Evening star., 1925-03-12
S,O)O,O()D SOUGHT
TO BUY PARK LAND
Virginians to Raise Private
Fund to Purchase Part of
Shenandoah Reserve.
BY III. Il. PHILIPS.
stan Correspondent of The Star.

STAN Correspondent Of The Star.
HARRISONBURG, Va, March 12.-
Setting $1,000 900 as its minimum
goal, an organization was begun here
yesterday to canvass Virginia from
end to end and a number of other
Eastern States for cash donations to-
ward the purchase of part of the 700
square miles of unspoiled wilderness
In the Blue Ridge Mountains that is
to become the Shenandoah National
Park.
Sitting in joint session. high Off
cials of the Shenandoah Valley, Inc.
the Virginia State Chamber of Com
merce and representatives from
Washington appointed committee.
which is to lay the foundations for
an organization in which will be
represented all of the large civic and
State bodies of Virginia, pledged TO
work for acquisition of the East's
first great national park until the
last deed to the last acre of ground
has been signed.
Donation by State.
When the Virginia delegation came
to Washington last January to plead
for passage of the Temple bill, which
assured Virginia the park provided
the State did its share, high Govern
ment officials. including Secretary of
the Interior Work. told the delega-
tion that although the Federal Gov
ernment probably would purchase
large quantity of the land the State
itself would be expected to donate a
large tract to the United States.
Since the Legislature will not con-
Vene in Richmond for almost two
years, 1t was quickly seen that most
of the fund would have to be obtain
ed through individual subscription in
order to have several million dollars
available TO offer the Government
when Congress meets next December
and will be called uron to formally
take over the territory to be sur
veyed as the Shenandoah National
Park this Summer.
Help I'm Other States.
Not only will donations be sought
in Virginia, but In Washington, Mary
land and other places as well. which
will benefit financially from the
thousands of tourists who will pass
through those sections en- route to
the park. 1t is estimated that thou
sands will spend a day or two in such
places as Washington, Baltimore,
Frederick and Cumberland, either GO
ing TO or coming from the park.
Then the solicitation for funds will
be pushed still further. No class of
people will benefit more from the es-
tablishment of the park, so easy of
access to the Nations greatest CEN
ters of population. than the poor of
the large cities, who can least afford
to make financial contributions.
Wealthy philanthropists will have
this matter brought to their atten-
tion in the hope that they will regard
the creation of the park almost in the
light of necessary charity.
The committee appointed to perfect
the organization of the representative
group that is to carry on this cam
paign consists of Col. II. j. Benchoff,
president of the Shenandoah Valley,
Inc; d. p. Wine and c. y. Hoover.
Assisting them will be the represent
atives who attended the meeting from
Washington. Others may be asked to
furnish suggestions as the program
be truly representative of the whole
State.
VIII Report Soon.
The committee will meet within the
next two weeks and report its pro-
gram back to the officers and board
of directors of the Shenandoah Valley,
Inc. 1t is the idea at present to es-
tablish a Virginia national park bu-
reau. entirely divorced from any sec
tonal organization, so that the body
may not be regarded in any light as
having been inspired by sectional in
terests. For the present, however,
one of the existing bodies working
for the park will have to bear the ex-
pense of such a project
Speakers from Washington frankly
told the delegates to the meeting,
which was held in the offices of the
Shenandoah Valley, Inc, here that 1T
would be to the best interests of the
park project to have represented in
such body every outstanding or
ganization in the State of Virginia
women's clubs, church societies, Ro-
tary and Kiwanis Clubs, chambers of
commerce from every city and town
in the State and kindred bodies. They
were informed that the steering or
ganiZations must be representative
of the highest interests in the State
and even of the State government it
self.
AS a result tthe committee that is
to form the nucleus of the organiza-
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