Forest and Stream 



A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 



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Editorial. 



The Park Monopolists Checked 

 The Sportsman Tourist. 



Nimrod in theiNorth.— i. 

 Natural History. 



The Birds of Maine. 



A Little More Bear. 



Winter j7otes fl oin Nova Scotia 



Suowv Owls. 



Zeugloilou. an Extinct. Cetacean 

 Game Bag and Gun. 



A Lav with the Grouse. 



Manilas Viue-ard Heath-liens 



Snow -Shoeing for Moose. 



Incline- Favci:Kl„iiii: Bird- 



Pennsylvania Deer Shooting. 



Notes from Worcester. 

 Sea and River Fishing. 



Winter Talks on Summer Pas- 

 times.— is. 



Caribou at Tim Pond. 



Our Chicago Letter. 



Protection for Quail. 



The New York Association. 



Sea and River Fishing. 



Texas Gome Laws. 

 is anAir-Spacc- H n.ng'"lo'j.s'." 



The Sea of Correz. 



Some Piscatorial Synonyms. 



Salmon Angling in Maine. 

 Eishculture. 



Fisheries Exhibition at Loudon. 



Fishculture in England. 

 The Kennel. 



Kennel Lameness. 



"Pious Jeems" on Trials. 



Tho Mother Beagles. 

 Rifle and Trap Shoottno. 



Range and Gallery. 



The Trap. 

 Yachting a:,-d Canoeing. 



The Yawl Canned. 



New Oenterboard for Canoes. 



Sir. Lawton's Views. 



Time Allowance. 



From the Pacific Coast. 



Yachting in San Francisco. 

 Answers to Correspondents. 



With its compact type owl in its permanently enlarged form 

 of twenty-eight pages this journal ' f urn ishes each week a larger 

 amovnt of first-class matter relating to angling, shooting, the 

 kenneJ, and kindred subjects, than is contained in all other 

 American publications put together. 



THE PARE MONOPOLISTS CHECKED. 



'T'HERE is going to be a fight, after all. The Yellow. 

 -*- stone Park is not to be put into the pockets of a few 

 speculators without some resistance on the part of the repre- 

 sentatives of the people. This is encouraging; it. is as it 

 should be. And the people whose property was thus to be 

 seized, who were to be admitted to the Park, but were not 

 to be allowed to approach within a mile of the natural ob- 

 jects which form its attractions without tho consent of the 

 combination, may thank Senator Vest and his colleagues on 

 the sub-committee for their faithful guardianship of the 

 trust which they hold. It requires courage of no mean 

 order to face the power of a monopoly, backed by a power- 

 ful lobby, and, tacitly at least, by a considerable portion of 

 the press of the country. Too much praise cannot be given 

 to Senator Vest for his fearless devotion to the people's in- 

 terests, for if the Park is to be saved to those who now own 

 it, it will be wholly due to the wise labors of his commit- 

 tee. It was scarcely to be supposed that the philanthropic 

 bosh prated by the men who attempted, -with an audacity 

 rarely equaled, to obtain possession of this enormous tract 

 of public land, would impose on any intelligent and honest 

 man. It did not impose on the Senators who had Dj'is mat- 

 ter in charge. To use ah expression familiar to any West- 

 ern man, they "sized up" the monopolists at. once, and. hav- 

 ing taken their measure, they treated them as they should 

 have been treated. 



i.t is evident enough that the Yellowstone Park Improve- 

 ment Company thought that they would have no difficulty in 

 perpetrating this wrong upon the government and the 

 people. They felt that with (he assistance of their lobby 

 and what aid and comfort they could derive from the silence 

 of the press, they held the matter in their own hands. With 

 a boldness that is astonishing they have absolutely gone oa 

 and begun to build their hotels, thus virtually taking 



possession of a government reservation, usiug timber which 

 is not theirs, and killing the government's game and fish to 

 feed their employes. Not only this, but they have the hardi- 

 hood to declare that they will hold the Park against a 

 coiners. They talk as if they intended to defy the govern- 

 ment. They have seized a portion of the public territory 

 and declare that the revenue to be derived from it shall flow 

 into their own pockets. They insist that they will go on 

 with their hotel building and their cattle ranching. They 

 say in effect, "We have secured a contract from Mr. Josslyn, 

 no matter by what means, and so the 'public park' is for a 

 term of ten years our private farm. What are you going to 

 do about it?" Well, now, what are the people going to do 

 about it? The question is more easily asked than answered. 

 But we venture to predict that, although these individuals 

 now assume so loftily independent an air, they will not suc- 

 ceed in their schemes for the appropriation of the public ter- 

 ritory. The people are a little tired of having the public 

 domain given away with a lavish hand. It is worth some- 

 thing now, and is yearly increasing in value. The time will 

 come, and at the present rate of settlement it is not far dis- 

 tant, when Uncle Sam wlil not be able any longer to give 

 every man a farm. 



We hope the day of "land grabs" is over. A project like 

 the one under consideration, might have succeeded years 

 ago. but wo cannot think that it will be carried through 

 now. 



We have from the first viowed the movements of this Yel- 

 lowstone Park Improvement Company with serious concern 

 and alarm. To give the devil his due, the thing has 

 been managed with a snrewdness and a boldness which in 

 a more honest cause would have compelled our admiration, 

 but we think that now the people are beginnirg to under- 

 stand what an invasion of their rights was intended, and we 

 very much mistake their temper if they will permit the 

 wrong. 



The very clear and altogether admirable report of Senator 

 Vest's committee deserves the earnest support of every 

 citizen. The Park is for rich and poor alike, and every one 

 should have an equal interest in it. Its wonders should 

 never be given over into the hands of any who might say to 

 a visitor no matter what his rank or condition, "You can- 

 not camp within a mile of this geyser basin." 



The methods of some of the men interested in this scheme 

 are precisely what might be expected from the underhanded 

 course which has hitherto been pursued by them. Enraged 

 at being checked in their project for securing the property of 

 the people for their own personal ends, they, or rather the 

 one who poses most prominently before the public falls to 

 abusing those who object to the steal, and begins to throw 

 mud on such distinguished persons as General P. n. Sheri- 

 dan and Colonel Schuyler Crosby. Happily these gentle- 

 men need no defenders, and the vituperation which is hurled 

 at tnem will do them no harm, and cannot fail to injure 

 those from whom it proceeds. The loose talk about the ex- 

 istence of a military ring comes with a peculiarly poor 

 grace from one who is so deeply involved in the Yellow- 

 stone Park Improvement Company ring; it is unsupported by 

 a particle of proof, and is on its face ridiculous. 



This company professes a desire to improve the Park and 

 to have the teuderest care for the game. This is probably 

 the reason why they have contracted for 20,000 pounds of 

 wild meat to be used in feeding their employes. A cor- 

 respondent of the Bozemaii Courkr, writing from the Mam- 

 moth Hot Springs in the Park, January 7, says: 



assure our readers that he shall have the strongest assistance 

 and encouragement that the Forest and Stream can give 

 him. 



The tenor of certain press despatches would seem to indi- 

 cate that Secretary Teller has ranged himself on the side of 

 the monopolists and is inclined to further their project, As 

 we. showed last week, however, these despatches are not 

 always to be trusted, since too many correspondents aro 

 known to have yielded to the fascinations of the lobby em- 

 ployed by the "Improvement Company." We should sin- 

 cerely regret to learn that Secretary Teller's name is counted 

 among those who favor this monopoly. He has kept him- 

 self clear of it up to this time, and we trust that his name 

 may never be connected with so palpable a job, 



This subject is one of so much interest to every indi- 

 vidual citizen of this country, and to all foreigners who 

 visit our shores, that we devote this week considerable 

 space to showing the drift of public opinion with regard to 

 it. 



THE SENATE SUB-COMMITTEE REPORT. 



The appended extract from the r.eport of the Senate Sub- 

 Committee is so sensible and wise that we trust that the 

 bill recommended by it may be adopted by Congress with- 

 out delay. With relation to the proposed lease the report 

 says: 



"The Park Iiuprovemen' I 

 this place getting out lumber for 

 next spring, and I am credibly infOi 

 tendent of the National Park Imprc 



have a sawmill in operation at 

 ;3Q-rootu hotel to be built here 

 led that Mr. E. Haupt, Superin- 

 ement Company, has let a con- 

 ract for 20,000 pounds Of venison at five cents per pound to supply 

 lis men. He has some 80 or 100 men at work, and is going to feed 

 them on elk deer, mountain sheep, and bisou, killed In the Park, as 

 t is cheaper than beef. It is a 'Park Improvement Company' that 

 s doing this, and I suppose they consider if an improvement to rid 

 the Park as far as possible of game." 



What better commentary than this could there be on the 

 purposes and intentions of this greedy hand of speculators? 

 How do these fads agree with their pretentions? It is now 

 more than ever apparent that they are dishonest in all their 

 protestations, and that all that they have said about their 

 patriotism and their love for the people and people's interest 

 is a mere tissue of misrepresentations, by means of which 

 they have hoped to hoodwink the people, and above all, the 

 representatives of the people. If these representatives were 

 till so honest and so fearless as Senator George G. Vest, of 

 Missouri, we should not fear that this gigantic steal would 

 i consummated. We have every confidence that the 

 Senator from Missouri will keep up the fight, and we can 



It is evident from this contract and proposed lease that a monop- 

 oly or exclusive privilege to erect hotels and run stages and to con- 

 struct and operate telegraph lines within the Park is created for the 

 term of ten years, the parties having this monopoly to pay a nom- 

 inal rent not exceeding $2 per acre for 4,400 acres of the Park, on 

 which are situated the objects of curiosity and Interest most attrac- 

 tive to visitors. By the terms of the act of dedication it is not en" 

 tirely clear that the Secretary of the Interior has the power to make 

 any contract in regard to stage or other means of transportation 

 within the Park such as is set forth iu the contract release. The 

 power is not here expressly conferred upon him by the act, and if 

 it exists at all can only come from the provision giving the Secretary 

 of the Interior exclusive control of the Park. By specifically naming 

 the matters of preserving the game, protecting the Park from spoli- 

 ation, and granting leases for budding hotels, it would seem to ex- 

 clude all other powers, including that as to transportation. But 

 without discussing this point further it seems evident to the com- 

 mittee, from the entire scope and terms of the act of March 1, 1873, 

 that Congress did not intend that the Secretary of the Interior 

 should, under the provision giving him "discretion to grant leases 

 for building purposes of small parcels of ground," place under the 

 exclusive control of private parties 4,400 acres of the Park, embrac- 

 ing all the objects and points of interest which make the Park valu- 

 able for the purpose to which it is dedicated. By the terms of the 

 lease no one, without permission from the lessees, could camp 

 one mile of the principal points of interest in the Park. The 

 geysers, the great falls, the waters of the Yellowstone Lake are all 

 placed mi der the control of the parties named as lessees. It is true 

 the lease provides that the lessees shall not prevent the public 

 i having free access to the curiosities, -wonders and points of in- 

 terest in the Park; but this provision would not extend further than to 

 permit the public to visit and inspect these curiosities and objects of 

 interest, while giving to the lessees the right to prohibit visitors from 

 camping or remaining upon their grounds. The virtual and real 

 effect of the contract and lease is to put the entire Park, containing 

 8,H0O square miles, under the control of the lessees for the term of 

 ten years at a nominal yearly rent of a few thousand dollars. The 

 geysers, great falls and Yellowstone Lake constitute the only attrac- 

 tions to visitors, and aside from these the Park is absolutely worth- 

 less as a place of resort to the public. When, therefore, private 

 parties are given the possession and control of tracts of land around 

 each of these objects of interest amounting to 040 acres in each tract, 

 it amounts to the possession and control of the entire Park. It is 

 difficult to understand why seven tracts of land, upon which are lo- 

 cated the geysers and other objects of interest and aggregating in 

 amount 4,400 acres, should he included in the lease for hotel pur- 

 poses, when the lessees only bind themselves in tho sixth article of 

 tho contract to erect within the limits of the Tark one hotel building, 

 with necessary out-houses and bath-houses. While it may be neces- 

 sary to make some provisions for the accommodation of visitors to- 

 the Park in the way of hotels and stores for the sale of 'goods and 

 supplies, the ground lease should uot exceed the amount necessary 

 for building sites and so much land as might be used for garden or 

 for the grazing of domestic animals required in the business of the 

 hotel; nor does it seem necessary or right that the exclusive privi- 

 lege of keeping hotels in the Park or furnishing transportation of 

 visitors and tourists should be given to any person, however worthy 

 or respectable. The principle is wrong to begin with, and cdious to 

 the country. It is urged in defense of this monopoly that it must be 

 created in order to induce persons of capital and enterprise to fur- 

 nish proper and sufficient accommodations to the public. The :k- 

 sumptiou is false and unfounded. If the public wish to visit the Park, 

 enterprising capital -ill en siou iii:-::-.!v,:i' Mir i'.aia a.'el i,e ready 

 to meet the demand. Experience shows that in this country not 

 ily will capital be found for any paying enterprise, but coinpeti- 

 m will soon bring about improvement in the nature of accommo- 

 .tions and cheapness in rates. Besides, the Secretary of the In- 

 rior will always, under the law, have exclusive control of tho Park, 

 and no building can be erected or remain within its limits, except 

 by his permission. This insures, under a faithful atteul ion to the 

 law and the interests of the public, the absence of all nuisances under 

 the gnise of hotels and of all extortions. The monopoly feature In 

 the contract and lease should be stricken out and no contract should 

 ited by the department which does not reserve the right to 

 permit the construction of other hotels within the Pork, if in the 

 judgment of the Secretary the interest of the public so requires. As 



