Evening star., 1934-08-06
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK,
Mont, August 6.-The text Of Presi-
dent Roosevelt's talk last night follows:
I have been back on the soil Of the
Continental United States for three
days after most interesting visits to
our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico,
the Virgin Islands, the Canal Zone
and the Territory of Hawaii. return
with the conviction that their prob
lens are essentially similar to those
of us who live on the mainland and
furthermore that they are enthusias-
tically doing their part to improve
their conditions of life and thereby
the conditions of life of all Americans.
On Friday and Saturday had the
opportunity of seeing the actual con-
struction work under way in the first
two national projects for the develop
ment of the Columbia River Basin.
At Bonneville, Greg, a great dam 140
miles inland at the last place where
the river leaps down over rapids to
sea level will provide not only large
development of cheap power. but also
will enable vessels to proceed another
70 or 80 miles into the interior of the
country.
At Grand Coulee in North-C Central
Washington an even greater dam will
regulate the flow of the Columbia
River developing power and in the
future will open up a large tract of
parched land for the benefit of this
and future generations. Many families
in the days to come, am confident,
will thank us of this generation for
providing small farms on which they
will at least be able to make an honest
and honorable livelihood.
Longs to Stay All Summer.
Today, for the first time in my life,
have seen Glacier Park. Perhaps
can best express to you my thrill and
delight by saying that I wish every
American, old and young, could have
been with me today. The great noun
tainS, the glaciers, the lakes and the
trees make me long to stay here for
all the rest of the Summer.
Comparisons are generally objec-
tionable and yet 1t Is not unkind to
say from the standpoint of scenery
alone that if many and indeed most
of our American national parks were
to be set down anywhere on the CONT
nent of Europe thousands of Americans
would journey all the way across the
ocean in order to see their beauties.
There is nothing so American as our
national parks The scenery and wild
life are native and the fundamental
idea behind the parks is native. 1t is,
in brief, that the country belongs to
the people: that what it is and what
1t is in the process of making is for
the enrichment of the lives of all of
us. Thus the parks stand as the out
ward symbol of this great human prin
ciple
1t was on a famous night, 81 years
ago, that group of men who had
been exploring the Yellowstone coun-
try gathered about q campfire to dis
cusS what could be done with that
wonderland of beauty. 1t is said that
one OF the party. q lawyer from the
State of Montana, Cornelius Hedges,
advanced the idea that the region
might be preserved for all time as a
national park for the benefit Of all the
people of the Nation AS a result OF
that suggestion, Yellowstone National
Park was established In 1871 by act
of Congress as a ''pleasuring ground"
for the people. like that phrase be-
cause, in the years that have followed,
our great series of parks in every part
of the Union have become indeed a
'pleasurtng ground" for millions of
Americans.
Quotes Franklin K Lane
My old friend, Franklin K. Lane,
Secretary Of the Interior In the Wilson
administration, well described the
policies governing the National Park
Administration when he said:
The policy to which the service
will adhere in basaa on three broad