New-York tribune., 1911-02-21
GOVERNOR DIX ADMITS
He SUGGESTED Joker"
Denies That Proposed Road to
Join McKeever and Utica
Would Benefit Him.
NOT AN ECONOMY" MOVE
Piece of Highway Would Cost
About $4,000 and Could Not
Be Connected with Great
Northern Route.
fRy Telegraph to The Tribun.

fRy Telegraph 10 The Tribune
Albany. Feb. 20-Governor Dix admit
ted frankly to-day that he was RESPONSE
BILE for that section Of Senator Emer-
sons special highway bill providing for
the building Of state highway which
would connect McKeever with the out
side world by way of Utica. Lumber
companies in which Governor Dix is
heavily interested have big mills at Nc
Keever The Governor said. though,
that the building of this highway would
not benefit him in any way and denied
that this provision of the bill is blind
or should be called Joker"
When he was asked to-day about this
provision for the building of a road sep
arated by seventy or eighty miles of
mountain and forest land from the line
of the Great Northern" route, for which
Emerson's bill provides an appropria-
ton. as told in to-days Tribune. the
Governor said:
There is no joker in that at all, nor
is there any necessity for secrecy IN
connection with it, / have no personal
interest in it. and there could be no per-
sonal advantage TO me in its construc-
ton. / believe that the people are en-
titled to it, and / believe that the CEN
trail portion of the state ought to be
considered.
Last year, when the construction ri
several east and west routes was pro-
vided for, there was a general under
standing that this year the northern
routes would receive attention. Senator
Emerson, whom ! have known for many
years, came to me before the session
began and told me that he wanted to IN
troduce a bill providing for the compile
ton of the route to Rouses Point
pointed out to him that as this road ran
through a section in which he and and
Lieutenant Governor Conway lived,
thought some objection might be raised
to il on that account by residents of the
central part of the state, who would not
be in position TO make use of it.
Natural Gateway TO Adrondacks."
Il then told him there was natural
gateway to the Adirondacks running up
from Oneida County to the village oi
McKeever Beyond McKeever there is
section of state road no% being built, but
1t will be unconnected with any part OF
the good roads system unless the inter
south in Oneida County, is built.
LAS it is now the roads are practically
impossible, and people from the central
part Of the state TO reach Fulton Chaln
have TO put their automobiles OH trains
and have them transported as far AS
McKeever before they can get TO road
over which they can run. told Senator
Emerson that it would be only fair to
have this section constructed, and that
if it we're added there could be no qucs-
tion of favor to any of us raised against
the bill. This was done openly, and Is
clear on the face of the bill, and there
is no reason to call 1t joker. 1t is
nothing of the sort"
The Governors explanation OF the
genesis OF this particular section OF the
Lill aroused much interest and some IN
credulity. Legislators who. from press
ure brought on them by their constitu-
ents, know what the building OF state
road means to locality cannot see no"
the Governor figures it would be or no
advantage TO him 10 have state road
built which would tap property owned
by his companies. They say that the
fact that the Governor while private
citizen wrote to ask if the building OF
this road could not be fastened showed
that once he was interested in II, if he
had ceased to be when he became Gov
ernor.
Northern Terminus at Old Forge.
There exists here considerable curl
osity as to how Governor Dix. pledged
TO economy" and u business admins
tratiou." could advocate the building OF
this road at this time. 1t is estimated.
roughly. that IT would cost $4,000. 1t
could not be connected with the Great
Northern route because state forest
lands intervene, and under constitu-
tional provisions the state is debarred
from timber cutting and doing the other
work necessary 10 build this road
through the forest preserve. It's north
ern terminus thus would be old Forge,
on the Fulton Chain Of lakes. and its
chief usr. as indicated by the Governors
cxplanation, by owners Of automobiles
going into the Adironda cks. aside from
usc bv business interests along the route
From Utica To- Old Forge the country
is largely mountain and forest land
snarsely settled and little cultivated, SO
the use of this road by farmers would
lac slight As the state in building the
northern route" proper would be con-
ctructing fine automobile boulevard
INTO the Adirondacks by way of Albany
C;lens Falls and Lake George, the build
ING of this spur north from Utica into
the western part Of the mountains is
considered by many here to be quite un-
necessary at this time Of financial
uriuccncy and urgent desire for econ
orv." The State Highway Commission
m LAYING out "A similar route did not con-
.ider its construction as at all urgent.
!, was scheduled by the commission for