The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-06-12


Chicago Five hundred dele
gates were present from % states in the vast
basin between the Alleghenies and the Rockies
LIPS square miles, about eight times the
size OF either France Germany. 1t is of the
garden spots of the world. a century ago all OF
it to the west of the Mississippi was an unex-
plored wilderness. We bought that wilderness
from the French in 1903 for S15,OOO,OOO Half
lana Purchase"
The whole Mississippi valley contains more than
half of our 100000 people.
we have banded to promote the interests of
this big region" said President Harry II. Merrick
in his keynote address, land we are determined
nothing shall prevent the accomplishment of
purpose The Mississippi valley wants certain
things Some of them We shall have to get at
Washington. Our % states control % per cent
OF the men in congress. and if they don't do what
we want theren be hell to pay and pitch hot"
The association would teach the valley interests
from Chicago and Minneapolis to New Orleans and
Galveston; from st. Louis to Kansas City, from
Detroit to Denver, and in and out and all along
the line, that Mississippi valley from the Do
miniOn border to the gulf and from the AlIeghenies
to the Rockies and that the easiest way is not
over the Rockies to the Pacific via the narrow
bottle neck of New York to the Atlantic, but by
waterways nature intended for mans use.
Value of National Parks
eve putting American citizenship above the
dollar" said Honorary President John NJ Parker
of New Orleans in the opening address. 1--WE
are considering conditions brought about by the
These changed conditions open a new chap
ter in the history of valley empire
The "changed conditions of which Mr. Parker
spoke include the recognition of the national parks
OF the United States not only of the great
economic assets of the nation, but also as public
Fairgrounds necessary to the mental moral and
physical welfare of the people. The United States
has 10 national parks Their standard is high.
They contain some of the most magnificent scenery
in the world. The system to be still farther en-
larged by creating several parks
he of onfbu StS will
with accord: 'WOuld that the Mississippi Val
ley association could establish the Mississippi Ma
tona1 park easily it its $25,0000O0
bank !" But this is of the things the assoca-
ton will have to get at Washington" since it can
be established only by act of congress. And
congress has no fixed policy regarding the estab-
hshment of national parks. 1t is platitude to say
that politics should be eliminated from the estab-
Hshment of these public Fairgrounds. Neverthe-
less of the fiercest political contests con-
greSS fought their creation. By way of
example it may be stated that it took six years of
persistent effort to pass in 1915 the act creating
Rocky Mountain national park, the most popular
OF all the scenic national parks, and years to
pass in 1919 the Grand Canyon National park act
In each case unofficial leaders of the national
park movement say, the influential opposition was
the active hostility of the forest service the bu-
OF the department of agriculture which has
charge of the national forests. The reason for this
active hostility is plain. Both these national parks
were taken from national forests and autOmatical-
~ came under control of the national park serv-
fce bureau of the department OF the interior.
The creation OF these two national parks thus took
away a large from the control of the forest
service and correspOndingiy weakened its political
influence.
The forest service defeated the Greater Yellow
stone National park bill in the last congress after
it had been passed by the house; brought naught
the Roosevelt National park bill in the house pub
lie lands committee after 1t had been passed by the
senate and is opposing the Greater Rocky Noun
tain National park bill for the addition of Mount
Evans
Students Of political conditions predict show
down between the department OF the interior and
the department Of agriculture in the immediate fu-
ture
In the case of Mississippi Valley National park
there will be forest service opposition because
the proposed park is in national forest;
the lands are privately owned and must be