The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-05-26
-COHSeFVdTI0n-
IMPROVEMENT
OF KANKAKEE
MEETS DELAY
'Talked-t to- Death Fate Is
Feared for $500, 900
Indiana Project.
BY WILLIAM F. COLLINS
Times Special Writer

Times Special Writer
1 have been trying to find out
what happened to the Indiana pro-
gram of conservation projects pend
ing in Washington. The foremost
project on the list, of course, is the
$2,500,00O Kankakee marsh restora-
ton proposal.
My understanding is that the
money allotted for conservation
projects by the national government
is that each state had the right to
choose the form of project for
which the money is to be spent and
that Indiana has chosen for its
project the restoration of the old
marsh. Illinois chose for it's project
the purchase of small farms upon
which to place INDECENT families,
and Ohio wants reforeStation and
playground facilities.
This Immediately, within the
borders of the three states, outlines
three entirely different types of &C
tlvity and it 50 happens that three
administration heads in Washing
ton have lined themselves up to
favor one or the other of these
three types.
Each Has Pet Project
Mr.. Ickes has favored the play
ground idea and, if the money is
to be used for that purpose, he
wants to administer it. MIR. Policy
is favoring the small farm plan and
would spend the money fer that
purpose and, finally, Secretary
Wallace wants to take s%ubularginal
land out Of production and r~eforest
it. He would want the Kankakee
marsh development put through.
It all reminds me of the day I
sat in the gallery of congress in
Washington to hear the members
debate the all-important question
of how we should make war on
Germany. 1t was back in 1918. I
had enlisted. 1t was an important
event in my life and so I thought
it ought to be something of more
than passing Importance 10 the law
makers.
I was prepared to hear the lead
erS of the country decide some very
weighty matters. And I listened for
three hours to a debate rather
heated at times between four gray
headed senators as to whether the
Red Cross should handle the knitted
socks being turned out by the moth
erS of the nation or whether they
should set up a separate depart
ment for that purpose and name it
the World War Knitted Sock Ac-
ceptance Corporation.
Why Delay That?
In my immature way, I can't for
the life of me see what possible diff
ference it will make in the long run
who handles the money or gets the
honor of completing these projects.
If the money is available, as it
seems to be, and the project has
been approved, as has been reported,
why can't the debaters of the sub
ject come down to earth and get
going?
Looking back on the record of &C
complishment in conversation mat
tiers, I find that out of every ten
projects started, nine have been
talked to death by misinformed per-
sons or by men who had another
ak to grind. We are having just
about the same experience with the
kankakee marsh restoration.
A campaigning senatorial posi-
bility stumped the length and
breadth of northern Indiana trying
to arouse the farmers against the
project because in it he saw the
government c~onfscating the very
homes of Indiana people. Another
group fairly we'll organized called on
the powers to quash the movement
or the grounds that it would take
all of that fine body of black land
in Lake county north of the river
out of production and throw it back
into a swamp.
AS a matter of fact, the project
never was planned to extend a foot
north of the thread of the Kanka-
kee river. All of the land to be
flooded and reforested was and still
is south of the channel.
So far as conf1scation is con
cerned, that part OF the state to
be thrown back into the marsh is
practically all tax delinquent now
and subject to confiscation by any
n who desires to buy the tax
certificates. Up to this moment,
however, no n wants to own the
land. About the only modern activ-
ity suited to it appears to be the
nudist colony started near its
borders but you can't make a nudist
colony out of $4,000 acres of land
infested with sand burrs. There are
some things that even a nudist
would object to.
Ard so we approach the zero
hour on the Kankakee. It will have
to go over soon or it will be talked
to death as so many other COM
mendable conservation projects have
been killed in the past.
I wonder what you who are inter-
ested in this can do personally to
push the thing over the hump and
start it rolling toward completion?
Maine is the single state in the