Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-09-04


YZZhHZZY here means the government of the
I'D :: J; :; j; j.:
9Wkf United States; there is no politics
AEwWA in this article.
HMWm President Wilson was a good
MWWW friend of out-of-doors recreation; it
M" was he who backed the popular
movement which forced through
congress in his administration 1.-THE
act exempting the existing national parks from the
jurisdiction Of the water power commission,
thus heading off immediate danger of commercial
invasion Franklin K. Lane, in his cabinet, was
the first secretary of the interior to see the eco
monte, recreational and ethical value of the ma
tonal park system. It was Lane, a Democrat,
who induced Stephen T. Mather, Republican, to
become director Of the new national park service.
1t was during the Wilson administration that
Hawaii (1916), Lassen Volcanic Q916), Mount
Mckinley (1917), Grand Canyon Q919) and
Lafayette q919) National parks were established
by acts of congress-
:; 1t was President Harding who announced
Through an authorized spokesman at the fiftieth
anniversary Of the Yellowstone, national park
policy, which promised, among other things, their
protection against Invasion by the commercial In
terests. It was Harding who visited Yellowstone
and the Zion National park during the sum-
of 1923 and confirmed that policy 1t is Pres
Ident Coolidge who has gone step farther than
these two predecessors and would have the estab-
lishment Of definite governmental policy of par
ticipation in outdoor recreation and promotion Of
its advancement
Emphasis is put upon the national parks be-
cause the national park movement is the exemplar
of the many movements which now enter into the
vast question of outdoor recreation. So important
has the national parks movement become that 1t Is
regarded by competent students Of the times as
the Invest non-political issue of. the day It has
called together a National Parks Army with
nationwide strength Of between four and five
million nature lovers of ally ranks and conditions
of life, all political creeds, all religions. The
democracy Of out-Of-doors is the most democratic
of all democracies.
The enrolment and functioning of this INA
tional Park Army showed these things: The pop
ular support of the recreation movement; the pos
sibilities of more effective organization, and the
advisability Of the participation of the administra
tive branch Of the federal government So the
time was ripe for the National Outdoor Recreation
conference this summer in Washington called by
President Coolidge
The appointment Of the Presidents committee
on National Outdoor Recreation was the first step.
Secretaries Weeks, Work, Wallace, Hoover and
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt were the members
of the committee asked by the President to sug-
gest to him how national outdoor recreation pol
icy could chest be formulated and put into action
This committee is fittingly constituted Secre-
taries Weeks, Work and Wallace are the three
members of the federal power commission which
has general administrative control over all water
power sites on the public lands and reservations,
existing national parks excepted Mr.. Weeks, as
secretary of war; is interested in public roads, is
in charge of the national military parks and IS
the author of the Weeks act, under which have
been made extensive forest purchases In the White
mountains and the Appalachians.
Doctor Work. secretary of the Interior con-
trolls the National Park service, the general land
utfce the office of Indian affairs, and the bureau
OF education Secretary Wallace is in control of
the forest service which administers the national
forests; and the bureaus of biological survey pub
lic roads and plant industry.
Secretary Hoover has charge of the bureau of
fisheries and is officially interested in mining and
transportation Moreover he is president of the
National Parks association, an unofficial nation
wide organization of nature lovers influential in
directing the activities Of the National Park
Army" Col. Theodore Roosevelt of the Navy de-
parrment is nature lover by inheritance. He Is
executive chairman.
Colonel Roosevelt appointed an assisting COM
mttee consisting of representatives of the execu-
tive departments mentioned and Charles Sheldon