Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1839-05-02

members present out Of the seventeen nevertheless
the counsel opened the business of the day and pro-
ceeded to argue the cause. Some of those who were
present expressed their determination to yacate their
seats before voting with SO small number Ky
quarter past ii o'clock six nore members entered,
and Mr.. Lord, the counsel for the South Ferry i'm
mediately frightened up and spoke with increased
vigor and energy. The members of the Board seemed
to feel a curious lethargy upon this subject; they
had evidently made up their minds upon the matter,
and did not what the counsel might say for or
against the measure Nevertheless they sat and heard
the speeches merely to give show Of fairness and
honesty to their whole proceedings.
The main point Of the argument Of Mr.. Lord in ia
vor of the union that the rate of ferriage al
ready cheap. He said that the number Of persons
crossing great as to render it dangerous
ladies were iostled and crowded, and almost squeez
ed to DEATH And if Ike ferry made cheaper, 50
that passengers could 60 for two cents. the crowd
would be so great. and the number of boats running
would be SO numerous, that it wsuld be great risk
| Of life and limb to cross the East River at Full
| ton street. We have a boat now every three min
utes and should then have boat every half min
ute. The idea of cheap ferry was most preposter-
| Gus Every single consideration in the world was
| superior to making it cheap ferry. Ii it is put
down to two cents, il will destroy the South Ferry
and all the other ferries And if the corporation al
lows the South Ferry to go down, they will expose
their ferry franchise 10 forfeiture. Ii the corpora
ton desert the South Ferry for the sake Of benefit
ting the public. they will place themselves in very
destroy the Long Island Rail Road. 1t had been
said that to take the Falton Ferry and give it to the
South Ferry, was like taking the property Of pros
| porous erchant and giving it TO bankrupt one =
This was a faIacious comparison. 1t was proper to
take an Improbable public work and tack it on to
profitable one. This the case with all our canals
| and post roads. Ii was the case with the Custom
House. Ii was the with the whole system OF
public works they all administered in this way:
The profits Of one pays the losses OF the other And
the main object by means reduction oil tolls
The ferriage is already low enough across the East
River. No one has right to complain OF the price
1t ought not to be lower The person who complain
ed Of paying four cents ought not to have the privi-
ege Of crossing at all. You ought TO look to great
public purposes and not give all the benefit to the
public alone.
TThese were Mr. Lords precise words, but what
he meant by them we leave him to explain
Mr.. L. contnued-You ought not to benefit those
who think that every thing must come down to
cheaper that which they want to use. Cease to sus-
tain the South Ferry, and all the South Ferry lots
fall in price, and sink back to their original insight
foance to poor and sandy, and barren farms IL You
will not unite the ferries. keep up the price OF the
ferry until you have money enough to pay the cost,
and bud splendid bridge with it. The Fulton
Ferry people have made money enough They gave
| Sl20,OO0 for what only worth S5s,0OO. Of this
bonus of $4,000 they have paid $4,000 out OF the
profits of the ferry in q years, and now only owe
$4,000 Besides this they have received a double
dividend of per cent each time. Their ferry pro-
fits are still increasing; in Jasuary and February
1897 their receipts were & 500 i'm the same months
# iss se they r were $1,000 in the sane months OF
incre asing, but he could not say to what amount.
The Fulton Company expected to make no money
next year, because they were TO build new boat
they had now three boats, and il they run more,
they would run another down. The idea was
preposterous. The public wanted no more boats,
and no reduction Of rates. And no man, ne set Of
men, can ask to the ferry for less money than
they do, unless they deny that these ferries
be made the subject of property at all The ferries
| INST ha mil cd or he ne dISprlCeQ
Liberties and charters perilled, and the corporation
and people jeopardized in every way.
n.;r. Greenwood counsel for the Fulton Ferry, said
that this very plain case il the South Ferry was
not in existence and il should now be proposed 10
make ferry and tack il on 10 the Fulton Ferry,
the idea would be secuted as monstreus. The South
Ferry not needed at the point where il starts
, from New York. Put il at the Old Slip and make
the boats smaller and il will pay. But the projectors
too aristocratic, they want gcnteel ferry in
genteel neighborhool. at a high price with hand
SEINE boatse@and abeye all 20 cross the river from
contact with the canaille. They did not the
South Ferry with view to sustain ITSELF but solely
To improve their houses and lots They bst boats
like palaces, gave the highest price for every thing
and the highest rate Of wages TO draw of the men
belonging 70 the Fulton Company; they lowered the
rate two cents, and all this too, at time whom the
Fulton Ferry poor and had not very good boats
aud yet they could not get custom enough 10 pay
penses. why mott Because they were too reck-
less and extravagant And you can make peo-
pie travel in any given direction faster than their in
tcrest impels TO 90 that way. The South Ferry
spectators, II they must live on Long Island and
travel To town, ought to pay for it, The man who
goes into the country and buys his land and hosses
cheap because they at distance from the centre
Of business ought not to have the facilities for
cheap and quick travelling which those possess who
live in tse heart Of city, where rents and property
high. But suppose the South Ferry had pros per-
ed, who wosld have beneittedl The pubc7 Mo-
The speculators-the gambling stock jobbing spec
uators. IL was a desperate game they play ed when
they projected the South Ferry scheme, and well
they knew il. IL was an unhallowcd, gambling ope-
ration If successful, they were 10 make large
Of money; il otherwise, they knew many would be
almost ruined although those who pulled the wires
might escape. But there is another point TO consi-
der which knocks all the argument Of the South
Ferry vocates to the ground and shows that even
If united 10 the Fulton Ferry they cannot pay pro-
fit Neither that ary other ferry the East Ri
has a right 10 charge than two cents except
the Fulton Ferry, and for this reason; in 1913 the
legislature passed an act TO regulate the price Of
erriage for the East River and fixed at two cents
Afterwards, in 1914 they passed special act refer
| ring solely to the Fulton Ferry, aud allowing that
ferry and only that ferry to charge four cents This
10 benefit Fulton who leased the ferry and
courage him in putting steam ferry boat, in lieu
| ~ the horse boats then employed.
After this there was a great deal Of trash uttered
by both parties, and the Board Of Assistants went 10
| supper Then ensued a curious scene. Amidst the
eating and drinking there cursing and swearing
and begging praying Some Of the friends Of beth
Sides promising and ntreating any and every
extent long time elapsed before the Board could be