I have just returned from a trip to New York where I succeeded in getting the endorsement of the New York Merchants Association for the establishment of national parks in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. You no doubt have seen from the papers the endorsements we have been getting from other cities, notibly Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah, Jacksonville, Tampa, Chattanooga, Chicago and numbers of other towns and cities throughout the country.

I stopped over in Washington on my way back and had a conference with Mr. Daniels, Senators Overman and Simmons, Mr. Gudger¹ and the Forester. I suggested that we have a conference in Washington the latter part of April or the first of May and that I thought the six governors on our board could be induced to attend. They all thought the idea was good and Mr. Gudger agreed to see the senators and representatives from the six Southern Appalachian States and see if a meeting could be arranged. I suggested that it would be nice for the Senators and representatives from these states to give a dinner in honor of these governors and that at this meeting we could decide on a definite policy to pursue with regard to getting our proposition before Congress.

Senator Newlands has introduced a bill primarily for the purpose of conserving the water sheds of the Mississippi Valley section, in which he proposes to set aside $10,000,000.00 to be used by the National Forest Commission, $5,000,000.00 of this to be used for additional purchases in the Appalachian Mountains. The Forest people seem to think that we could get an amendment to the Newlands bill. Senators Simmons and Overman do not think we will be able to get favorable action at the present session, but think it would be well to have this meeting in order to show our strength; that if we can line up six states solid for this movement it will virtually mean the whole of the Southern States back of it. I think this is true and it would put us in position of getting what we want when the time comes.

With best wishes, I am,