The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-03

The celebration Of the tercentenary Of
the discovery of the Hudson by HENRY
HUDSON and of the centenary OF the
first use Of steam by ROBERT FULTON in
navigating the river, that is to say, the
Joint celebration of the famous exploring
voyage of the Half Moon and of the
epoch making voyage of the Clermont
TO Albany, will be incomplete and dis
appointing unless the State cooperates
with the city of New York.
The city has appropriated $4,000, 900 for
a Hudson Memorial bridge across the
Spuyten Duyvil at Inwood; also it is
proposed to create a municipal park of
seventy-fve acres at Inwood Hill, from
whose wooded heights a spacious view
up and down the river may be had. To
the white man the progress of FULToN's
steamboat on its waters was as wonder
full as the intrusion of the quaint Half
Moon seemed TO the lurking savage. and
il is fitting that the discovery and the
invention which have signifed so much
10 geography and science should be
celebrated together, especially as the
tercentennial of HUDSoN's exploration
and the centennial of FULToN's triumph
occur so close together in point Of time.
The city, as becomes the chief bene-
fciary of the achievements of HUDSON
and FULTON, has decided of its own mi
tiative to perpetlate those achievements
and has planned memorials on an i'm
posing scale. The State has been asked
to do its share in a modest way by APP
propriating Sl25,OOO for a public park
at V~erplanck's Point in the town Of Cort-
land and county of Westchester, one of
the finest observation places in the Hud-
son Valley. The land dan be obtained
for a reasonable price, and as a site for
4 park it is also desirable for its Revo-
~lutionary memories. There stood Fort
Fayette; there WASHINGTON received
Count RoCHAMBEAU and the French aux
iliaries in 1882; and at V~erplanck's Point
was the Kings Ferry SO much used by
the patriot army in its operations against
the British.
In a strenuous session Representative
APGAR's bill providing for the appropria-
ton has not received the recognition it
deserved. At present it waits on the
favor of the Committee on Rules. No
reason can be assigned why the State
should not Join in the celebration and
acknowledge the debt of the Hudson
River valley above the city to the ex-
plorer and the inventor. The first pro-
posal submitted TO the Hudson-Fulton
Celebration Commission waS thnt N
worlds fair or an exposition similar TO
that at jamestown should be held in
New York, and if that plan had been
adopted the State would have been called
upon for 4 very generous appropriation.
1t gave 500, 900 for the Columbian cele-
bration at Chicago and 1858 900 for the
Pan-American exposition at Buffalo, and
in 1904 its contribution to the Louisiana
Purchase worlds fair at st. Louis was
1890, 900. But no such tax on the liber-
atty of the State has been thought of in
connection with the commemoration of
the discovery Of the Hudson and it's
conquest by steam, although they appeal
powerfully to local pride,
Can the State spare $l25, 900 for a
peoples park at historic Verplanck's
Point, a memorial to Hudson and Fulton
which would endure as long as the
nation2 1t seems a reflection upon the
pride and dignity Of the Commonwealth
to ask such a question. We are sure that
il the matter is properly presented to the
Legislature the Apgar bill will be advanced
and passed before adjournment. To
defer action uponit until next year would
be to cripple the Commission in its public
spirited endeavors to achieve a celebration
worthy Of the great occasion.