New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-09
TURN on THE LIGHT.

Some Of the things which the State Engineer
and Surveyor is saying about the canal i'm
movement lob are new and interesting, ana
some of them we have no doubt are true. Per
hans they all are. hut the only proof OF their
truth which the public possesses Is the say-so
of Mr. Adams which, while 1t may be sufficient
for his personal friends who know him lntl-
mately will not satisfy the rest OF the tax
nayers. as he himself must realize. Mr.. Adams
asserts that The contracts have been let with
scrrpulous care on terms extraordinarily ad-
vanta geous 10 the State. and that the work is
heing done in such q manner as TO produce eX-
celleut results and he thinks that there ought
m re no suspension Of contracts. AS TO the adj
Visibility OF an immediate appropriation OF
e. 600 900 10 continue the work which the
50 O0O. 900 voted by the people Will not pay FOR
he has no opinion 10 express. except that the
Legislature must determine that question. Per
hans his reserve is prudent. though his under
standing Of the situation appears TO be some
what defective inasmuch Governor Black
has virtually taken the matter out Of the hands
az the Legislature by declaring in his message
that the question Will have TO be submitted to
the people who sanctioned an expenditure OF
100000. but not Of S1G,o0OoOO
The Immediate warrant for saying that the
people Will not accept Mr.. Adams's unsupported
assurances IS found in his own words accom-
nanylng them During the canvass OF 1880,
no now saws "I was asked 10 write a letter
"saying that S9OOO.O00 would do the work, but
81 declined 10 do So did write letter stating
"nv belief as to what It would cost. but that
"letter was returned 10 me unpublished. and L
store IL I'D | said in that letter that the work
"would cost more than S3,OOO,Up. Inc letter
"yas not printed. because Il was believed by
"tbe supporters OF the canal enlargement scheme
"tbat It's publication might cause the defeat or
"the proposition" We venture 10 predict that
Mr. Adams Will wish before he is through with
the business that he had not made this state
ment For what does Il mean? 1t means that
he consented 70 let the people be deceived about
q great and costly undertaking. lest they should
forbid II If they knew the truth as Mr. Adams
knew H. He says that his truth-telllng letter
was returned 10 him unpublished and he tore
Il ND BY whom. then. was it suppressed? BY
Mr. Adams himself There nobody else who
could suppress it, for there was nobody from
whom Mr.. Adams under any official obi
cation 10 take orders The State Engineer and
Surveyor is the head OF his own department.
lie publishes what he plcaseS 10 publish on his
own authority and for the Withholding Of what
he plcases 10 withhold he is responsible. Re
sponsible 10 whom: TO Mr.. Aldridge for ex-
ample: Certainly not. but TO the people. whom
IN this instance he chose TO leave in ignorance
Of facts which hc himself possessed ana TO a
full knowledge OF which they were entitled be
fore voting
Mr. Adams is now permitting the people TO
understand not only that in his opinion the work
already under way is being well and econom-
ically done and will be worth all that II costs,
but also that an additional SUM Of 100000
will complete II. DR.. Adams will have nobody
but himself 10 blame II The people suspect that
this Is not his real opinion, that he Is consent
ing 10 have them fooled again and that he OK
poets the Job viii cost ten, fifteen or twenty
millions more before It Il finished. II IS abso
lutely certain In our Judgment, that they will
not be satisfied with mere assertions coming
from the office of the State Engineer and Sur
veyor, even though they are countersigned by
the Superintendent Of Public Works. They will