The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-25
Urges His Hearers to Protect the Wild
Creatures of the Great Natural
Playground.
PRAISE FOR THREE STATES
WHICH HAVE PREVENTED vANDAL-
ISM ON THE BOUNDARIES.
President Describes Some Of the Won
ders of the Reservation and Pleas
ures of Winter Visit.

GARDINER, Mont, April 4-President
Roosevelt this afternoon resumed his tour.
Before going, however, he participated In
| the laying of the cornerstone Of the new
! gate at the northern entrance to Yellow
| stone Park. The ceremony was performed
| according to the Masonic ritual, and was
| in charge of the grand officers of the State
of Montana Special trains brought hun
dreds of people. including a large body of
Masons, and as the weather was perfect,
| the scene was a pretty one.
| The President rode down from the post,
accompanied by Major Pitcher and was
escorted to the gaily decorated stand.
where he delivered address. Troops b
and c Of the third cavalry from Ft Yel-
lowstone were drawn up in front of the
stand as guard of honor. Frank E.
| Smith, grand master, conducted the
ices, assisted by Deputy Grand Master
Hepner and Grand Senior Warden Lew
! Galloway. The President, on behalf of the
Masons of Montana, was presented with a
Masonic charm mounted on a nugget of
! Montana gold.
The President began his address by
! thanking the people and the soldiers for
his enjoyable two weeks holiday and then
| spoke of the natural wonders of the park.
"The Yellowstone Park" he said, rs some
thing unique in this world as far as I
| know. I know of nowhere else in the civ
| ilized world where there is to be found
| such tract of veritable wonderland. made
| accessible TO all VISITORS at the same time
not only the scenery of the wilderness,
| but the wild creatures of the park
scrupulously preserved, the only change
4 hnf fh0ff xrrs1I Irx-.
| been so carefully protected to show
| astounding tameness. The creator and
preserver of a natural playground in the
midst of our people as whole is a credit
TO the Nation, but above all, credit to
Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. 1t has been
preserved with wise foresight The scheme
| of its preservation is noteworthy in its eS-
sential democracy. This park was created,
and now is administered for the benefit
and enjoyment of the people The govern
ment must continue to appropriate for II,
and especially in the direction of complet-
ing and perfecting an excellent system of
| driveways.
MUST SAFEGUARD THE PARK
1.-THE only way that the people as awhole
can secure to themselves and to their
children the enjoyment in perpetuity of
what the Yellowstone Park has to give, is
by assuming the ownership in the name of
the Nation and by jealously safeguarding
and preserving the scenery, forests and
creatures. At present it is singular that
greater number of people come from
Europe to see it than come from our own
| Eastern States to see it. The people near
by seem awake to its beauties, and hope
| that more and more of our people will ap-
| preciate it's marvellous character. Incl
dentally, / should like to point out that
| some time people will awake to the fact
that the park has special beauties to be
seen in winter and any person, who can go
through it In that season on skis will
ole
| where.
II wish specially to congratulate the peo-
pie of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho and
notably you OF Gardiner and Cinnabar and
the immediate outskirts of the park for
the way in which you heartily cooperate
| with the superintendent to prevent acts of
| vandalism and destruction. The preserya-
tion of the forests is a course of prime i'm
portance of every public preserve of this
| character. In this region Rocky Mountains
and the great plains, the problem of the
water supply is the most important of the
home-maker's office. Congress has not of
| recent years done anything more i'm
| portant than to pass the irrigation bill
and nothing more essential 10 the pres
| ervation of the water supply than they
make In the preservation of the forests
| Montana has in its water power a
| source of development which has hardly
been touched. This water power will be
seriously impaired If ample protection is
not given the forests. Therefore this park.
like the forest reserves generally, is of the
utmost advantage to the country around
| course this park also, because of its
peculiar features, is to be preserved as
| beautiful playground. Here all the wild
| creatures of the old days are being pre-
served and their overflow into the sur
| rounding country means that the people of
the surrounding country, as long as they
see that the laws are observed by
| all will be able to insure to themselves and
| to their children, and to their childrens
children, much of the old-time pleasure of
the hardy life of the wilderness and of
| the hunter in the wilderness. | have been
astounded at the enormous quantities of
| elk and at the number of deer antelope
! and mountain sheep which L have seen on
| their wintering ground and the deer and
sheep in particular are tame as range
stock A few buffalo are preserved
II wish that the government could some
| where provide for an experimental breed
| ing station, of crossbreeds between buffalo
breeds could be successfully perpetuated,
| We could have animals which would pro-
| duce robe quite as good as the old buffalo
| robe with which. twenty years ago, every
| one was familiar. and animals which would
be so hardy that / think they would prob
| ably have a distinct commercial impor-
tance. They would, for instance be admir-
ably suited for Alaska. which 1 look TO see
| developed astoundingly within the next
| decade or two, not only because of its furs
and fisheries, but because of it's agricul-
tural and pastoral possibilities"
At the conclusion of the ceremonies the
Presidents train pulled out for Livingston
Here Mr.. Burroughs will leave the party
and will spend a short time at Spokane
| Wash, and on a ranch In Montana
after which he will return to his home at
Peekskill. n. Y.
Speech at Livingston.