- May 10, 1923 – JSA to Howard Melish
Dear Dr. Melish:
Your presence and brief talk at our public hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on the Lake George Park bills was a very real benefit to us, and my absence from the office has delayed this note to you. The Committee’s tactics in making us talk first and limiting our time and preventing several from speaking favorable to the bill, made it a very difficult situation for us, but we derived some benefit from the opposition over-talking their questionable claims and I was very much pleased with the net results, $75,000 for purchase of land on Tongue Mountain peninsula and islands adjacent thereto, a host of new friends interested in preserving the natural beauty of Lake George and making it more available to the public, including 12 state organizations and 3 national organizations, 5 large newspapers, a number of smaller ones, now for the first time conscious of the situation and a large number of influential people who express their sincere desire to continue this activity until we have protected the major part of our lake shore and watershed. In addition to this we have retained the most important of all and that is a big purpose so full of merit that it sells itself to any fair-minded person.
The State Association has agreed to formally include Lake George as a part of their state-wide park program and their next booklet on parks will include photographs, maps, and a brief description of what has been accomplished to date. In addition to this I hope that we may get together a number of people like yourself from time to time this summer to discuss more in detail specific things to be done and ways and means for doing them.
I know that you were put to considerable trouble in making the trip to Albany to help our cause and I sincerely hope that you will feel free to accept the enclosed as part payment of your expenses which I advised you we would only be too happy to take care of if you could arrange to help us out.
With many thanks for your assistance I remain Cordially yours,