The Washington herald., 1917-08-10

citizens in this important matter.
Many of the representatives of the
represent farming districts
and the farmers of certain fnsidious
methods have been persuaded that the
proposed legislation Is wholly in the
interest OF consumers Of food and
adverse to the interests of farmers.
The politicians who are In close as
sociatIon with the food spectators
have persuaded the farmers that their
interests are In danger. Gov. Whit
man must overcome the opposition IL
he Is to secure the legislation he wants
and II he does that he will reveal
fine qualities of leadership.
The legislature last winter adopted
measure whereby a market depart
ment for New York City was created
although the powers of its commits
sioner were known TO be in adequate.
The belief was commonly entertained
that Mayor Mitchell would appoint
George w. Perkins market commits
sioner. The department of markets
would bear the same relation to the
city government and to the people
that the other departments of New
York City administration do. A re-
port was in circulation and generally
believed that Mr.. Perkins would not
accept the appointment as commits
sioner of markets. That was believed
to explain the delay on the part of
Mayor Mitchell In making the ap-
pOintment. There were. however, a
few, including the mayor himself
and the governor. who knew that 1t
was not Mr.. Perkins refusal to ac-
cept the appointment that compelled
the mayor to delay making it, but
the fact that It had been discovered
that the charter Of the city OF New
York provided that no one should
hold a New York City ONCE who was
also an officer in any State or ma
tional service, not even though that
office might be purely honorary.
Nearly twenty years ago Mr.. Per-
kins contemplated the utilization of
the entire line of Palisades. about
twenty miles, on the west bank of
the Hudson River, and considerable
stretches of land reaching westward
to Tuxedo for the purposes OF a pub
lie park. No one than he had ever
suggested that this beautiful bit of
scenery, comparable as 1t Is with some
of the scenery on the Rhine. should
Dt SCI apart ny lilt VI Ne"
York and New Jersey and forever
held as a public park. Mr.. Perkins
undertook to secure individual sub
scriptions with which to begin the
work. He did obtain one very large
subscription from ]. P. Morgan and
with some difficulty obtained funds
enough to purchase the title to stone
quarries which were rapidly defacing
the Palisades.
Subsequently under his leadership
the States of New York and New Jer-
sey appropriated funds and esta abIish-
ed a joint commission OF which Mr..
Perkins was chosen as president. The
office carried no salary. The plans
for this park are very comprehensive
and when IL is completed 1t will be
the largest and in many respects the
most attractive park east of the great
governmental reservation in the Far
West. Some day the government may
take it over and make 1t one of the
great national parks. Within a short
time Mr.. Perkins has secured by State
appropriations and by private sub
scriptions 100000 more, all Of which
and more will be needed in order to
perfect this park.
Naturally Mr.. Perkins and his
friends were OF the opinion that he
should not resign his office as one of
the Palisade Park commissioners, even
though If he were to do that he would
be Immediately named by Mayor Nit
chel as commissioner OF markets in
New York City. The mayor and the
governor were both of opinion that
Mr.. Perkins was pre-eminently in
dicated as the man who should be
named commissioner of markets in
New York City. There was then only
one way to be adopted in view of the
fact that Mr.. Perkins informed Mayor
Mitchell that he would accept the post
of commissioner of markets IL he were
not Obliged to give up his official rela-
ton to the Palisades Park commission.
That course the governor has adopted,
reinforced by an appeal from Mayor
Mitchell Gov. Whitman has asked
the legislature so to amend the city
charter as to make it lawful to ap-
point to a New York City office
member of the Palisades Park COM
mission.
For two years Mr.. Perkins has
given fully and without any money
recompense substantially all of his
time to a study OF food conditions in
New York City and State. He has
been persuaded by this study that
only by strong legislative measures
executed by competent men can the
peril OF a great shortage of food
or Of prohibitive prices be averted.
He has had consultations with Mr..
Hoover at Washington and has found
that the government at Washington,
represented by Mr.. Hoover, and he
are I'm absolute accord.
But the SPECTATORS have persuaded
the farmers that Mr.. Perkins cares
nothing for them. being solely intent
upon meeting the interests of the con.
sum"-~ Yet no man has done more
for farmers in New York than
ms and no one better under
stand what the true relation be-
tween tho farmers and the consumers
should be. Last spring he bought one
hundred car loads OF seed potatoes
and turned the potatoes over to the
farmers at actual cost. In doing
this he performed very important
service. He bought in the Far West
many thousand head of sheep and
had them shipped to New York SO
that the farmers could buy them at
actual coast. He is as anxious that
the farmers be protected as that the
consumer shall not have to pay. by
reason of the action of food specu-
lators, exorbitant prices for food pro-
ducts.
Governor Whitman has now rec
commended to the legislature that 1t
amend the city charter so that a
member of the New York Palisades
Park commission can serve as a New
York city officer If that be done
Maror Mitchell will instantly appoint
Mr.. Perkins commissioner of markets
and If other legislation asked for by
Governor Whitman be adopted by the
legislature then the three food COM
who will be named by him
will have almost autrocratic power
whereby they can suppress food spec