New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-13
New York. Feb. Il, 1907.

The Chamber of Commerce instrumental In
the enactment which led to the formation OF the
fabsSed 8boni the Sg3 The Object of that
was to preserve undminiShed the great forest pre-
interests get In there and get the benefit of the
fGnS pT S& fne wI meeting Of he conationa
Convention 1894 that If IT were left TO the Legs
latuTe TO pass from year 70 year enactnents on ne
subject It impossible for them TO resist the
pressure of private Interests especially when they
Legislature itself that the whole subject was
vention and after very long series Of debates, in
which All Interests were heard | think with en-
tire unanimity they adopted the constitutional
provision which is now sought to be completely
broken doWn by the concurrent resolution to which
broken down or interfered with. the preservation
OF this forest preserve and it not only passed
T6s but II was ioped by me people by very
emphatic vote. sut nothing will satisfy the greed
m fBe s iGt eKpeRse for their private enterprses
ton of this constitutional provision IN 1891 was
that an amendment something Ike this was pro-
posed in the Legislature by concurrent resolutions
and. having been passed ~ Two successive Legs,
its turn would have destroyed the integrity Of the
the people By a larger vote. ] think, than has ever
been given upon any single consutuuonai amend
That in 1896. From that time to this these
96ges BreseSve hdy the
the paper men. the wood pulp men, and especially
knows, the fall OF water from the Adirondack
lakes down the foothills varies from Os 10 COO
and 100 feet. and there Is a vast deal of water
power there that these people are very anxious to
| get hold Of TWO years there was River I'M
provemeut Commission formed, whose approval was
necessary for anything TO permit tie diminutlon
OF flow of water in the rivers. and without their
approval nothing could get before the Legislature
for action. / understand IT. There We're many
hearings before this commission and these private
interests, representing just as they do now this
amendment that is proposed, clanored very loudly
for the approval of that commission of a
mendat!on TO the Legislature to provide for the
erection Of DAMS the inevitable result OF which
would be TO food the Adirondack region, a large
part of II; and whatever creates permanent food
Ing there does necessarily to that extent destroy
/ the forests. They did not succeed in getting It
! through the river conmssi0n-I have forgotten
| the exact name of It; think It is the River I'm
their attacks immediately after IL had been prac-
calIy ascertained thar the proposed action Of the
/ river commission could not bs had because this
| constitutional provision absolutely in their
\ way; since then they have been beseeching the
Legislature with this result, that last year they
iature. which introduced at very late day In
! the session. and / think there that full
for discussion Of the subject that there
might have been and ought to have been. You
derstand the operation. the way, OF getting
stitutional amendments by concurrent resolution.
/ concurrent resolution of the houses. And al
| though 1 think present Governor has taken
very strong ground this very subject, he has @
voice or I'm the matter. Well, they got this
through last year as have said, and the effect Of
| II is practically, TO nulfy the constitutional pro-
vision. You heard me read the constitutional pro-
vision which was intended absolutely and did have
effect forbid interference with the forest
preserves. Now they want to insert these words:
That the forest preserve es now fixed BY law