IR po ————————— Endorsed bp the Mississippi Vallep Association as a Part of “One of the Biggest Economic Moves Ever Launched on the American Continent” = = HE Mississippi Valley associa- tion indorses the plan to estab- lish the Mississippi Valley Na- tional park along the Mississip- pl river near McGregor, Ia, and and Prairie du Chien, Wis." This action was taken st the first annual meeting of the Mis- Yalley ition In Five hundred dele states in the vast the Rockies— sissippl assoc Chicago. gates were present from 22 basin between the Alleghenies and 1,725 square miles, an area about eight times the size of either France or Germany. It is one of the garden spots of the world, A century it to the west of the Mississipp! wus an plored wilderness. We bonght that wilderness from the French in 1808 for $15,000), Half a score of states have been carved from that “Louis ana Purchase.” The whole Mississippi val half of our 110.000 000 people, “We have promote this big region™ gaid President Harry H. Merrick in his keynote address, “and we are nothing shall prevent the accomplisl purpose. The Mississippi valley things. Some of them we shali have to get at Washington. 22 states control 52 per ¢© of the men in congress, and if they don't do wha we want there'll be hell to pay and no pitch hot” The association would tench the valley interests from Chicago and Minneapolis to New Orleans and Galveston; from St. Louis to Kansas City, from Detroit to Denver, and so in and out and all along the line, that Mississippl valley 1 the Do minion border to the gulf and from the Alleghenies to the Rockies, and that the ensiest wuy out is not over the Rockies to the Pacific nor via the narrow bottle neek of New York to the Atlantic, but by waterways nature intended for man’s use, Value of National Parks. “We are putting American citizenship above the dollar,” sald Honorary President John M. Parker of New Orleans in the opening address, “We are considering conditions brought about by the war. These changed conditions open a new chap- ter in the history of our valley empire.” The “changed coaditions” of which Mr. Parker gpoke include the recognition of the national parks of the United States not only as one of the great economic assets of the nation, but also as public playgrounds necessary to the mental, moral and physical welfare of the people. The United States pow has 18 national parks. Their standard is high, They contain some of the most magnificent scenery in the world. The system is to be still farther en. larged by creating several new prrks, The army of national park inthusiasts will cry with one accord: “Would that the Mississippi Val- ley association vouid establish the Mississippi Na- tional park as easily as it can its $25,000,000 bank!” But this is one of the things the associa tion will “have to get at Washington,” ince it can be established only by an act of congress, And congress has no fixed policy regarding the estab ishment of national parks. It is a platitude to say that polities should be eliminated from the estab- lishment of these public playgrounds. Neverthe. less some of the flercest political contests in con. gress are fought over their creation, By way of example It may be stated that it took six years of persistent effort to pass in 1915 the act creating Rocky Mountain national park, the most popular of all the scenie national parks, and ten years to pass (in 1919 the Grand Canyon National park act, In each case, unofficial leaders of the national park movement say, the influential opposition was the active hostility of the forest service, the bu rean of the department of agriculture which has charge of the national forests, The reason for this active hostility is plain, Both these national parks were taken from national forests and automatical- ly came under control of the national park serv. jee, 2 bureau of the department of the interior. The creation of these two national parks thus took awuy a large area from the control of the forest service and correspondingly weakened its political influence, The forest service defeated the Greater Yellow. atone National park Bill In the lust congress after ft had been passed by the house ; brought to naught the Roosevelt National park bill in the house pub. lie lands committee after it had been passed by the senate, and is opposing the Greater Rocky Moun tain National park bill for the addition of Mount Evans, Students of political conditions predict a show. down between the Gepartment of the interior and the department of agriculture In the immediate fu- ture. In the case of Mississippl Valley National park there will be no forest service opposition because proposed park area is in a national forest; inpds sre privately owned and must be ace oo 11 ago all of unex- ley contains more than interests of banded to the determined nent of our wants certain {rar ent $ : the the Bo a 20 UplD LEU GRANYT quired by the If the service park federal government does oppose iis leaders say, it will national legisintion park this gendral opposition is pl department is waging a publi r eampaign to get the control of the national terior department and hence ival departmer it » credit the t Service ercial graz- riment forest Last silrige € ig develonin the forests and we to got back na- of the national tional park areas which have been taken from na- tional forests hy act of congress, In view of President Merrick's declaration that the Mississippi valley controls 52 per cent of the men in congress, the f the park bill in will be worth watching. Middie Wert Has No Park, The progress of the bill will be watching for another reason : The establic) this park involves a question of congres al pol icy for which there Is no precedent. This is une doubtedly the reason why no action whatever was taken by the last congress on a bill for its estab lishment. The question is this: Hitherto « ONEress has established national parks out of the publie domain: it has never voted an appropriation for the purchase of privately-owned property for na- tional park purposes. Will it make a new depar- ture in the case of this national park? About 20,000,000 people are within a night's ride by rail of the park site. Thus the location of the park is a feature of decided interest. There is no scenic national park worthy of the name between Rocky Mountain in Colorado and Lafayette in Maine. Yet this proposed park lies in the center of a circle rimmed by Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Omaha and St Louis. Several raliroads touch it. River trans portation is available, The bulk of the tourist travel to the nutionsal parks is now by private automobile. The park site is convenient to the transcontinental motorist, The selected area lies along the Misslssippl In northeastern Iowa and southwestern Wisconsin, It totals about 15,000 acres, land and water. The river area is about 4,000 acres; the two states own the land under the river; the federal government controls its navigation, One tract of land in Iowa of 1,671 acres has been appraised at $82.755. Another tract on the Wiscon- sin side contains 7408 acres apd bas been ap- praised at $141,042. A third tract is a Wisconsin state park of 1,651 acres; there is a reasonable prospect that the legislature would turn thig over, Mrs. Martha fi. Munn of New York, who owns the 125 Jowa ucres which form the scenic keystone of the park, offers to donate this land, appraised at $12,000. Thus the federal government is asked to appropriate $228,707.58 for the purchase of about 9,000 acres out of 16,000 acres. This area may be truth/uily said to have scenle, historic and educational features of national fm. portance. Careful private ownership has protected the heavy forests, which are still practically pri. meval. The hills rise abruptly from the river to about B00 feet. The view from Pike's Peak, and the nearby Pletured Rocks, have more than a local reputation. The broad sweep of the river is mag. nificent and there are attractive islands. There are deep ravines and valleys containing springs, Inkes and streams, Many bayous, home of the wa- ter lilies, meander from the river, Indian mounds are many in the park site. There is, for example, a system of them half a mile long ¥ progress of COngEress well well worth nent of LOOKING SOUTH DOW THE PTSSISSFF, 38 ! £4 2 PRAIRIE DU Wi ~ , 2 1RCRETOR &, |B EN PTECREGOR ¢ on the east bank. them view point exceedingly The park ar uily interesting Great Historical Interest, the region is genuinely an vi and Per liscovers 3 the Wisconsi returning o Michi Ras, Lake fore ais XI1V. ory begins Marin, a French Pike's Peak. In 1784 Basil Girard held 8 conference in midstream with governor of Louisiana and secured a grant of 7.000 The United ur. commander, » Spanish acres on the present site of McGregor. States confirmed the grant after the Louisiana chase, Prairie du Chien is very old, In 1778 it was a Sac and Fox village at which an annual mart or fair was attended by fur traders from the St Law rence and the Lower Mississippl. In 1800 it was a trading post of the Northwest company, the rival of the Hudson's Bay company. Lieut. Zebu ton M. Pike, U. 8 A, was there in that year, ex- plering the headwaters of the Mississippi. He crossed over to Pike's Peak and raised the flag for the first time In what is now lows. Though the United Riates secured the territory to the Miszissippi by the Treaty of Paris (1783) the British hung on to the Northwest and we did not get full possession until a generation later, When John Jacob Astor established the American Fur company as a competitor of the Missouri Fur company and the Northwest compuny in 1808 he set up a trading post at Prairie du Chien that played an important part in the American fur trade. In 1814, daring the War of 1812, the United States built Fort Shelby at Prairie du Chien. It was captured the same year by the British and In dians and was called Fort McKaye until its evacu- ation in 1815. It was burned and the Americans built Fort Crawford on its site, This was aban. doned in 1826 and an larger Fort Crawford was built farther down the river; the ruins of this still stand, The arsenal of Fort Shelby is still in existence, In 1581 the Black Hawk war broke out. Abra. ham Lincoln was a captain of illindis volunteers, Col. Zachary Taylor and Lieut. Jefferson Davis also fought. When Black Hawk was overpowered he was taken to Fort Crawford. Colonel Taylor commanasd Fort Crawford for a time and Lieu tenant Davis was under him. Local tradition tells of the elopement of Davis and Taylor's daughter, Natives will show you the very window through which the young woman climbed. The last garri- son marched out under Gen. Albert Sidney John. son, bound for the Mormon campaign in Utah. « When Zachary Taylor, “Old Rough and Ready,” hero of the Mexican war, became twelfth presi dent of the United States in 1840, Jefferson Davis was the proslavery leader in the United States senate. When Abraham Lincoln was president of the United States during the Civil war and comman- der in chief of the Federal army, Jefferson Davis was president of the Confederacy and in chief of its armies, : CLEVELAND CLUB HAS OUTFIELD MADE UP Cleveland cin ht call a “pitching fly chasers for the Indians will be Tristan Speaker, Jc Gladstone Graney, El Charles Jamieson. Ended Graney's Career. Ag every baseball for pitcher of mer fun knows Wood was feveral the premier Yeure the Red Sox. league us pitchers, member of the Clevelan York that his harling becume a 1008 On New Gladstone stuck Graney Indians in Jd team's first visit the season J hand in 1 Ball, the former men the Yankees That ¢ HBE Career. front of a liner i$ i ended MYERS PLAYING GREAT GAM Manager Robinson of Brookiyn Dodg ers Much Pleased With Work of His Qutficider. Hi Myers, the Dodger center fielder, & cf reer, according to Mar “Hi deserves a lo Hi Myers. it for our early victories” said Wilk bert Robinson, “He surely has been stinging the ball, He is playing a grand fielding game.” HIGH PRAISE FOR BASEBALL Admiral Plunkett Says Players Brought Splendid Fighting Spirit and Helped Athletics. — a hit with Rear Admiral C. P. Plunk. ett, according to a letter which he sent to Colonel Ruppert of the Yan- kees, The admiral says: “Aside from being an ardent fan and a for mer player myself we were blessed in this war with some of your fraternity. They brought us a splendid fighting spirit, and I believe imbibed gome of the navy spirit. They helped us in every possible way, especially with our athletics, which, as you know, is a very essentiai part in fitting a man physically to exert his utmost at all times. 1 hope that the future holds much in store for our great national sport and that you and your club will have the success which you so richly deserve.” SCOTT PERRY SHY AS HITTER in Recent Game With Yankees Ath. tetic Pitcher Struck Out Five Times—Good as Murler. Scott Perry may be a great pitcher, but as a batter, oh my! In the game of April 28 he struck out five times Juck Quinn fanned him in the second, fifth and seventh innings and Bob SBhawkey made him cut the air in the ninth and twelfth, though his effort in Bin 1a op at ng in a { was caught by Ruel * | PHN Bt pg no in the Metro. by Clark The recruit, ana line of Jamieson was pitching olitun league when signed | polit Griffith three years ago. | however, failed to Impress the Renators goods, and Griflith converted him into an outfielder, Speaker 2s a Pitcher, redoubtable Speaker a game in the Near the fag end of the 11 and has American 1915 with err 3 Eill Carrigan nominated the fielder to pitch sags Elmer in the American lot of hurling his company’s baseball i France, mth ik Never a engue, but he ut the Huns tenn oe - JITTER TRIP AROUND WORLD g Baseball magnates, hes Ban American trip be #=ta RSE ded by president of the anning a the world, It will next fall, ff con itlons warrant, and if not it will postponed until the fall of Johnson league, are § around ried 1 — » The last trip netted a profit of $28 (x). TARR ARRARG LORE 16920, NN A NU I i BASEBALL | Sh LIAL STORIES The Browns released Catcher Fallentine {0 Portiand. have 3 * - * | Dode Paskert is not displaying any | spring form In hitting. - . - Josh Devore has hooked up Jack Hendricks at Indianapolis. 1 * » » with George Whiteman, star of the 1818 world's series, is killing the ball for | the Toronto Leafs, i « es @ ! Toledo's team is calied the Mud Hens, and maybe that's one reason it rains every day in Toledo. * * * Earl Moseley, who fought in Italy with an Ohio regiment, wants another trial with the Reds’ pitching corps. . - * | 3ill Carrigan, former Red Sox lead- | er, has returned to baseball. He will | back the club in his home town, Lew- iston, Me. * » » The fans will miss Silk O'Loughlin, the most picturesque of all the um | pires who have worked in recent years in the major leagues * * - Stewart, the new hurler obtained by the Louisville club from the Chicago White Sox, is a righthander and is considered a find, w - - Tommy Connolly, dean of the Amer. can league umpires, has been ofel- ating 26 years, of which 10 have been in the junior major organization. . - - Samuel Crews, Birmingham pitcher, twirled the first no-hit game of the season in the Southern league, pitch ing against Mobile. Birmingham won, 14 to 0. . » - Dateh Ruether, who formerly south. pawed for the Pirates has taken on » new lease of life this season. Pat Moran rates him as one of his best hurlers, : . sn Gardner looks like a splendid addi tion to the Cleveland club. Besides fielding his position fanltiessiy, bis work with the bat has been both hard and timely. * Your Uncle Robbie is singing the praises of Hi Myers, Tom Griffith Lee Magee these days. All are
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers