Evening star., 1925-01-18
V|RG|N|ANS ROUSED
BY NEW PARK PERIL
Delegation to Meet Tuesday
to Plan for Action on Blue
Ridge Project Bill.

The East's first great national park
project is slowly dying in a con-
gressional pigeon hole.
The bill asking Congress for $4,000
with which to set up the machinery
Shenandoah National Park in the
Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia,
which was introduced nearly two
months ago, must be brought from
the public lands committee to the
floor of the House within a very few
days or it will stand slight chance OF
passing this Congress, according to
its sponsors.
Faced by these facts, with the
knowledge that the park may be for
ever lost unless 1t is authorized by
this Congress, Senator Claude A
Swanson has called a special meetin s
of the Virginia delegation for 1O:3t
o'clock Tuesday morning to plan
quick and decisive action to bring
the proposition before Congress i'm
mediately.
Vigilance is Promised.
A thoroughly anxious delegation o.
business men, bankers and public
leaders, headed by Gov. f. Lee
TrinkIe, will come here from Vir
ginia the same day and go into con
ference with their leaders in Con
gress. From that hour on the State
will maintain special committed
here to bring to bear every ounce oi
pressure within it's reach TO force
immediate action on the measure tha
means life or death to the first biz
outdoor playground ever planned II
the East by the Federal Government.
The bill was introduced in the
House by Representative Henry -"
Temple. chairman of the Southern
Appalachian National Park committee
which selected the site in the Blue
Ridge Mountains as the outstanding
area in the East" for the creation o.
national park, a day or two after
this session of Congress was con
yened. 1t was referred to the public
lands committee and there 1t has re
mained, unacted upon, ever since, de
spite protests from Representative
Harrison of Virginia, a member OF tht
committee.
Hope For Early Action.
1t is believed that when Represent
ative Nicholas J. Sinnott, I'd, chair
man of the committee, has the Sc
robustness of the situation called ur'
gently TO his attention he Will give
the measure right of way, not only
because of its Importance to the peo'
pie of the entire Eastern section OF
the United States, but also because
it was one of the first measures tC
reach his committee this session.
To be assured prompt action by
Congress, according to those who
y In, nIn fn1 "a
situation, the bill really needs to bt
reported out to the House by Wed
nesday. After that, it is said, it may
be necessary to invoke the unani.
nous consent rule or the "specia
rule" in order to shove the bill
through before March 4, when thi:
Congress dies-the Congress tha'
first conceived the idea of the park.
1t would be almost useless, accord
ing to Members of Congress, to in
woke the unanimous consent rule il
the case of the Shenandoah Nationa
Park bill. Despite the fact that TIL
North, the West and most of tn,
South stand solidly behind it, some o
the Members from North Carolini
are opposed because the Virginia sit
was selected in preference TO an ares
their own State had offered. AL
though a small minority, they coulc
muster up enough votes to blocI
| unanimous consent to consider tn
| legislation Immediately.
Obstacles In Prospect.
According to members of the South
ern Appalachian National Park com
mittee failure of the bill in this Con
gress would probably necessitate go
| ing over all of the work that has al
ready been done. and at considerabl
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