The Holly chieftain., 1923-08-23

people forever That official declaration of ad-
mnistration policy was nothing less than absolute
protection Of the national park system against
| commercial invasion and exploitation.
DR.. John Wesley Hill, chancellor OF Lincoln
Memorial university. made the declaration. he
officially represented President Harding and Sec
retary Of the Interior Work at the Yellowstone
opening. His statement prepared, careful
and emphatic. It contained the following:
"And we are here today to celebrate the
annual opening Of Yellowstone park. the largest
and most far-famed Of our national parks, wooded
wilderness Of three thousand three hundred square
miles, containing Incompatible waterfalls. more
geysers than are found In the rest of the world all
put together, irrigated by rivers like miniature
lakes, and beautiAed BY lakes like inland seas
carved By canyons Of sublimity, decorated with
eolors defying the painters art punctured with
innumerable boiling springs whose steam mingies
with feecy clouds, succeed with vast areas Of
petrined forests, sanctuary Of safe retreat for
feathered songsters and wild beasts, wonder
land, playground sanitarium and university all
In one, where the eye feasts upon the riotous
colors Of flowers, ferns and rocks; the Is
| surged with the symphony Of melodious sounds;
the mind Is sated with a thousand revelations Of
truth and beauty, and the faded body weary WITH
the trudge of thought and toll and travel ungirds
for song and dance beneath the shadows Of the
everlasting hills
yellowstone history is replete with crises
where the friends Of the park and the park idea
have had to fight with heroism worthy it's ex-
porers and discoverers to retain 1t intact against
the bold and presumptuous claims Of the advo-
Gates Of special privilege, determined to CONNER
cialize this land Of wonder to build railroads
through II. tunnel Its mountains, dam its lakes
and streams, and secure stranglehold monopolies
with small compensation to the government and
total loss to the people
"And regardless of all facts and figures. appeals
and threats, therefore, any plan, however meri-
torious on Its face, for the commercial expoita-
tlon Of parks must by the very nature of its
aims and purposes be Immediately doomed to
failure
"Good projects. bad projects. Indifferent prof.
ects all must face the same fate. for It is at last
established policy of the government, that our
national parks must and shall forever be main-
tanned In absolute, unimpaired form. not only for
the present, but for all time to come, policy
which has the unqualified support OF President
Harding.
"This is the fixed policy of the administration,
and can assure you 1t will not be modified 1t
will not be swerved hairs breadth by any infiu-
ence, financial, political otherwise.
'Tf rights are granted to one claimant. others
must follow 30 a precedent must not be estab-
ished. It would inevitably ruin the entire national
park system"
Doctor Hill might have been more definite in
the matter of the attacks by commercial interests
upon Yellowstone Since early in 1920 1t has
required increasing vigilance and aggressive
ganised effort the part of the vast army of
national park enthusiasts to defeat these attacks
During the winter and spring Of 1920 the Sixty.
sixth congress nearly passed the Smith bill Gre
ating a commercial irrigation reservoir in the
southwest corner Of Yellowstone for the benent Of
Idaho. And It did pass the water power bill
granting to a commission power to lease public
waters. including those Of the national parks and
monuments, for water power.