The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-13

y
canal Improvement scheme.
lhe principal man IN the FurnaceVliie
Iron Company-in fact the whole thing-is
Edward II. Hartman. frequently spoken
of as 0dells financial hacker. When the
100000 canal Improvement work was
stopped In 1893 the Furnaceville Iron COM
pany put In claim against the State Tor
over 500 900. This claim was considered
by the Canal Board which went out OF once
on Dec. 81, 1902. In the claim was included
an item which would increase the payments
TO the Furnaceville Iron Company from
upon the price allowed for excavated ma
terial which the company claimed was
hard pan, but which the State engineers IN
charge OF the work at the time had returned
as earth. The company claimed that the
difference In the cost OF exeaya i NJ Iva, was
this SSi 600. But during Gov. Odell 9 second
term, which began on Jan. 1. 1908, this
claim was reopened before the new Canal
Board, which was elected with Gov. Odell
and which comprises elective State ON.
Gers and this board grantees ens Ms
Van Alstyne, although division engineer
In the State Engineers department, APP
peared before the Canal Board and 1t was
on his plea that the Furnaceville Iron Com
pany got the ss4 900. -
here to-day, is just as much Interested
In nominating Van Alstyne for State Engi-
neer as he is to retain Boyd as Superinten-
dent OF Public Works. I'M word, Governor
Chairman Odell, according to competent
Republican testimony here, is thinking
than he IL of the result in the State on Nov. 8.
Governor-C Chairman Odell controls not only
Boyd and Van Alstyne, but he controls
the canal board and the advisory board OF
expert engineers. This advisory board
has very little power. II is but name
Boyd, as Superintendent Of Public Works,
even now, in maintaining the present canal
has the appointment under Odell Of upward
OF 1, 100 employees, and under the Sl0i 900 900
scheme Boyd and Van Alstyne would have
the appointment, under Odell, either as
Governor or State chairman, Of thousands
upon thousands Of canal employees.
The board Of three appointed by Gov.
Odell in April last to appraise the value
OF lands taken for barge canal purposes
under the new law furnishes an indication
OF the class OF men which Gov. Odeu will
put on guard in carrying out the barge
canal improvement, and to aid him In his
canal machine as an addenda to the Repub-
lican State machine. The first is Harvey
j. Donaldson Of Ballston, Braokett's man,
who got his place because he aided Bracket
Worden of Saratoga Springs as State COM
mitteeman.
Worden is postmaster Of Saratoga. ap-
pointed by Mckinley and retained by
Roosevelt. The second member Is George
Bingham, William G. Warren's man Of
Chairman Odell deprived Of the place as
national committeeman for this State
after promising Warren the place for q
number of months But 0dell knows
that Warren wouldn't kick even II he fired
him physically out of window. Mr..
WaN To int 70 in
Buffalo which need protection at Albany.
The other member is j. Edgar Leaycraft,
who is spoken of as an upright man and
who was displaced as State Tax Com
missioner for William Halpin, who boasts
daily in NeT York * city syyd that he has free
Hall. Halpin has never been known ex-
oept az Tammany Hall Republican and
was made executive chairman Of the New
York county Republican committee by
Gov. odell.
Those three commissioners to appraise
the lands taken for the barge canal re-
oeive an income of $500 year from
the State Treasury and are to hold Office
until the work is completed. Bingham and
Donaldson under Odell control the board:
When aoysrnGha, i'm Noe 0de Yort oaneav
COMMITTEES In December last he displaced
George r. Manchester as secretary and
gave the place to Abe Gruber's man, who
has always been spoken OF as Tammany
Mathews and he is a Gruber type Of Re
publican. with all that that term implies.
Manchester had been interested In cement
contracts in New York city which resulted
in scandal. Governor Chairman Odell re-
Gently made Manchester secretary Of the
canal appraisal board at salary OF s., 900
On Nov. AZ last the barge canal people
conferred with Gov. Odell at the Executive
Chamber in Albany. The barge canal
Improvement people were insistent that the
time Gov. Odell promised them that the
preliminary work would be pushed and that
he hoped some of the bonds could be issued
by early summer this year. But not
bond had been issued or a contract let.
And yet the land appraisers have been
drawing their salaries ever since April.
bombarded Gov. Odell in Albany, wanting
to know why no bonds had been issued
and why no work had been done. They
were in a very lively mood. They pointed
out that the law said that all the ex-
by q bond issue and asked where the 500 900
already spent by the engineers had come
from, They learned that the State Comp
troller, in plain violation Of law, had Dor
rowed the money from the National Com
mercial Bank Of Albany, with the under
the bonds were issued. They learned also
that the State Comptroller had borrowed
this money, at the instance Of Governor
Chairman Odell for the purpose OF meeting
preliminary expenses and for the purpose
also OF postponing the issue Of bonds on
the eve Of State election. The barge
canal people and the Republican leaders
declare that GOVERNOR Chairman Odell was
engag ed in an attempt to hoodwink the
voters Of the State and to lull their antagon-
ism to the barge canal project until after
election day.
The Governor hairman's satellites say
here to-day that he has temporarily salts
fed the barge canal people OF his intentions,
and on the other hand he is telling the Re-
publican leaders from anti-oanal counties
that the thing is all to end in smoke after
election day. Yet all the same. the Gov
ernor-C Chairman is riveting his control
OF this canal machine, and his canal hench-
men nodded their heads mysteriously
to-day and whispered, Everything Is all
right for us and don't you forget Il. The
Governor is very handy man."