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~.~... . W', _ ~ T__~~ G(:~782 Well, enough of rhapsody. Let's return to the grim inquisition of the 1962 Senatorial tampaign. A familiar statement was, "That's not the point, Senator. Maybe some just plain people do enjoy the wilderness. Still, they're not the majority. Most of us want to drive through the woods and find plates 10 park our tampers. The greal outdoors is OK, but we like a liltle tOmforl, 100." "Well, fine," I would reply. "We're spending a fortune building forest highways, developing campgrounds, marinas, and olher retreational fadlities. By the time we are done, 90 pertent of our publit lands will be attessible to the majority who want to take their vatations on wheels. But what about the people who don't? Are we to leave nothing for them, no estape from the pavement, the trowds, the billboards, the costly resorts? This tountry is big enough to leave some of its land alone, as a santtuary for those who, from time to time, feel the need to get away from it all. Otherwise, we'll turn this country into a tage!" Still, in the aulumn of 1962, it was not possible to debate the wilderness issue solely on its merits. Too many people who depended on the publk domain for their live- lihood were afraid that the wilderness wntept, once im- bedded in the law, would spread and spread, until their jobs were threatened. They foretast a time when our resourte-based industries - limber, taltle and sheep grazing, mining, and water development for power and irrigation - would all be tonstrained by the expanding wilderness system. That was the rub whkh no amount of argument tould dispel. So, looking batk, it was hardly surprising that the user groups should have tombined against me on the wilderness issue. The night before the election, my thantes looked bleak. My father-in-law, the late Chase Clark, pated batk and 4