Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-09-29
0DELL GIVES ANSWER
Governor Of New York State
Denies All Charges.
SAYS CUNNEEN HAS BEEN UNFAIR,
Statements False, Says OdeIl-GrOwth
In Expenditures of state, Taken
Item by Item, Can He Easily
Accounted For.

ing in answer to Attorney General
Cunneen's statement regarding the I'M
constitutional use of public funds:
Il have read Attorney General Gun
mems remarkable statement in the
press. Divested of its generalities it
makes the following charges: That
public funds have been diverted in an
unconstitutional manner to the beet
sugar industry of the state; that the
board of canal commissioners, CON
sisting of the lieutenant governor, the
comptroller, the state treasurer, the
secretary of state, the state engineer
and surveyor, the attorney general, all
elective officers, who act with the SUI
p~erintendent of public works, the only
officer appointed by the governor, had
made an award of $1S,G1S in excess
of that which he claimed to be proper;
that in the appointment of the board of
appraisers, provided for by legislation
of the last Legislature. had fixed the
salary contrary to statute. That he
claimed was an indication that the
Sf01, 100000 appropriated would not
be sufficient to pay the place holders.
because the salary of those employed
IN this and expert engineering WORK
now was $8,0S3.3 80 a month, although
no contract for the work has yet been
allowed.
THE attorney general began his
statement by disclaiming responsibility
for the authorship of that remarka-
BILE document known as the Demo
cratic state platform. OF this l am
glad. because | do not believe that he
has the slightest conception as TO ITS
truths, so far as it reflects upon my
personal or official e%ndeavors. If 9th
ers. however, who mask behind it Will
be equally as specific in their charges
as to my official conduct shall be as
ready and glad to meet them as | an
to meet the specific allegations of Mr..
! Cunneen. The statement of the ut
torney general as to the beet sugar in
dustry is ingenious in 50 far rs it
would create the impression that 1t
was the product of one of the leglsia-
| tures which had served with me dur
ing my four years of administration.
,.The contrary, however, is the ease.
| because this law was first enacted i'll
the year 1897 and amended in 1898, the
latter provision stating in explicit
| terms that it was the avowed purpose
| of the state to encourage for a term
| of not less than five years the cultlva-
| tion of sugar beets by the or
| the state and their manufacture into
| sugar. Both of these laws were signed
nv Governor Black. The approprla-
| tions during those two years, amount
ing to $4,000, were made for TINS puf-
pose. Surely Governor Blacks ability
os n LAWYER would have led him to dis
| approye of these measures II the mar
| row construction had been placed upon
if I'm those days as the present attorney
| general gave to it in 1903. President
| Roosevelt as governor continued these
appropriations during his administra-
\ ton. During the second year or my
administration | O objected to the bounty
which was paid to the sugar manufac-
tory as being excessive, and by the
Iaws OF 1903 the bounty was reduced
TO one-half cent per pound instead OF a
cent. MS heretofore, with the distinct
understanding, according to my recol-
lection. that this bounty should cease
with the appropriation of 1904.
HAS the attorney general been en-
tirely fair. however, i'll his treatment
of this matter? I do not recall that he
objected to the appropriations in aid
Il A.. .us.,rltV1pa1 SnniptU nf fhn StHtn
vet they fall under the same inhibition,
or that there was any objection upon
his part to the appropriation for the
Buffalo University For the Study of
Cancer, to the Albany Medical hospl-
tal. to the Alferd university, to encour-
age the pottery industry in western
New York and to the appropriations
made for the support of the juvenile
! society, a private organization, OF
which he is a member, and to other
s,milar appropriations that have been
made during his term of Office. Mel
ther Is there any objection, so far as |
know, OH his part to the appropriation
which has been growing steadily to
/ the agricultural department for the ex-
termination of the San Jose scale,
which is in the interest of the orchard
owners of the state and is as much In
the direction of the encouragement OF
agriculture as is the aid given to those
who cultivate the sugar beet.
"All of these items also go to show
that the growth of the expenditures OF
the state, taken up item by item, can
be easily accounted for. In reference
to the charge that $4,000 was diverted
from the public treasury by the unwise
action OF the canal board, | do not be
lieve that the attorney general means
to reflect in any way upon the integ'
rity and honesty of his associates up
on that board. The people of this state
should not be misled by statements
which lack substantial and specific di
rection. The charge that i am using
my official position for the benefit OF
NV Marty is as false as it is untrue.