RE-STOCKING ON HIGH MOUNTAINS. 221 



much sheltered, they are unable to withstand the 

 severity of the exposure when transplanted to their place 

 of destination. 



As to the expenses of the operations, it is well known 

 that they are very heavy, because most of the work has 

 to be done by manual labor and a return, if at all, will 

 come in very late and very slowly. Therefore it is no 

 wonder that private property situated upon high moun- 

 tains, after it has been stripped of the trees, is abandoned 

 by the owners and left to the care of the government. 

 Such property never should go into private hands, but 

 always ought to be retained by the government. The 

 latter have the means to undertake the expensive cul- 

 tures called for by an urgent politico-economical neces- 

 sity, and need not expect any other return from the 

 amelioration than that which results to the general wel- 

 fare of the people.* Besides, governments have always 

 thousands of strong hands at their disposal in the public 

 prisons. They cannot make better use of them, both 

 for the prisoners 7 own sake and that of the common- 

 wealth, than to employ them in this kind of work. 



The State of New York would undoubtedly derive a 

 great benefit by adopting some such measure, and going 

 on to replant the denuded woodlands in the Adirondacks, 

 whereby it would be self-evident that the State should 

 be the owner of the high mountain territory. At the same 

 time the State would solve in the most simple way the 

 grave question of competition of prison labor with free 

 labor. There was some time ago a report in the 

 newspapers about a visit paid by Governor Hill to the 

 Clinton State Prison which, as is known, lies in the 

 northwestern part of the Adirondacks, 1,700 feet above 

 sea-level. In this report it was stated : " that there 



* See the remarks on pages 34 and 25. 



