The Dolores star., 1923-09-07
clACG5awLAAE EAD Eva1y

NATIONAL organization of defense, about
100000 strong, was quickly effected The Smith
bill was killed in the house. after it had passed
the senate. The JonesEsch bill exempting ma
tonal parks, present and future from the juris-
diction of the water power commission intro
duced and forced forward The water power in
tereSts We're powerful enough however to force
compromise amendment which exempted only
the existing national parks. The Jones Esch bill
was passed by the Sixty-slxth congress.
In December of 1920 Senator Walsh of Montana
championed bill to dam Yellowstone lake for
an irrigation scheme in Montana. A long and
hard fought battle followed. In June of 1921 Sec
retary of the Interior Fall reported on the bill
and straddled on the question of protection. hold
Ing that power and irrigation development in the
national parks should be only ION specific author
lzation of congress. the works to be constructed
and controlled by the federal government" There
upon Senator Walsh proposed n bill providing
that the United States reclamation service should
build and operate the Yellowstone lake dam The
defenders Of the park proved that the dam could
be built TO greater advantage outside the park
In 1922 the uphoders of the parks won a victory
by electing Scott Leavitt in Montana to congress
Jerome Locke originator of the dam project
The final result of the fight that the Sixty
seventh congress- adjourned March 4, 1928 Ieav
ing the Walsh dam In the committees pigeonholes
Efforts to revive it expected in the Sixty
eighth congress.
During these three years another victory Of
great Importance along the same line was the
park bill, personally drafted sponsored by
Secretary Fall This bill created national park
in the MescalerO Indian reservation in New Mex
leo out of several insignificant spots widely sep
arated plus irrigation and power reservoir
ninety miles away. 1t would have introduced both
water power and irrigation into the national park
system. There was nationwide protest against
this bill. in which New Mexico itself took an
active part. The bill is too dead, it Is believed
to be reSuscitatcd.
+hi vie
another danger that threatened-and still threat
ens-the national parks. The victory was the de-
feat of the Slemp bill creating the Appalacrian
National park out of Virginia mountain ton Ii
opposed on the ground that the area was
below the proper national park quality 1t was
favored by Secretary Fall. who in his report to
the public lands committee said that his policv
to substitute wIde-open recreational park
system of many small Fairgrounds for our his
toric national park system
The late Franklin X. Lane. as secretary of the
interior in 1918, nailed down this plank in the
national park platform:
In studying park projects you shou,a .ssx
to nnd scenery Of supreme and distinctive quality
or some natural feature extraordinary or unious
as to be Of national interest and Importance
The national park system constituted
prestige by the inclusion of which exnra.s
IN less less, IMAM me highest terms the particular class
or KIND OF exhibit which they represent
President Harding was the first president to nm
""uh'e p"o'i'is d general administration policy
OF absoihte conservation for the national parks
system and for all of Its units. Both Rooseyo,,
and Taft were good friends of the national parks
but preservation against commercial invasion was
not question in their days. President WILSON
In his first term. signed the Hetch Hetcbv bII,
giving san francisco the water supply reservoir
In Yosemite which has just been completed. its
secret water power purpose was not then gen
orally understood. President Wilson however
stood by the national parks loyalty and powerrn,Iv
In the fight to exempt them from the Jurisdiction
Of the wnter power commission