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FRIDAY, FFyftRUARY if., 191«
GAS ATTACKS.
A favorite amusement of the Dem- •eratic press about this time of the year is to find fault with the Repub¬ lican Legislature, a sort of gas at¬ tack.
iDomocratic newspapers have been eloing it regularly, trtid this year the World opens tho ball with the an- aounccment that the present Legis¬ lature up to February 3 had enacted •nly two new laws, and says that oach of these laws cost the state 182,000. It arrives at these figures ky multiplying the number of days •lapsed since the opening of the ses¬ sion and February 3—32—by $2,000, wihich it estimates to be the daily •ost of the session, and arrives at the interesting total of ? 164,000. The fact that this total is $100,000 too large suggests the old time admonish- tion: "Never spoil a good slory with facts," and $82,000 in a critical head- iwe ia more attractive than $32,000.
Tbe accompanying etatement: •Tliey are the most expensive bills •Ter passed by any Legislature," dballenges comparison with the aec- mad law passed by the last Democrat¬ ic !L«egn»l«ture, Chapter 2 of the law* •f 1913, wliich created tho famous •ommittee of Inquiry of the late la¬ mented iSulzer /kdmlinistratioi^ ai*! which in the long run cost the atate, and incidentally the Democratic party, more than any other one law witihin the memory of the preaent generation. That was a really expen- rtve law.
The Legislature* of 1911 and 1913, both democratic in both houses, were notorious for haste, waste and ex¬ travagance, and the taxpayers of the state have not to this day entirely recovered from the effects of their activities.
The immediate cost to the taxpay¬ ers resulting from the enactment of Chapter 2 of the Laws of 1913 was $50,000, the amount appropriated for the committee. The impeachment of Governor Sulzer -which followed a few months later cost the taxpayers $350,000, and those are only two items of more than a score that had their beginning in the enactment of that one little law whieh was hastily passed' in the opening days of the session and received tho Governor's signature on January 21.
As a producer of results disas¬ trous to the orderly conduct of pub¬ lic businesa, the second bill passed by the last Democratic I^egislature would be hard to match. No Republi¬ can Legislature has anything like it for which to apologize.
Democratic attacks upon the Ijegis- lature merely serve to remind the people of the state that a Republi¬ can majority in the branch of the government that C9mee closest to the people is a valuable asset for good ^vernment '
POSTPONE HIGHWAY WORK.
Because of war eonditioiw, the tre- mendoim increase in co>st of materials and labor and the practical inrpossi- bility of getting many of the materi¬ als and efficient labor, all highway work not absolutely necessary to pre¬ serve the investments of the state will be deferred this year. This deci¬ sion has been arrivetl at after con¬ ferences between the chairmen of two financial committees of the I>egi«- lature and tbe Highway Department and over a million and a half has been cut out of the annual bill for Ihe maintenance of state and county highways. Since 191.") the average cost of resurfacing old pavement has I increased about eighty-one per cent., ! and the Highway Department holds : that the proper spirit of economy de¬ mands the very least possible amount I of these extensive repairs should he I performed this year. This curtail- ; ment sf highway work will relieve to ' a degree the shortage of fann labor in 37 counties of the state. In the course of a statement which accom¬ panied the introduction of the high¬ way appropriation hill. Senator Sage and Assemblyman Machold, the chair¬ men of the appropriations commit¬ tees, said:
"We were all in thorough accord as to the nece.ssities of the situation. Wo wish, however, to have it thor¬ oughly understood that the State Highway Department has done its full duty in submitting the bill neces¬ sary for thorough maintenance of the highway system.
"While the Department assents to our ideas and agrees with us that things may bo deferred now because of the war, we take full responsibil¬ ity for the amount of the appropria¬ tion and for any inconveniences which may be caused to the inhabitants of the state because we have not appro- j priated the full amount.
"We make this statement at this time in order that the members of the Legislature may be fully aware at the time this legislation is intro¬ duced in the fOrm in which it is, ex¬ actly what can be expected from the Highway Commission in the matter of reconstruction and re-surfacing of toads during the ensuing year."
In calling attention to the decreaae in crime in th^ state in 1918 as com¬ pared with 1916, Major George C. Chandler, superintendent of State Po¬ lice, points out that the decrease is entirely in the rural districts. Thia tends to bear out the claims made a year ago, that an eflicient rural con- sta/bulary would guarantee to the res¬ idents of country districts the same measures of police protection that ia IP^oyed by city dwellers.
ECONOMY BILL INTRODUCED.
That the cost of inspecting, ap¬ proving the title or any other ex¬ pense necessarily incurred in tho ac¬ quisition of lands for state park pur¬ poses, for which the state appropri¬ ated $2,500,000 last year, shall be paid for out of the money appropri¬ ated to acquire the land is provided for in a bill which has been introduc¬ ed by Assemblyman Adler. As the I law now stands the expenses incurred '¦ in the acquisition of these lands must I be paid for out of the general fund of the state and will have to be raised | by taxation. The Adler bill involves \ no increase in cost or increase in the I number of men employed, but makes i the necessary expense incurred in ac-; quiring the land a charge upon the \ funds already appropriated for that purpose instead of paying them out i of money to be raised by taxation.,
FOR NEGLECT OF DUn.
tieorge W. Perkin's theory that ev- i ery man should be compelled to vote | under severe pains and penalties for neglecting his duty is a good one, even if it is not original with him. He brings it forward in discussing the huge expenditures municipal election in New York, and he argues that most of the money spent in campaigns nowadays ia for the purpose of getting the voter to the polls, whereas, if he had to come out and vote, there would be no need for campaign funds.
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IMPORTANT WAR WORK.
New York State was the pioneer ivtate in taking *n inventory of its man power. It was the flmt state to take a military census and the classified records of that census have been drawn upon time and again by the Federal Government,
In response to calls from Federal departments it has furnished repeat¬ edly classified lists of skilled workers in various trades, and Governor Whit¬ man has in his files letters from sev¬ eral Federal departments thanking the state of New York for the aid given them by these lists classified to meet their requirements. '
Early in December the United
States Department of Lalwr wrote to
Governor Whitman asking for a list
I of names and addresses of men ex-
perienced in the five most essential
' trades auxiliary to ship-building, to
he taken from the state's military
j census.
j On December 20 a list of f)8,.392 i names and addresses transcribed di¬ rectly on franked envelopes of the : United Stale Department of Labor ; were forwarded to Wa.shington ready to be mailed to the men whose names i appeared on the list.
The N€^v York Herald wanted a list of enemy aliens in the state, and the State Defense Council promptly furnished the names and addresses of 100,000.
For the United States Army and the National Guard, the military cen sus records supplied i.he names and addresses of 15.3,000 men who certi fied desiring to enlist either in the Army or Guard.
In addition there have been numer ous requests from the Federal Secret Service and Department of Justice for special lists which the State De¬ fense Council cannot make public in figures.
The cost of furnishing these lists, which have to be transcribed fronv the permanent records of the census, is approximately $3 per 1,000.
Every trade and every line of com¬ mercial and industrial activity is reji- resented in the miilitary eensua use- ords which are a mine of information upon which the Federal Govemment has not hesitated to draw, and Feder¬ al authorities are studying the census with a view to having other states fol¬ low New York's lead.
STONEWALL OF 1918.
Uniom veterans who are encoun¬ tering all sorts of petty obstacles when they qualify for increased Th¬ ings of pension will receive some il¬ lumination on the subject after read¬ ing this line-up in the pension office:
"Deputy commissioner, Missouri; chief clerk, Virginia; assistant chief clerk. North Carolina; chief law di¬ vision. North Carolina; chief of cer¬ tificate division, Virginia; chief of civil war division, Missippi; chief of special examinations division, Mis¬ souri."
That is some wall for the old sol¬ dier to encounter. The commis.sioner of pensions is from Ohio, but claims rarely get that high in the pension office.
TRADE BOLSHEVEKIED.
Our export trade to Russia receiv¬ ed an awful jolt with the closing month of 1917. In December, 1916, we exported to Russia $40,000,000 worth of materials; for December 1917, $1,342,000 worth. It was in 1916 that SecreUry Redfield was blowing his horn and calling atten¬ tion to our great sales to Russia, which, he declared, were not due to the war. But no one heard a peep out of Mr. Redfield when he had looked over the record for Decaotber, 1917.
HOCUS'S OX.
Hoke Smith objects to having cot¬ ton "singled cMJt'" for price fixing un¬ less the gove'mment is going to fix also the price of all cotton products the last I ^"'^ ^^ ^^^ labor involved in raising cotton and manufacturing it. Sena¬ tor Smith is plainly developing the great idea of price-fixing—and it is too bad that he did not come upon it which price-jfixing was first under consideration. He was not heard then j pleading for the fixing of prices of steel products along with the price- fixing in 6te^, or for the fixing of 1 rices of labor in ateel milli and else¬ where in the steel business. Oh, no. But of course, cotton was not then under any threat.
Aasemblyman Fiegenbaum, Social¬ ist, says "the coming minority party is not the Democrats but the So¬ cialists." If the present policy of the Socialist group in the Assembly to obstruct* all war measures is a fair sample of Socialigt legislative performance Assemblyman Fiegen baum promiees to be a poor prophet.
FREE WATER-WAY LAND.
R»prinf«d fr&m liny Shore JmirtuiL
The Town Board of Hempstead bas authorleed Supervisor Hiram R. Smith to draw up a resolution, hav¬ ing as its purpose the offer to turn over to the Government any property needed for the Government as a right of way for the proposed inland water¬ way. Supervisor .Smith will draft the necessary resolution, which will he adopted when presented.
In brief, this means that the town is ready to do its share toward hasten¬ ing the comT)letion of the contemplat¬ ed inland waterway, which has been a subject of agitation for a number of years. The proposed waterway, as it affects the Soulh Side, over which tho town haa jurisdiction, includes the present existing channels, creeks, etc. As theft2 waterways have been dredged from time to time for local use, there will be little expense en tailed in digging throuL'h the waters of the South Shore.
This Town Board is pledged to fur¬ ther this work, nnd with visions of a renewal of shipping, one of the fea¬ tures of the South Side in the early days whon schooners were almost ex¬ clusively used by shipping merchants, this Town Hoard is fulfilling its duty to the manufacturers and merchants of the town. It has been pointed out by exponents of this vast improve¬ ment that the inland waterway will open a direct communication with the industries of the South and West, and will aid materially in making Long Island a great port of entry.
The state has appropriated its share of the money needed for this enterprise, and now the culmination of this promised improvement de¬ volves on the Government. The town of Hempstead is taking the lead in giving the Govemment a free rein on the South Side of Long Island, and in doing so it offers the right of way to waters that have been a source of constant study to Engineer Bird- sail Jackson, who has devoted his last five years to scientific supervi¬ sion of <lredging and buoying.
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CONG. HICKS PLAYS IMPORTANT PART IN NAVAL INVESTIGATION
Von Hindenburg's declaration that he will be in Paris in April sounds like a bluff, but it may turn out to be a prophesy. If he gets there he will be drawing prisoner's rations in an internment camp and speculating on the chance of a mis-directed bomb from a Zeppelin or Gotha getting him.
In Address Before Republican Clnh
Remarkable Efhciency of
Navy Demonstrated.
(Congressman Frederick C. Hicks, of Port Washington, Republican mem¬ ber of the House Naval Affairs Com¬ mittee, told members of the Republi¬ can Club of New York City at a lunch last week that the Navy De¬ partment was "functioning well and doing splendid work."
"I cannot speak for the War De¬ partment," said Mr. Hicks. "Senator Chamberlain is familiar with that branch of the nation's war machin- •ry, and he has made some serious criticism. I refer you to it. Rut I can speak for the Navy. The Navy is prepared. It is in splendid shape. The men under its supervision are perfectly equipped, boats are com¬ pletely oflicered and manned. The Navy's progress has been remarkable since we entered the war.
"I was a member of the House Navy Investiirating Committee, which for three weeks last month devoted con¬ siderable time to looking into every phase of the department's activities. We left nothing unturned. We sum¬ moned all the chief ofTicials and in¬ numerable minor ones.
"We found that the work of the department was speeding along, un¬ hampered by red tape. All the vari¬ ous bureaus are thoroughly co-ordi¬ nated and working in entire harmony.
"The Navy haa risen right up to this emergency. There are in for¬ eign waters at this moment a few capital ships and a large number of destroyers, the first of which reached
the other side on May 4 last. We haw sent abroad a fleet ot yachts and other small vesaels for patrol service, manned, armed and equipped by Um
AmericSn Navy. ^
"We have placed many hundreds of gunners on our own armed merciiant ships, supplying both the crews and the guns. We have equipped with guna a large number o^ merchant ships of our allies, and are ready to send to the battle fronts ordnance tnp>- nliea that will be of greatest use. Tn« Navy has manned and is now operat¬ ing a large number of ships turnM over by the Shipping Board.
"Fxpafwion of personnel afnce tha beginning of the war has been over 300 per cent., and in round numbers there are in the Navy service today 300,000 men Tbe training facilitiea have l>een increased from a capacity of fi,000 enlisted men a year ago to a present capacity of ll.S,000 men. The building programme of destroy¬ ers, submarine chasers and other .small vessels has been tremendously increased. The American people have no reason tf) feel anything but proud of what the "Navy has done."
Congressman Iiicks was one of the group of ("ongressmen who last year visited the theatre of war. Com¬ menting on what he saw among Per¬ shing's men in France, he said:
"I found the men happy and con¬ tented. Many were not housed as they should be, but they were not com¬ plaining. In many villages where tha men were stationed there was not ¦ enough lumber for building the vari¬ ous barracks and buildings needed. Hence, in some instances, the mea were badly overcrowded.
"But, as far aa food and general suppliea go, I thought conditions were excellent."
SETTLE INDIAN CLAIMS
High State Coart Disposes of Long Contested Case.
Owners of l^nd at the eastern end of Ixjng Island, whose holdings are valued at more than $1,000,000, will not be disturbed in their use of the property by claims of living descend¬ ants of the Montauk Indians. A decision to that effect was handed down last week by the Court of Ap¬ peals. Among interests affected is the Pennsylvania Railroad, which has title to extensive tracts at Montauk Point
Soon after the acquisition of the Long Island Railroad and the build¬ ing of the East River tunnels by the Pennsylvania, in 1906, representa¬ tives of persons claiming descent from the Montauk Itidiana began actions to recover land which they claimed belonged to them under the United
I States general land laws. They claim¬ ed that the same conditions regard¬ ing ownership of land should exist oa Ivong Island as in the Western States. When the case was heard 'before the .Supreme Court there was no law that could apply, but the court de¬ cided against the claimants on the grounds that they had never follow¬ ed a kind of life which designated them as Indians. The court decided that they were not entitled to con¬ siderations given to bona fide Indians. «
Celebrate Tentb Anniversary.
On the occasion of the tenth anni¬ versary of the institution of Freeport Chapter No 302, Royal Arch-Masons, which occurs February 20, special ar¬ rangements have been made for an entertainment to be given in tha Lodge rooms. The Grand Chapter oflficera of the state and delegations from the various other Long Island and Brooklyn chapters are expected to be present. There will be refreA- ments served.
fF
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Tffe COUNTRY GENTLEMAN
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iSSi
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Tbe Country Gentleman
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