The Coconino sun., 1924-10-24

Another silly canard is that if the
trail is sold the county can no longer
collect taxes in Grand Canyon ma
tional park. The proponents Of this
got mixed somewhat in their propa-
ganda, some of them asserting the
county is unable now to collect taxes
there. u 8ss
The Fred Harvey system and, Santa
Fe railroad both pay and always have
paid taxes on their property within
Grand Canyon national park. They al
ways will have to pay such taxes, at
exactly the same rate of taxation they
and other property owners pay else
where in this county. Assertions as
ridiculous as the above show in what
extremes the opponents to the sale
find themselves and also to what ex-
tremes some of them are perfectly
willing to go.
It is charged that Bright Angel
trail cost more than 100000 to build,
that the revenue the county derives
from it makes it worth 100000, $780,
900, 500,000-any sum the vividness
of Imagination and degree of spite
actuates the opponent of the sale to
claim.
The trail cost less than $4,000 to
build. The net revenue the county de-
rived from it during the last four
years was $500 year. This is just
a shade over 6 per cent on $4,000.
1t is asserted that the net revenue
to the countNfrom the trail is increas-
ing each yeax and eventually will be
&o,k~
The truth is that in the event the
county does not sell the trail to the
government, the money the govern
ment has appropriated for its pur-
chase may, under the terms of the APP
preparation, be used to build another
trail, the route for which has already
been surveyed and is safer and also
shorter than that of Bright Angel
trail; and that if the county refuses
30 sell the trail to the government, the
latter will in all probability build this
other trail within the next two years.
In this case the revenue from Bright
Angel trail will be greatly decreased
instead of increased. Another phase
of this: Because the Bright Angel
trail is unsafe most of the winter, If
the government buys it big sum OF
money will be spent in making it more
safe, or, it may be altogether aban-
d0ned in favor Of the new trail which
icy and which also considerably
shOrtens the distance from the south
rim to the river and the north rim.
1t is claimed by opponents of the
sale that Senator Cameron would pre-
vent the park officials building an
other trail.
. This is Overrating Senator Cam
er0n's influence in congress, which is
much less than few months ago. Be-
sides, the money already is apprOl
Senator Cameron's ar
dent protest-and may be spent at the
discretion of the park officials. Di-
gest that.
1t is, asserted that Senator Came
eron's opposition to the sale of Bright
Angel trail to the government is
entirely by his love for CO.
,onino county
Then why did Senator Cameron in
1922 present contract to the board
Of supervisors of this county and try |
his best to get the board to sign it
and thus sign away half this county's |
rights in the trail for the large sum of
81. This agreement Senator Cameron |
.ried to make with the supervisors in
1922 was printed in full in The Sun
IN August %, this year. The name Of |
he prospective purchaser as typed in
he proposed contract was not Senator |
Cameron. 1t was one "Queir0z" of /
slkin Park, Pa. Diligent inquiry re-
reals that the widow of John B. Stet-l
on, the millionaire Philadelphia hat