New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-21
ADMIT THEIR INTEREST
WATER STORAGE HEARING
O,Nea and Merritt Tell Why They
Want amendment.
Try Telegraph to The TrIbune.I

-
constitutional amendment which permits flood
ing Of state forest preserves. at a joint hearing
This afternoon before the Senate and Assembly
judiciary committees, drew from Assemblyman
Merritt the information that he was financially
interested in the passage OF the amendment
They got Senator O'Neil, who introduced the
nlan I'm the Senate. to say that while he had
enough water power at present, the passage OK
the resolution would probably beneht MN
later
Some dozen speakers argued for the scheme
Most Of these were directly connected with lun-
her or power interests. and the passage OF the
resolution meant money in their pockets.
The hearing took up over four hours. The
,,arts were on the same lines as those ad-
vanced at the water storage conference he'"
bare under the direction of the Albany ChaInoei
90 Commerce last week. when John IT, asa
charged that the meeting was packed. W
,qar representing the Society for the F'o'e0
,ion Of the Adirondacks ridiculed the pui0S
o1oev of the proposed amendment Bu'' s''-
- .,rortod even that the amendment means
what It's introducer intends 1t TO meah' II aoO'
,shas Article :. Section Of the consttu''o''
-, .o,.,5as that state lands shall not DC
IA ,aasad or exchanged. This aInenule'.
ia ,,,nor inst the reverse of this sec'ion u
49,. oo,,s,i+,,tion provided that tho Leglsiatu,0
- .,o+ water should be used Tor PuOi'o
necessity" x.u,os ~ war IN
He said that there were two FORCES - -.
~ Adirordac5s; one which wanted 10 PIe'o' -
,bo forest another comprised OF a Limited nun
hor ~ private interests in and around inc ~
,,6ocks which was anxious 10 deNo'7 ~
etato.s property TO their private uses MI As'-
-, +,ort,on 70 the depredations of timber
thieves who he said were. with inc coii'iN 80
- nrbIfc officials. stealing vast amount u
Of
nominal fines.
"I ann not critcislng personally ne OK
rlalnod but I say the greatest good LOT 'he
greatest number must prevail
Hardly had he finished his speech wheh MI
Merritt nut him through a short cross-eSanl'i'"
/ ton. .A,-
..Iybo nays YOU TO come up here to hSht TINS
amendment? Are you the attorney for the So
o,a,, for the Protection OF tho AdirondacNs
asked MT. Merritt
II am not retained. sir, by any one MT Agar
( beatedly replied. II do not appear as the AT
! tornev for my association. I am it's vice-pres'-
dent. and I want It distinctly understoo" 'iu'
appear without a retainer OF any kind
II has been stated in the press that you have
said that money was being used TO get this reso-
lutlon through Is that true queried Mr.. Mer-
1T, "If It is. I would like you to Tepea' "''''
,.,,, have said to this committee ana De a. SPe-
cinc as you can about IT,
/ After a heated wransle over the name OF ''e
paners I'm which the statement was sald 20 Nd
/ bee, published, during which Mr.. Agar &c
c1ared that he was speaking the truth just as Il
no we're under oath. he finally denied that ne haa
made any such statement
Later on Mr.. Agar retaliated by supJeCu"S
Mr.. Merritt to few questions
Have YOU auy financial or personal interest III
I -, T. ---a,ol tapisIaflOn%' he asked.
az hare a financial interest in the passage OF
,,is hin have never denied it," replied MI
Merritt ,,,-
! Mr. Agar asked Senator o'Nen practically
i the same question.
"I have no direct financial interest II 'He 't,i
now" replied the Senator. but its passage wiz
indirectly benefit me I suppose. II haa
direct financial interest would noe Ggl a,bor 90
W H. Goodell, representing the Sh',ihoeI =.
! Co,1mcrce of Buffalo. presented resolutions thaL
/ we're unanimously adopted by the Ch9ntpeI %
! Commerce opposing tho proposed cohsutu'io''"'
| amendment -. =, tl
Il wish 10 explain to this committee" he said
...h,, no VOID destroy was put IN the ConStt-
tuition of this state in that section whlch reA Is.
! Nor shall the timber thereon be sold, removed
! ar destroyed 1t was put there Just 10 deiett
/ such a scheme as this one: 10 keep the state
! forests from being destroyed ny wafer storage
/ plans | suggested putting that word in and l
| did it fearing that some plan such as the one
| Mr. Merritt now proposes might come up
! Mr. Goodeu then told how the Beaver River
| dam built by the state. was being used by pr-
! waite interests for their own financial proht lie
soid certain interests there flooded lands to float
! their logs into the Black River, OF which the
! Reaver River is tributary when asked ~
| specifv these interests lie objected at first, but
/ finally named j. 7. Lewis. Water commissioner
! ON BLACK River. who admitted his use Of the
/ dam Later on Mr.. Lewis explained that in
! using the dam 10 flood lands he merely did what
/ he was forced to do on account or the great
| accumulation of water
| William Peckham, representing the residents
| atf no GInhor &c Vic
! orously IF we could only get them to come out
! i'm the open as Mr.. Lewis has just done" said
! he ~ think we would not have to discuss this
| question before this committee. The lumber
! trust is getting out of the Indian Lake dam
/ much Mr.. Lewis got out of the Beaver River
| dam and everybody else is getting nothing Our
! lumber trust is conducting our dam Mr..
/ Lewis Is conducting his. There is a man here
to-day who will speak for this proposition whose
daughter has sat riverside with gun over
her knees cunning for a lumber trust. The lun-
her trust Is the choicest curse since the plaques
of Egypt Every time that dam is put Up by
the state tho water goes up or down according
TO the wishes of the lumber company"
Others who spoke against tho amendment
We're w. II. Walker representing the Buffalo
Chamber of Commerce; Frank $. Gardiner. sec
retary Of the New York Board OF Trade: Charles
York Frederick Townsend, Of Albany. and f.
II. Hall Arthur Goodby and Clarence L. Par
ker. of New York
Mr. Merritt smoke briefly I'm favor Of his ueas-
u1e The pulp mills, no said, got only - per
cent of their raw material from the forests of
New York the rest coming from Canada He
thought that II his amendment were adopte3
damage by foods would be prevented He Gid
not deny that some personal interests would be
benefited. but said he thought that to be
expected
Senator O'Nen advanced similar arguments
He said that villages all through the state would
be built up and prosper He urged that all the
non-weelthy classes wanted It and that its
opponents were millionaires.
AA,r,-,rX-T epEcIu ATIMc mn 49,