Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-11-02
FIGHT TO
NATIONAL PARK
FROM INDUSTRY
Local Benefits Versus National
Use Question OF the
Yellowstone.
WILL PELT CONGRESS
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKIN.


the West, or whether these shall be
kept as the unspoiled bits of wild nature
which they now are.
At the last session the anti,national
park forces, in surprise attack, ire
mendously dented conservatiOns center
by getting national parks inserted in
the water power act. and narrowly
missed a sweeping victory in a last
minute defense stand on irrigation, as
exciting as Horatio's historic feat at the
bridge.
PARK FORCES
PUT Up FIGHT.
The national park forces, mighty glad
of a chance to recuperate, are now sound
ing the loud call to arms far and wide
They announce their purpose, at the next
session. not only TO straighten out that
big dent in their center and recover
all the ground lost on both wings, but
TO dig in so deep. and weave the wire
ENGAGEMENTS so thickly, that their boun-
daries will be uncrossable forever more.
Meantime. the anti-national park forces
are bringing up big guns TO defend their
water power victory. and assembling
their irrigation armies under able and
experienced generals in Congress.
Also they are eagerly negotiating with
all possible allies.
Yet the immediate issues Of the strug-
gle are comparatively small.
A little group of farmers, mostly
Aormons, living in Idaho. southwest OF
Yellowstone Park, want to put a dam
In the Falls River basin OF the park,
50 that they may use the waters for IL
rigation.
Another much larger group of indi-
dtvuals living in the Vicinity of Liv-
70 dom up the outlet of Yellowstone
Lake, so as to control the waters of the
Yellowstone River for irrigation pur-
poses.
Each Of the propects would benefit only
the people Of a local community, and
each Of them, say the opponents of the
rropects, is unnecessary. in that the same
results can be accomplished without in
Vading the parks.
BENEFITS LOCAL,
DAMAGE NATIONAL.
The benefits would be local. argue
these opponents but the damage done
would be national in character.
To dam up the waters OF che Yellow
stone Lake means to food thousands Of
acres of beautiful wilderness; it means
TO introduce n new administrative force
Into the confines Of the park
1lheNASe, TO Gam the waters or Inc
Falls River basin would be to ruin one
Of the best winter elk ranges in the
park system. and one OF the two strong
holds OF the moose in the West; also TO
spoil one of the finest camping regions
Just at a time when Yellowstone patron
age is leGp.ng In immense hounds.
But this immediate damage which
would be done to the national treasure
OF the parks is not nearly so important
as the precedent which would be estab-
nshed.
II industry IL once allowed to invade
the parks there will be no end to the
Invasion
If either of these two projects is al
lowed there viii be dozens Of projects
in few years.
Ever since the parks and national for
ests were created there has been steady,
consistent effort on the part Of certain
interests In the West to break them up,
reduce them in size, or failing in that, to
Invade them for Industrial purposes
Congress has steadily resisted that at
tempt
In half a century a hundred bills
tnimical to the parks have been defeated
But little has been heard of this strug-
BILE by the general public.
Robert Sterling Yard OF the National
Parks Association is determined that
much shall be heard of the present at
tempt.
He has enlisted on his side of the fight
some of the strongest periodicals in the
country.
The General Federation of women's
Clubs has taken up the cause and so
has the National Federation of Busl-
ness and Professional Women's Clubs
Museums. universities, conservation as
sociations, forestry schools and va
riety OF other organizations and indi-
viduals are ralIying to oppose this prof.
ect for the Naturalization Of the ma
tional parks
The object of this formidable cam
paign is to put the issue once and for
all clearly before the public.
Are the national parks TO be kept I'M
spoiled. or are they to be subjected to
MOTIVES NOT
SINISTER.
1t is not that there is any wide
spread demand for the Industrial utiI-
zatiO1 of the pars.
The demand comes from just few
people liviag near them
Nor is thnre anything sinister or ruth
less about the motives of these people
They sre farmers and ranchmen who
have lived all their lives in the great
West, and who, therefore, have little
appreciation OF it's scenic and historical
value, or of the great changes which are
affecting 1t.
They see certain bodies of water in the
parks which they could conveniently use
and they want to use them. They are
not enthusiastic about preserving wild
life and they do not appreciate scenery
The people about Livingstone, Mont.
who want to dam the lake include many
of those who last year slaughtered about
5000 elk as the frenzied animals dashed
across the park boundary to escape
blizzard.
kmore sinister or mysterious than those of
- child who sees a pot Of jam on the
<63self and reaches out his hand for It.
III do they represent much more
81 - da6le force ii the nation than
stc.a44slssS does in family
The danger OF the situation lies in the
fact that their demands may be compiler
with simply because the rest of the ma
ton is uniformed Indifferent
Those who have seen and visited the
parks, who know their charm as rec
reation grounds. their wonderful char
acter as bits of wild America saved from
civilization, are one and all staunch de-
tenders OF the parks.
But, although more and more Ameri-
cans are visiting the parks every year.
\ the total Of those who have done so is
not yet large.
To most Americans they are only
name.
To make them more than name, to
impress upon every American their