third reading, for Thursday, March 26th, immediately after reading the journal.

On the day named, when the canal bill was reached on the calendar, Assemblyman Palmer spoke in favor of his amendments; and after a discussion by other members of Assembly, including Assemblyman Charles F. Bostwick, of New York, the introducer of the measure, Assemblyman Robert Lynn Cox of Erie, James T. Rogers of Broome, and others, all of the Palmer amendments were voted down, as were also all other amendments to the measure that had been proposed. The oposition, however, of Assemblymen Palmer, Moran and Pallace was continued down to the final vote on the measure.

Several Republican members who had offered amendments to the bill withdrew them during the discussion, and before the final vote Assemblyman Palmer reintroduced the same amendments and insisted on a roll call on each amendment so reintroduced by him. The roll calls occupied two hours of the time of the Assembly and all of his amendments were voted down.

Assemblyman Rogers, the leader of the Assembly, in withdrawing his amendment, stated that he considered that the canal advocates were entitled to have the referendum measure submitted to the people in the form in which they had framed it, and advised all Republicans to vote down the various amendments that had been proposed. Other assemblymen took a similar position; and after a discussion running through the entire day, far into the evening, the bill passed the Assembly by 87 affirmative votes to 55 votes against it.

The bill had been reached at 11.30 o'clock in the morning. Thirty-six amendments were offered to it altogether in the Assembly and most of them were debated until 6 p. m., when voting began on the amendments and continued for two hours.

Assemblyman Cox made a strong speech on the bill, as did Assemblymen Charles W. Hinson and Anthony F. Burke, all of Erie county. The burden of the debate, however, fell upon Assemblyman Charles F. Bostwick of New

York, the introducer of the measure, who had given the bill much study during the legislative session.

At the conclusion of the vote in the Assembly, George H. Raymond of the Merchants' Exchange of Buffalo, remarked: "Today has witnessed the culmination of eight years of labor on the part of the business interests of the State to secure for all time to our people the enjoyment of a free waterway between the Great Lakes and the sea. . . We are now to undertake the greatest public work ever proposed in this country and the results will be beyond the wildest dreams of its friends."

On April 7th, at 11.35 a. m., Governor Odell gave his official approval to the canal referendum measure in the presence of Senator George A. Davis and myself, and Messrs. G. K. Clark, Jr., John D. Trenor of the Greater New York Canal Association, and S. C. Mead, secretary of the Merchants' Association of New York; and it became chapter 147 of the laws of 1903 of New York.

In this connection, in justice to the Merchants' Association of New York, it may be said that that organization, comprising such well known canal advocates as Clarence Whitman, Gustav H. Schwab, James C. Eames, William A. Marble, George L. Duvall, George F. Crane, William F. King, J. Hampden Dougherty, Thos. H. Downing, George Frederick Victor, Herbert L. Satterlee, Henry R. Towne, Frank B. Squier, John G. Carlisle, S. C. Mead, and others, had rendered important service to the canal campaign as early as 1898, in defeating the Pavey resolution. It continued thereafter to coöperate with other organizations in various parts of the State in the dissemination of pro-canal literature, and was one of the leading organizations that had a part in the Canal Enlargement Association of Greater New York. It was eminently proper that its distinguished and courteous secretary was invited to be present by Governor Odell on the occasion of the approval of the referendum measure.

XXVI. THE CANAL CAMPAIGN OF 1903.

As soon as it was known that the canal referendum bill had passed the Senate and Assembly and received the approval of Governor Odell, amendments were made to the proposed constitutional amendments as to the time of their submission to the people to be voted upon; and to avoid the complications of a presidential election in 1904, they were amended so as to be submitted to the voters at the general election in the fall of 1905, and passed the Legislature in that form.

The opponents of the canal measure in the Legislature were reluctant to submit to the majority vote of the two chambers and permit the canal referendum bill to go to the people without a protest on their part. Accordingly they organized and decided to issue a declaration against the canal referendum bill, setting forth their objections to the approval of that measure by the people of the State, apparently oblivious of the fact that the matter, under the Constitution, was then merely a referendum for popular approval or disapproval. Labor organizations all over the State, realizing the industrial development to follow cheap transportation over the improved waterways, declared in favor of the measure and did much to counteract the anticanal sentiment in the interior counties of the State. These organizations were assisted later in the campaign by Mr. Warren C. Browne.

On May 9, 1903, the Merchants' Exchange of Buffalo gave a dinner to General Francis V. Greene, Thomas W. Symons, John N. Scatcherd and Edward A. Bond, members of the commission that recommended the barge canal improvement, and to the legislators of Erie county who had borne the burden of the fight in carrying the bill through the Legislature. The banquet was attended by a large number of prominent Buffalonians and distinguished citi

zens.

Herbert P. Bissell, whose father, Amos A. Bissell of Oneida county, was for years identified with canal transpor

tation and operated a large fleet of canal boats, and who himself had served on important canal committees, acted as toastmaster. There were present such well-known men as Leonard Dodge, president of the Merchants' Exchange; John G. Wickser, George Clinton, Edward R. O'Malley, Edward H. Butler, Senators George A. Davis and Henry W. Hill; E. A. Bailey, J. A. Hawkins, Theodore S. Fassett, Ottomar Reinecke, Robert Lynn Cox, who had borne a conspicuous part in the debates of the Assembly; Charles W. Hinson, Charles V. Lynch, ex-Senator John Laughlin, Assemblyman John A. Bradley, William J. Conners, J. Howard Mason, W. Caryl Ely, George H. Raymond, Norman E. Mack, Charles F. Kingsley, Col. C. A. Bingham, Hugh Kennedy, W. C. Harrower, and many others.

Mr. Leonard Dodge, president of the Merchants' Exchange, in his opening address, said:

"Gentlemen and Friends of Canal Enlargement-We are assembled this evening to commemorate the glorious achievement in securing legislation authorizing the adequate improvement of the waterways of the State of New York, which, when ratified by the people of the State at the coming election, will become effective. To the chief executive and press of the senate and assembly, who steadfastly supported this legislation, we extend our heartiest thanks and rejoice with them upon the attainment of the victory in giving to the people of this State the opportunity of exercising their sentiment on so vital a project. It is exceedingly appropriate, too, that the celebration of this event should take place within our city. On October 26, 1825, upon the completion of the original Erie canal, a representative gathering of citizens of this city escorted De Witt Clinton and other invited guests through our public thoroughfares to a beautiful packet built of Lake Erie red cedar, known as the Seneca Chief, lying in the Erie canal at Commercial street, where De Witt Clinton and other invited guests, together with the representatives of Buffalo, boarded the Seneca Chief and departed upon their glorious passage through the State of New York, carrying a barrel of water from Lake Erie to be emptied into the waters of New York Bay, thereby wedding the Atlantic ocean with the great inland lakes. The Erie canal and waterways connecting therewith, have in past years created a chain of cities and towns of wealth and oppulence not to be found in any other State of the Union. The maintenance of these waterways has given to the State of New York advantages of

transportation unsurpassed in any other State and gave to it the title the Empire State..

"The opposition to canal improvement, I believe, is due in a large measure to a lack of knowledge of the subject. If our friends who have labored so zealously in the past continue to exert every effort during the coming months, an overwhelming majority will be found in favor of enlarging our canals, which is simply an expression for the continuance of the supremacy of this State in commerce, manufacture and agriculture. To you, gentlemen, who are members of our Legislature and occupying offices of authority, I beg to express again our heartiest appreciation and esteem for the noble manner in which we receive your support and coöperation."

General Francis V. Greene spoke as follows:

"Those who believe in the commercial supremacy of the State of New York and desire to see it continued, may well congratulate themselves that after so many years of earnest and determined effort and in the face of so many difficulties, the opportunity is now offered to the voters of the State to decide whether an adequate waterway shall be maintained across the State from the lakes to the ocean. . . . There is every reason to believe that the people will vote in favor of the proposition now to be submitted to them, providing it is properly presented for their consideration. On the other hand it will be vigorously opposed in certain quarters, and to counteract this an active campaign in its favor must be carried on. . . . The estimated cost of the project as determined by the engineers' committee, of which I had the honor to be chairman in 1899, was sixtytwo millions of dollars. Certain changes were made in the plans by the State Engineer and the Advisory Board of 1900, by which the dimensions of the canal were increased and the Oswego canal with 12 feet of depth was included in the estimate, and the total cost brought up to eighty-two millions. The increase in the cost of labor and materials during the last two years led to a revision of the engineer's estimates during the past winter, by which they were increased more than ten millions for labor and materials and to provide for unforeseen contingencies, and by more than nine millions additional for the 12-foot depth on the Champlain canal, and for certain improvements at the Hudson river terminus, thus bringing the total cost up to one hundred and one millions, raised by the issue of bonds in a bill which will come before the people for their decision in November next.

"It only needs cheap transportation to build up within our borders the greatest highway of trade between the Western States and Eu