New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-22
TILE EORENT PRESERTE.

The project for establishing and maintaining
inviolate forever an extensive forest preserve
in the Adirondack region is slowly gaining
popular and official support. The history of
this undertaking is full of warnings against
hesitation and delay in dealing with great pub
! lie interests. The movement which is now
happily gaining Roadway has been retarded
! chiefly by a want of appreciation of the pur-
poses which it aimed TO accomplish il seemed
| impossible for many years to arouse the people
| of this state to a consciousness of the injustice
and injury to themselves and their descendants
! which they were tOlerating. They saw in the
continuous spoation Of the North Woods only
small and insignificant diminutlon of natural
resources which seemed to them bOundlcsS.
Not few were so blind as to see in the prog
ress of AK and saw and fire nothing worse than
the redemption Of a savage wilderness. Per-
haps this general misunderstanding was incvi-
table Americans have inherited passion for
! cutting down trees from those with whom the
first requirement of life was a " clearing" But
the persistency of this indifference and these
false views is dcplorablc, not only because it
has resulted in much positive and permanent
injury to the North Woods but also because
in consequence of it the cost of an adequate
preserve has been greatly increased.
But it is satisfaction to turn from the seri-
Gus mistakes of the past to more hopeful con-
ditions and prospects. The excellent bill pro-
posed by the Forest Commission and passed by
the Legislature this year has just been signed
by Governor Flower. 1t provides merely that
the State may consolidate its Adirondack hold
ings either by direct exchanges or by sale and
purchase. The State owns about 900, 900
acres in the Adrondacks. but nearly one-half
of its forest possessions consists of detached
tracts on the outskirts of the wilderness. If
many of these can he directly or indirectly ex-
changed on fair terms for tracts contiguous 10
the main body of State land an important adj
vantage will be gained. Ii is believed that
such transfers can be made under equitable
conditions, and Governor Flower even thinks
that the acreage of the preserve may he largely
increased in this way, since it is supposed that
some Of the states detached holdings will bring
higher prices than tracts of equal size which
it is desirable to acquire. We hope that ms
NAV prove to be the case but we fear that
tho Governor is rather too sanguinc Indeed.
tbore is danger that the State will he led INTO
bad bargains, if its agents are not exceedingly
cautions Ii is well known that individuals
have been quite willing for several years to sell
70 the State at evtravaGant prices the lands
which they have stripped bare, and 1t VIII be
strange if Jobs Of this sort are not stealthlly
pushed for all they are worth after the new
law goes into operation
II cannot be said that either this measure
for virtual exchanges of land or the meagre APP
preparation of $4,000 for new purchases III
the Adirondacl,s is very long stride forward
but they both indicate the existence of more
enlightened sentiment on the part OF people
and lawmakers than existed only short time
ago The increased facilities for reaching the
North Woods while for the most part their
Introduction has been achieved at the expense
of much which ought never to have been Sacr-
feed. have at least made thousands of citizens
familiar with their invaluable heritage ana
familiar also, with the carelesSneSs and cupid
ity which are despoling il. No intelligent
traveller can ride over the Chateaugay Rail
road. for example, without acquiring painful
and permanent conviction OF the shocking
ravace which it has caused. The fate which
has befaen that lovely region Will oycrtake
every UNPROTECTED acre in the Adirondacks IT
is satisfaction 80 know that private ownership
Is now cooperating with public supervision to
save a noble and priceless possession from 50
caIamitous a DOOM The future is not yet Sc
cure. but some essential promises have been
made and are being kept.