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Report of the Secretary of Agriculture in relation to the forests, rivers, and mountains of the southern Appalachian region

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  • SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION. 185 The General Government ought to step in, before it is too late, and take possession of the whole region. The Yellowstone Park, far away and to all but a few inaccessible, should be supplemented by this natural reservation, which is easily reached by the great majority of the people of the United States. Take your map and you will find that from Boston on the east around by Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis to New Orleans, Jacksonville, and so on up to Washington every city on the imaginary circuit has railroad facilities bringing it within not more at most than one night's ride of Asheville, the central point in the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky country. Establish a park there and people from every large city this side of the Mississippi would be visiting it in large numbers at all seasons of the year. As an opportunity for conferring on the citizens of the country a means of great enjoyment, this chance for Congressional action is unique. But that really would be only an incident of the work. In this elevated land are multitudes of clear, sweet streams delivering water to the Atlantic coast and to the Mississippi River. The divide is in the possible park. If the timber is all stripped from these hills, the streams will dry up and the ultimate loss will be serious and widespread. Leading citizens of North Carolina and other States adjoining have recently held a meeting and formed themselves into the Appalachian National Park Association to push the project. It ought to go without much pushing. All that is needed is to set people thinking about it. Look at what the Government might do, and at what, on the contrary, will he done if the National Government does not come in and protect nature there. Once done the mischief could never be undone. The loss would not be local, but national. Everybody who fails to see the North Carolina mountains suffers a direct loss, whether he knows it or not. Open the region to the whole country and let these sights Vie assured and available at all times, and the park would be one of the most popular resorts in the United Slates. Congress ought to jump at the chance to get possession of the great tract, at least 500,000 acres, said to be purchaseable now at hardly- more than nominal figures. The cost of a single battle ship would give us this park available for future generations as well as for ourselves. It is to be hoped the committee will set the work going early and carry it to the success that the American people will wish for it and for themselves. [The Scientific American.] Within about a day's travel of New York, Philadelphia. Baltimore, Washington, and most of the Atlantic seaboard, and quite as accessible to Pittsburg. Cincinnati. Louisville, Indianapolis, and St. Louis there are vast stretches of virgin forests—along the line of the Great Smoky
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Object’s are ‘parent’ level descriptions to ‘children’ items, (e.g. a book with pages).