575 



tresspassers who formerly, iay-accident or design, despoiled the lands 

 of the State." Garmon went to fix them; he fixes them, and then they 

 complimented him. Now, the truth is that Garmon never at any time 

 saw or examined, the 26,000 acres offered for the State lands by Patton 

 for his, and the ridiculous part — we most always find a ridiculous side 

 if you look — the ridiculous part, and it is as telling as anything else, this 

 report says that Patton is giving to the State 26,000 acres, of landj 

 worth $46,629,34, and that he is only receiving from the State 13,000, 

 which are only worth $24,315.89, and the difference is $23,313.45. 

 Does any mortal man suppose that Henry Patton, or any man, would 

 make a trade and give away under these circumstances $23,000 to any- 

 body, particularly to t^e State of New York ? And I am told that 

 this ridiculous, and at the same time ex-parte circumstance in this 

 report, led the Comptroller — those in the Comptroller's office — to 

 look, and at a glance they saw it was a job, and this corruption broke 

 out, and. from that circumstance and that knowledge this investigation 

 has proceeded. 



Another subject, this commission has been allowed in its demands 

 for money to buy lands and increase the park or preserve. In their 

 reports for two or three years or more they have asked for money, and 

 last year there was an appropriation made of $25,000 to buy lands 

 with, at a price not exceeding one dollar and fifty cents per acre, and 

 applications were made to sell; produced here, and all sorts of trivialj 

 frivolous and flimsy excuses have been given here why the laws were 

 not executed and this money laid out judiciously as it should hto/ve 

 been, in lands. In and by itself, some of the excuses might have 

 ' appeared half way good, but in view of what has been said and will 

 be said in this case, it is pretty apparent, or will be, that there was a 

 willful neglect of duty; didn't mean or intend to obey the law. 



Another subject, the park. The subject of park was committed to 

 this commission through the Senate resolution following the Gover- 

 nor's message, and there was reported to the Legislature and pub- 

 lished the first day of January last, a report and a map and a bill. 

 We have all read it and considered it, and my impression about it is; 

 that it is a scheme and enabling act to aid speculators against the 

 State, and while it says practically it goes on with the strongest argu- 

 ments to show how no land can be acquired either by the exercise of 

 eminent domain or by purchase, so you must not exercise the right of 

 eminent domain because that might affect somebody, and you can't 

 buy because it is going to cost too much, beggar the State and bank- 

 rupt all the people. So they propose a sort of compromise, sort of 

 trade, and that is, that the State must allow the lands to be denuded, 



