The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-12-30

that demand: that Is, u It practical
why is It = state problem and not
one OF private ownership?
Shall the demand be met? In the
first place the waters Of Iowa do be
Hong to the people CHAT Is recognix'
ed). They are public property: ana
the government as an organ OF the
people Is custodian OF that property.
| It thereupon becomes their duty to
see to it that not only the possessions
themselves, which are under tneir
charge. are safeguarded but that any
influences which are destroying them
are checked If, by actual use ana
occupation, the people Of this great
commonwealth demonstrate, as they
have, that they demand the right to
enjoy what nature has given them TO
enjoy. surely It becomes the bounden
duty OF the government, the voice OF
the people, to meet that demand. And
when the state Of Iowa permits the
borders OF her lakes to be denudeo
and deforested and permits the re-
sultant washing OF the lands into the
clear waters OF those lakes, and when
she permits the picturesque, wooded
hills and bluffs along her streams ana
rivers to be laid bare, to slip into the
flowing waters OF these streams. It is
then that she is failing to safeguard
the things her people have given her
to care for as custodian Of their prop
erty. and 1t is then that she Is allow
ing private gain to outweigh public
right and the peoples want. The I'm
creasing demand for public grounds
should be met. Iowa's citizens want
It. they are demanding It, It Is their
right. BY their ever increasing use
Of such possessions as they now have.
they are proving that demand.
IL the State JustiHed7
But, is the state justified In meet
ing this demand; Is It practical? !
would refer you briefly to examples.
Germany, years ago, learned the &C
tual advantages OF the out-of-doors
and the real value to her people OF
recreation in the woods. Nearly every
town In Germany has its town forest.
Nearly every man, woman and child
in the town uses that forest. And
they have reached the stage where
these forests are managed not at .
loss not as q stand still, but at an &C
tual revenue to the municipalities
owning them.
However, we need not go as Tar
away as Germany. California. reahz-
ing the value OF her tourist popula-
ton, saw At to purchase nearly 1000
acres OF the finest forest ever seen IN
California. and to set 1t aside Tor
state park. New Hampshire has pur-
chased lands for pleasure resorts and
commercial purposes both. Just last
wear the Massachusetts, Forestry asso-
citation procured the passage OF tho
"public domain BILL" which permits
towns and cities in the state to buy
land for the purpose OF operating
town forests. like those OF Germany
Pennsylvania has q similar law. The
Syracuse municipal forest has been
! established to demonstrate the prac-
lticability OF managing such areas for
| aesthetic purposes linked with actual
financial gain. Minnesota and Wiscon-
sin have put large. tracts under state
Management as commercial PROPOSE
lions and as state parks. Already
| there are better than 100 municipal
| forests In the United States
Such figures show us that public
domains under state or municipal con-
| troll are becoming an important and
vital phase Of every state administra-
ton. It Is practical for them: why
not for the people Of our own COM
monwealth, when Iowa compares fav-
orally In actual timberlantr area with
any OF the other middle western
states. with possible exception OF
/ Minnesota and Wisconsin?
/ Finally, why is it state problem;
not one Of private owners? Simply
/ this: private owners Of lands along
i the lake and stream shores have
proven their inability to recognize
public sentiment or to realize the
rights of future generations. They
have denuded the borders Of lakes
and streams. They have built their
fences into the very waters them.
selves. They have allowed their AMI
mails to pollute the waters for public
use and have brought about destruc-
ton of some OF Iowa's most beautiful
i grounds. They have cut OF access to
many OF Iowa's public lakes through
ownership OF the bordering lands. It