- July 21, 1925 – JSA to the Lake George Mirror –
Dear Sirs:
No one familiar with the facts could support your allegations and innuendo against the Loines family, which have appeared in recent issues of your paper.
The real opposition to the Tongue Mountain Road was found to be from a neighboring town where political dictatorship reigned for many years. It is now understood that the creation of the Lake George Park made it possible to add the Tongue Mountain road to the highway map, and all thinking people, including the Loines family, supporting the movement, knew very well from the beginning that we could not have a park without the Tongue Mountain Road; and it is now evident to all that we would not have had the road for many years had it not been for the park and the excellent work of two supervisors and several other people including the Loines family.
The spirit of Lake George should always include justice to the private property owner as well as justice to the public at large; and there is still room for everybody to be happy if a proper zoning system is worked out and lived up to. Your paper should certainly make known to the public the unusual generosity of the Loines family. Among several very unselfish acts of theirs was the gift to the State of two important pieces of land for public park purposes., and sometime ago they agreed to give all the necessary land for the Tongue Mt. road through their estate, although the damage would be extensive; destroying as it does, farm land, vegetable garden, tennis courts and several structures belonging to them. We have many generous people at Lake George, but no one could have been more generous than they. The Town Park at Bolton Landing recently received playground equipment for children given by Mrs. Loines at a cost of several hundred dollars.
If we are not willing at Lake George to recognize and encourage such thoughtfulness and generosity we should at least be fair in our criticism and willing to correct wrong impressions caused by our own acts.
I might add that this letter is being dictated off-hand without the knowledge or solicitation of anyone, and I will not ask that it be published, feeling confident your paper will do whatever is right under the circumstances.
Very truly yours,
JSApperson