum, but with the hope of struggling along
until the circumstances could be laid before
the present Congress, every employe who
could be possibly spared was removed and
single Waterman. aided by two or three labor
ers, was left to patrol the entire 167 acres.