HISTORY II 



The Movement for the Establishment of the National 

 Park Service. A number of years before Secretary Lane in- 

 troduced the reforms in park administration which have been 

 described in the preceding section, a feeling had been growing 

 up among friends of the parks that they should be admin- 

 istered by a special bureau devoting its time to park affairs 

 and nothing else. Secretary Lane's innovations were hailed 

 as strides in the right direction, but it was felt that they did 

 not go far enough. 



Secretary Ballinger had recommended the creation of a 

 "bureau of national parks and resorts under the supervision 

 of a competent commissioner" in his annual report for 1910. 

 The American Civic Association, a society which has always 

 been active in any movement for park betterment, took up the 

 cause of a park bureau at about the same time. It is not too 

 much to say that the untiring zeal of this organization in keep- 

 ing up interest in the project, both in and out of Congress, by 

 meetings, publications, and influence brought to bear through 

 the most powerful press organs, had more to do with the final 

 successful issue of the movement than any other one factor. 

 Sentiment in general was in favor of the creation of the bu- 

 reau, but it was not organized and was largely passive. But 

 for the life the American Civic Association put into the 

 movement it is to be doubted if Congress could have been 

 induced to create a new bureau to do work that had been 

 getting done somehow for so long a time without it. 



Another important factor in this movement was the series 

 of national park conferences already referred to. At these 

 meetings of practical park men, with a practical understanding 

 of park problems, the park bureau project found many cham- 

 pions. 



What may be termed the "Canadian Argument" was much 

 used by proponents of the bureau idea throughout the move- 

 ment. It was pointed out that Canada had already established 

 a bureau of parks which was functioning with brilliant suc- 

 cess. Secretaries Fisher and Lane were both in favor of the 



