Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-08-30

grounds set apart by congress for the use Of the
people forever That official declaration OF adj
ministration 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
rotary of the Interior Work at the Yellowstone
opening His statement was 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 national parks wooded
wilderness of three thousand three hundred square
miles, containing Incompatible waterfalls, more
geysers than found in the rest of the world all
put together irrigated by rivers like miniature
lakes and beautif1ed by lakes like inland seas,
carved by canyons Of sublimity decorated with
colors defying the painters art, punctured with
innumerable boiling springs whose steam mingleS
with feecy Clouds succeed with vast areas of
petrihed 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
Tolors of flowers, ferns and rocks; the ear Is
surged with the symphony of melodiOus sounds;
the mind is stated with thousand revelations Of
truth and beauty, and the jaded body, weary W.T.
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 a heroism worthy its ex-
plorers and discoveries 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 it. tunnel it's mountains, dam it's lakes
and streams and secure strangehold mon0polies
with small compensation to the government and
total loss to the people.
"And regardless Of all facts and figures appeals
,1Io1 wi
torious on it's face for the commercial exploita-
ton 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 fate, for It is at last
established policy of the government that
national parks must and shall forever be main
tanned In absolute unimpaired form, not only for
tha present, but for all time to come, policy
which has the unqualified support of President
Harding
prhis is the fixed policy Of the administration,
and 1 can assure you it will not be modified It
will not be swerved hairs breadth by any infu-
ence, financial, political otherwise.
"If rights are granted to one claimant, others
must follow so a precedent must not be estab-
shed 1t would inevitably ruin the entire national
park system"
Doctor Hill might have been definite in
the matter of the attacks by commercial interests
unon Yellowstone. Since early in 1920 it has
required increasing vigilance and aggressive or
ganized effort on 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 ere
atinq commercial irrigation reservoir in the
southwest corner of Yellowstone for the benefit Of
Idaho And it did pass the water power bill
granting to commission power to lease public
waters including those of the national parks and
monuments, for water power.