The Coconino sun., 1924-09-12
PLEASE DON'T DISTURB OUR sLUMBERs

The question of selling the Bright Angel trail is
not going to bow up or bowl over because the pri-
maTies are over. 1t is question IN Which large
majority Of the people Of Coconino county are in
tally interested They are convinced that the
proposition made by the government is IN the best
interests of the county and will make for its pro-
gress and prosperity.
The government proposes to Coconino county
that in exchange for the Bright Angel Trail,
which both the board of supervisors and civil en-
gineerS agree is worth about $4,000 to construct
SO miles of road at cost of approximately $780,
600 and maintain it permanently. The malnten-
ance of this road alone will cost the government
several times the amount the county could make
net by charging tolls for the use Of the trail Dur
ng the past four years the trail netted the coun-
ty an average of about S2505 per year. Suppose it
increased to $4,000 or $1,000. How far would that
amount go toward building or even maintaining
sixty miles of highway?
IF you happen to be peeved at some of the rules
and regulations of the National Park system and
are mad at park ranger do you believe that vot-
ing working against the sale Of the Bright
Angel Trail is going to change that condition or
spite the park service. The National Parks will go
on Just the same, but COconinO County will be
made to suffer The people of Coconino county will
be the ones to pay for this mistaken idea of 'get
ting even not the park service. Theboard insin-
uations made by the bunch who are "agin the gov
ernment"' that the government can't be trusted is
not fair American idea.
If the government is as crooked and as emery
as this element processes to believe, it wouldn't
go to the trouble of making this very generous
cproposition to Coconino county. &aN
The congressman and senators who proposed
this to Coconino county are now astonished at the
attitude of CoconinO county III not accepting the
offer with thankfulness and gratitude.
1t is probable that some few residents OF the
county fail to understand the offer of the govern
ment because of its munificence. The offer was
made because congress was convinced of our need
Of federal aid owing to the 80 percent government
ownership of the lands within the county,
The idlotc idea that the government is forever
restrained from building other trails roads and
developing the Grand Canyon National park be-
cause the enabling act recognized Coconino coun-
tvs right to the Bright Angel Trail is too silly to
be considered by any person with an ounce of
brains The government in all honesty agreed that
Cocopino county owned the Bright Angel trail but
the government never agreed that this ownership
gave Coconino county any right to dictate what
it should or could not do with all other parts and
parcels of the park off the Bright Angel trail right
of way This silly argument would be equivalent
to giving homesteader of 100 acres of land the
right to dominate the rest of the township.
There was an urgent offer of the Grand canyon
railroad running from Flagstaff quite several
years ago, which would have been quite a boost
for Flagstaff but Flagstaff residents at that time
seem to have agreed that a railroad might dis
turb our peaceful surroundings Later, some hind
sighted folks profeSsed to have regretted our
sonlnolent attitude
The Sun is constrained to believe our sornnolent
residents will have the same old hind-sight re-
grets, in case the opportunity now offered by the
government is turned down.
Again some few cyncs are inquiring as to how
much The Sun is going to get out of this. That's
spite of those who think they can spite The Sun
The taxpayers of Coconino county are the peo-
pie who will profit by the trade. They will be
getting a reduction in taxes for road funds and
the laboring will be given chance at help
ing the government spend some $500000 on a
road
Coconno county will get the road; the busi-
ness men will get share of the money spent for
goods and supplies including what laborers spend
tourists will advertise the road and make more
travel this way
The political, personal, peevish knocking, unpro-
gressive element suggest: Let's wait, let us keep
the trail, maybe, maybe, in few years the Forest
Service or some other good fairy will build us a
good road to Grand Canyon, and we can keep
the Bright Angel Trail and get lots of money out
of it-maybe maybe, it will be worth million T
dollars-ets wait, we may starve to death, but
let's wait.
Anything to obstruct and delay The old, old
story-Wait, be patient and you won't have to
go to hell-wait be patient Wait until it freezes
over.
An exchange head line says Alleged liquor law
yiolatorS sentenced. What could be more delicate
than that? Yet why sentence 'em aege-
ment?