601 



grounds upon which this commission was attacked, and yet no one 

 has said "nay" to the representations of those gentlemen with regard 

 to it, and every word of evidence that has been given upon the, stand 

 here has been in corroboration of the fact of the soft woods, which 

 Sargent says does not exceed five per cent of the entire forest in the 

 Adirondack region, may be cut out and the statements before the com- 

 mittee a few evenings ago were, that so far as the soft woods were con- 

 cerned they could be lumbered every fifteen years, and it was insisted by 

 very high authority that millions of dollars could be collected from that 

 source within a few years, if the State acquired title to the Adirondack 

 lands by an arrangement by which these soft woods could be taken 

 off and sold. That recommendation by this commission was one which 

 was attacked more sharply outside than anything else connected 

 with it, and at the outset of this investigation we heard scarcely any- 

 thing, except the fact that this commission were trying to take care of 

 the lumbermen. If they were trying to take care of the lumbermen, 

 they were trying to do it in as an intelligent a way ag th.ey would take 

 care of any citizen, and they were trying first of all to take care of the 

 interests of the State, which they did fairly and fully in that 

 connection. 



I will not go into the history of the park lines, because there has 

 not been a word of evidence to indicate that Commissioner Basselin 

 had the slightest interest in having them either here or there. JHis 

 motives have not been impugned in that respect, nor in any other 

 from the beginning to the end of this investigation there has not 

 been shown an unfair or corrupt motive on his part. More than that, 

 there has not been shown any reason why he should have swerved one 

 inch from his official duty with regard to his action as a member of 

 the forest commission and beyond that it has not been shown that he, 

 has swerved an inch from his duty. Still more than that it has been 

 shown affirmatively here that his duty and his whole duty, and in 

 some respects, as in the resolution in regard to the Bverton exchange, 

 more than his duty has been done toward the State, and at this hour 

 and with this evidence, the attack which was made upon him to-night 

 ought not in justice or fairness to haVe been made, nor ought the 

 imputation to have been made against the motives and against the 

 integrity of Warden Grarmon in view of the evidence which has come 

 before this committee. It was well enough when any rumor said this 

 or that or the other with regard to this commission to insist than an 

 inquiry should be had, and to make the accusation against them, but 

 it was not just; it was not right, it was not fair that those accusa- 

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