The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22
Niagara Falls.

No public enterprise ever undertaken In
this State has been managed with better
Judgment and moro intelligent and con.
scientious regard for the public interest
than the Niagara Falls Reservation. The
Commission In charge Of that park has pur.
sueda consistent policy since it's creation in
1888, It's President, the Hon. ANDREW II.
GREEN. having fortunately been ono Of It's
members from the start, and every cent Of
the 80, 500, 900 expended by 1t has been put
TO good use.
or all the services rendered by these
Commissioners, the most valuable has con-
sisted In their courageous and persistent
resistance to the many schemes TO turn the
property to money-making and political
purposes. Unfortunately for the State and
for the world. the Legislature has not sec
onded their laudable efforts and needed
their protests, but has given It's sanction to
various projects to take water from the
Niagara River for private profit. Six large
companies have received legislative author
ity to draw water from the river in unlim-
tied quantities and without compensation
TO the State. Another company has been
allowed to draw water to the limit
of 100000 horse power, or about
six per cent. OF the entire volume, though
the State receives no compensation In re-
turn. Still another company, which had
been taking water wholly without authority
Of law, is now seeking to get such authority
from the Legislature. and to increase Its
draught to 200, 900 horse power. 1t is known
rs tho Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and
Manufacturing Company, and the bill in
Ia N.--- 49, lz.- .n--uA.l fu~-.Il. l..
the Judiciary Committee of the Assembly, in
spite of the vigorous and unanswerable OPP
petition Of the Reservation Commissioners
It's an outrage on the people Of the State
and an injury to its reputation as a civilized
community and to its material prosperity
that the wise and earnest efforts Of this Com
mission are thus treated by legislators at AL
bany. The Niagara Falls, naturally one of
the greatest attractions to visitors offered
by the State, was for many years brought
into bad repute as a place Of resort because
of the VIGOROUSLY impudent impositions
prsctised upon strangers by hack drivers
and Others. When this evil and the conse-
queHt disgrace were Temedied by the
creation of the Reservation, the num-
Der OF visitors increased greatly, so that
now they average more than half a
million annually, bringing large profit to
the railroads transporting them and great
profit to the State because of the money ex-
pended by them. The surroundings and
approaches to the falls lave been made
inviting, and every protection is now
afforded to strangers coming thither from
all parts Of the Union and the world yet it
IL proposed In the Legislature to kill the
goose that lays this golden egg, by drawing
on from the Niagara River the water that
makes the st%upendous cataract. This single
bill, reported favorably last week, will not
accomplish that shameful result alone, but
1t Will contribute to it and furnish a prcce-
dent for continuous schemes of the same sort,
which will be disastrous as a whole.
Another bill now before the Legislature,
and introduced by Senator ELLSWORTH, pro-
poses to abolish the honorable and faithful
Commission which stands in the way of
these predatory schemes. and to turn the
Reservation over to the Fish and Game Com
mission. This measure cannot be in the in
terest OF economy, for the Niagara Commits
sioners draw no salaries; and it cannot have
been devised to secure greater efficiency of
administration, for by general acknowledge
ment they have been distinguished for both
ability and efficiency. Has it been framed
to punish them for having been too faithful
In resisting money-making projects and
keeping out architectural monstrosities ?
This city paid one hall of the two and one
half millions the Niagara Falls Reservation
has cost, and our representatives in the
Legislature should see to it that the SPLEEN
did results obtained by the money are not
sacrificed TO impudent private greed.