Evening star., 1909-03-15
OPPOSED BY DEMOCRATS
But Not When Their States Were
Benefited.
AN EXCHANGE OF TEACHERS
How the Arrangement Between This
Country and Prussia Has
Worked.
NEW ORLEANS, March 8. 1909
EY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.


Herald.
NEW ORLEANS March 8. 1909
The late congress did many good things
although it failed to do more. The bill to
establish steamship lines to Central and
South America, and to give us mail COM
munication with the east. failed by three
votes which were cast by Frank o. Low
den ard Representatives Wilson and
Mann Of Chicago who ought to know bet
ter and by that act struck a serious blow
at The commerce OF the country.
The postal savings bank bill and parcels
post bills also failed. They even did not
reach Il vote because of the opposition of
the banking interests in one case. and the
country merchants in the other case. But
It is a matter of congra tulation that the
Appala chan park bill became d law 1t
was passed by vote of 1J7 to 147. The
division not on party lines but the
opposition was chiefly on the democratic
sid. from members who had constltu-
tional objections TO the appropriation of
public money for the benefit of anybody
bat themselves or their own constituents.
Every strict constructioniSt whose dis
tr!ct derived some benefit from the bill
was able to overcome his constitutional
objections II federal authority obtaining
control OF large tracts of land in the SOW
ereiSn states. but those whose districts
would derive no advantage bravely de-
Tended the Sanctity of that instrument.
number of southern members. whose
veneratlon for the Constitution prevented
them from voting TO pay steamship COM
pdnies for carrying the United States
mails, did not any objection to the
purchase of park for the benefit of their
constituents. but We ought To be thankful
for their SelflShneSs If steamship COM
panieS carrying mails to South America
belonged 10 the districts represented by
MIR. I.owden, Mr. Wilson. Mr.. Mann and
other Illinois members who voted against
the subsidy bill, they would have been on
The other side; but such men ought to be
broad enough to take d national view of
public questions and vote for the interests
OF the whole country rather than mere
local advantages.
Avoiding the Constitution.
The learned puntlits had to study a long
time To get bill that would avoid the
constitutional objections to the purchase
of the Appalachian and White mountains
forests but they finally succeeded in
shelterng themselves behind the neces-
sity OF preserving the inland waterways
and naTlgable streams, and that will per-
haps be the greatest advantage derived
by the country from this legislation Con-
gress has appropriated immense sums of
money for dredging out the rivers in the
south Atlantic and gulf states. which
arise in the Appa lach!an districts to be
hereafter preserved as park. and the
destruction of the timber the stripping
of the mountain sides, has caused floods
which nave swept away the results of the
labor of the government engineers.
and have filled up the streams with silt
that had to be dredged out again. From
that standpoint alone the legislation was
justified. without considering the millions
or dollars worth of private property that
is destroyed the lives that are lost and
the suffering that is caused by the annual
freshets.
The next most important effect of the
bill Will be the preservation of the water
power, which is now being developed for
manufacturing purposes in the southern
states. In no other part of the country
are these natural advantages being utiliz-
ed to a larger extent or with greater prof
IL. About 10000 horsepower Is now in
use daily. turning the spindles and the
wheels III the factories of half a dozen
states, generated from streams that rise
in the territory that is to be reserved rs
a park, and the engineers estimate that
these streams furnish 25OO,O0O horse
power II their sources and tributaries are
protected.
Surely there ought to be no constitu-
accomplish such great benefits to the
country.
A Perpetual Playground.
The park feature Of the bill is merely
an incident. and no one ought TO complain
if the people of the United States are
furnished with a perpetual playground
and health resort, such as the White
mountains and the Land of the Sky"
Will afford them. The preservation of
The timber with which nature has cloth
ed the White mountains and the Great
Smoky range will serve all these pur-
poses 1t Will insure sufficient water In
the Merrimac river to run the mills that
line its banks, and at the same time
will preserve the natural beauties for
the enjoyment OF hay fever victims and
tired men and women who spend their
vacations in the White mountains.
Both objects are attained by this new
law. 1t also preserves from devastation
the great forests of Maine and large
tract OF the lake country I'm that state.
The Appalachian Park will embrace about
3.GDOO0 acres of the mountain peaks
where Virginia, North Carolina, South
Carolina. Georgia. Tennessee and Ken
tuckJ come together.
Cost Is S1e,ooo,ooo.
The limit of cost is fixed at $500 600
and the limit of time for its requirement
at ten years. No money is to be taken
from the Treasury, but the parks are
to be paid for by the proceeds of the
sale of timber from the forest reserves
revenue that exceeds the cost of main,
tanning them. Section of the new law,
which contains the purchase provision,
reads as follows:
That from the receipts from the sale
or the disposal of any products or the
use or land or resources from the pub
He lands, now or hereafter to be set aside
as national forests. that have been or
may hereafter be turned into the Treas
ury of the United States, and which
are not otherwise appropriated there shall
be available $l.OooO0O for the fiscal year
ending Juno 80. 1909 and not to exceed
S2DO,0D for each fiscal year thereafter,
10 be used in the examination survey
anti requirement of lands located on the
headWaters of navigable streams, or those
which are beinG or which may be de-
velOped for navigable purposes
Several organizations of patriotic men
lave been working for this legislation
for many years and have been growing
more and more anxious the Whit e
mountains and the Appalachian ranges
have been stripped OF their timber Con-
VeEtions have been held annually to .x-
cite interest and to create public opinion.
TWO years ago they secured an apprO-
piiation for survey aud eXaminat ton
Of the lands and estimates of the cost
of their purchase, and now that the great
object has been accomplished they are
entitled 10 the gratitude OF the entire
country. Three splendid national parks
in Maine. New Hampshire and in the
Appalachian range have been added 20
the natiorai reserve and will be pro.
'ep