The morning call., 1893-02-04
THE YOSEMITE.

Ex-senator John Conness. who in part
represented California in the United States
Senate from 1868 10 1869. writes 10 TIE
CALL to say that "it seems most fitting
tnat California shall gracefully yield the
control IF the Yosemite Park 10 the Gen
eral @ vernment" As the ex-senator was
prominent in procuring the legislat on
which resulted in the establishment Of the
park his familiarity with the subject gives
extra weight 70 MS suggestion.
TIE CALL. is unable to say whether the
present movement TO recede the mark 10 The
General Government viii be likely to sue
coed OF fail Governor Markham. like his
predecessor, Governor Waterman, is Cd
posed to IL, apparently from an unwilling
ness 70 confess the incapabiity Of Call
fornia politicians 70 manage the park. Nor
does there seem 10 be in the legislature
party willing 10 push the bill for the retro
cassi5n. Though the Office Of Park Com
missioner is unsalaried, it is supposed to be
a post Of honor. and politicians like TO keep
II in existence for their own future use, OF
for that OF their relatives.
o. the other hand among people at large
opinion fav0rs retr0cessiOn. The impress
sion which the park now produces upon
strangers IS that Cahiornians are incapable
or approaching landscape and do not know
a thing of beauty when they see it, We are
told In an apologize way that tie sequoias
are now being cared for and that the raw
ages Of the shepherds are being checked.
Pe0De disbelieve both assertions. It is the
prevailing belief that many OF the finest
trees are being destroyed or allo TO fall
into decay for want of care; that sheep
tenders still feed their fl0cks On the grassy
spots and light forest fires when they want
to boil water in their kettles. These are
matters of fact which can be proved or dis
proved by evidence. It would be becoming
in the Governor 10 beg the Legislature to
appoint a committee TO investigate the
facts and ascertain whether commissioners
who receive no pay and are often appointed
without thought OF their fitness are really
preserving the park as thing Of beauty for
all time and are faithfully doing their duty
There are not many beauty spots In the
United States that call for protection. One
Of them Is Niagara. over which the United
States never had control, but which is now
vigorously policed by he state Of New York
Another is the Yellowstone Park, which,
happily, was segregated before Montana
or Idaho became States, and thus from
the start remained In the hands of the
United States, whose officers have vigilantly
preserved all It's primitive beauty; and
another is the 7 osemte, which is not infe-
ri0r TO either in mere splendOr, and is supe-
rior 10 both as an object lesson in science.
as time rolls on Niagara and Yellowstone
viii become mole attractive year by year,
and viii supersede Switzerland and the Ital-
ian lakes as places Of pilgrimage for persons
Of taste and culture from all parts of the
world; while each year. as the savage
white man and the shepherd work their
wicked will on the glories OF Yosemite.
the charm of that noble region will fade,
unless provision is made to protect ii.
Il is not easy to think Of an argument to
rouse the Legislature to its duty. There is
no money in a bill for retrocession; there is
not even political capital in an esthetic
crusade. If there are any members in the
body al Sacramento VINO can rise to an ap-
probation Of the credit which will fall to
tie lot Of him who rescues Calfornia's
great park from devastation they may act
il is bOpeleSs to look To others for helm