Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-01-03
TOURISTS GO ABROAD
~ THOUSANDS YEARLY
Congress Being Urged TO Build Roads
and Permit Hotels in Natural Beau
ty Spots Of Rocky Mountain Districts
Mills Goes to Washington to Point
Out Wasted Opportunities.
Especial Correspondence

hundreds of millions Of dollars from
tourists, while the United States is act
ually losing money by not developing
its national parks. Last year three
hundred and fifty million dollars was
spent by Americans abroad. The great
resource Of a national park Is Its seem
cry. The point want to make Is that
scenery will pay better than any other
asset the parks have. The statesman
who remarked that the United States
IL not buying scenery may have been
= mighty good politician but he was
poor economist. want the country to
understand that one of the best busi-
mess investments it can make Is in ma
tional parks
The speaker was Enos A. Mills. Of
Estes Park, Colorado, life long pupil
and associate Of John Muir. Quiet, mid
dle-aged, smooth shavens Mr.. Mills Is
impressive with his earnestness and
deep knowledge Of the secrets Of ma
ture rather than as a flaming orator
His especial mission in Washington is
to cause the government, thru the ex-
ecutive or congress, to make national
park Of Estes Park. This little tract OF
about twenty-five miles In northern
Colorado contains perhaps the most
rugged scenery Of the continental d.
vide. Some twenty mountain peaks. av-
eraging $4,000 feet In height, rise to-
ward the sun; great canyons yawn be-
tween them and on the gentler slopes
the semi-open places are sprinkled
with pines. No less than one thousand
varieties Of wild flowers may be picked
within the limits Of the park. The eli
mate is ideal and the park is near the
geographical center Of the country.
with no less than four railroads run
ming from within twenty-fiv to thir-
ty- Ave miles OF its border. At present
four automobile stage lines connect the
park with the railroads at Lyons. Love-
land. Boulder, and Fort Collins.
Lumber W. Landscape.
|, Estes Park Is government tract
situated within a forest reserve" ex-
planned Mr.. Mills.
Then you are all right" suggested
the writer innocentiy. The forest peo-
pie won't allow the parks to suffer"
Now don't be led away on that
point cautioned Mr.. Mills. THE forest
service Is doing a great work and as
I was lecturer in that service for two
years and a half, / know something
something about 1t. But your forester
has little concern for scenery. He
thinks in terms OF lumber and not in
Landscape. He Is sincere and he is RICH:
in the work which he liz doing, but Il
is no part Of the function OF the forest
service to preserve natural parks. You
Will remember even that Clifford Pin
chot stood with the city Of San Fran
cisco In favor OF using the Hetch Het-
chy valley as a reservoir. Mr.. Pinchot
was sincere and I am not cr1ticising
him. I mean only TO say that his inter
est was not in the park as such but in
its utility for the benefit Of the people
Of San Francisco who wanted an
aboundant supply Of pure water at the
least cost. John Muir, on the other
hand. is almost dying Of a broken heart
because Of the attacks made upon him
by Mayor Mccarthy and his gang in
connection with that fight to save the
Hetcn Hetchy-John Muir. whose
whole life has been given to ennoblins
the lives Of his fellow men,
Wild Animals Shy.
Mr.. Mills was one Of the speakers at
the recent conference Of the American
Civic Association, but Of course his re-
marks were lost in the shuttle. He at
tended the conference primarily to sup
port the movement to create a bureau
Ito have charge Of all national parks
and monuments national park is
created by congress and a monument
by executive order-and incidentally TO
argue that shooting should not be per-
mitted il national parks under any
circumstances. Mr.. Mills rather opens
ones eyes on this point.
people do not seem to understand"
he says. that human beings have
nothing to fear from wild animals. even
the wolf and the grizzly bear. John
Muir has camped in the woods for sixty
years and he has no record Of a man
being attacked by a wolf without the
provocation. have camped in the wilds
twenty-four years and my experience
has been the same. The grizzly bear is
among the most shy OF creatures. In
fact, would say, that 1t takes the most
ingenious cunning to enable man to
see him in his wild state. In the yell
low stone park Of course we all know
that the grizzly has grown compare
lively tame and often Is seen by tour
lists. Most ether wild animals would
become semi-tame in the national
poi Nd II \aiSSt AANSi Sooo0 SaASy WSI0 ssOt
to be molested."
"How about members Of the cat
tribe? inquired the writer.
They are not more dangerous than
others. II any exception ever has been
made 1t has been in the case Of the
wolf, but the species of wolf which was
not intelligent enough to learn that II
was wise for him to let man alone was
wiped out long ago. II rational policy
[of treating animals Is adopted, It will
not be necessary to license sportsmen
Ito shoot in the forest on the plea that
certain Of its tenants are dangerous
| to the human race"
Mr.. Mills Of course is among the
most earnest advocates OF the proposed
!! national park bureau, and from his life
IN all the parks knows their nee6s, pst-
tier than, most men.
osed Roads Eeoential.
The first essential OF park develop
nent Il good roads," he says. 0wftser-
land hess made her money BY building
GOOD rods, yet the roeds problem y moi
k9l sef4e4x II the unite0 states . d