Evening star., 1925-01-11
JEALOUSY OF. SECTIONS
THREATENS PARK PLANS
Fight of North Carolina and Tennessee
Men Against Virginia Site May
Kill Bill In Congress.
BY HAROLD X. PHILIPS.

- ECT1ONAL jeal ousy may cost the
East its first real opportunity
to have a great national park,
~ an outdoor museum and wild
mountain playground within
reasonable reach of Its entire popula-
tion, and make 1t forever impossible
to create such a reservation worthy
of the name this side of the Mlssis-
sippi River.
Forgetting all Of their altruistic
promises of last Summer, several of
the areas that sought the honor of
being chosen have turned upon the
site In the Blue Ridge Mountains Of
Virginia since It's selection as "the
outstanding area" and are attempting
to precipitate a. fight in Congress.
which 1t is predicted will only end
in the creation of no park at all.
Completely ignoring the fact that
the Virginia area was chosen by a
commission Of disinterested national
park experts, who were guided solely
by their knowledge of what such a
reservation should be, members of
Congress from the dissatisfied dis
trtcts have flooded the House and
Senate with bills seeking to set aside
the verdict Of the official commission
and make their own pet sections ma
tional parks on the spot
"OFk OcuhcS TosltlOns
Incensed by attempts of these
groups to further their campaigns by
insinuating that even he is dissatis-
fed with the decision Of the Southern
Appalachian Mountain National Park
Commission, which he personally ap-
pointed, Secretary OF the Interior
Hubert Work yesterday issued a
statement setting at rest for good
and all any doubt as to his enthusi-
asm over the spot picked out for the
first Eastern national park, and the
second report strongly recommending
the establishment of another reser-
walton later in the Great Smoky
Mountains of Tennessee and North
Carolina
The statement, which was inspired
by printed announcement by mem
bers of the North Carolina congress
sional delegation to the effect that
1t was not certain that Secretary
Work would adopt the report, but
might recommend creation of sew
eral parks, instead. placed DIR. Work
unQualifiedly behind the choice of
his committeeman. 1t read as fol-
lows:
Ind0rses Virginia Site.
THE Southern Appalachian Ma
tional Park Commission, which /
appointed last year and which re-
Gently made its report, recommend
ed the Blue Ridge of Virginia as
the logical place for the location of
the first national park in the East.
This report has been approved by
me and forwarded to Congress. The
committee also pointed out that the
Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee
and North Carolina surpassed all
other regions in their availability as
a site for national park in the
East. / am convinced a second ma
tional park should be established ID
| there.
AT the present time legislation is
pending in Congress for the creation
of a commission to investigate and
| report to Congress the possibility
and cost of acquisition of the pro-
posed site in the Blue Ridge Noun
tains of Virginia. An appropriation
OF $4,000 is included to cover the
necessary expense of this inquiry. II
Is my opinion that this commission
instead of confining its work to the
Blue Ridge site, should also be au.
thorized by Congress to investigate
into the cost of establishing a sec.