New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-09
,,..,,n. ., the Gas Consumers.

cecond Ward was called 10 tue Cnair anu
n Stuart, editor Of the Ne~- Yorker appo'n'eu
Secretary. oh.
On taking the Chair, Mr.. Mercer stated the oo,
,.oe ,hs meeting 70 be 10 give an expression OF
disnpprova of the Gas Contract adopted oy tue
late Common Council and vetoed by Mayor " ooo'
hull c.;..o.
Mr. ENocg f. CAMP thought a Committee
should be appointed on Resolutions expressive oil
che sense of the meeting, and sustaining tine veto
Of the late Mayor
Tho chair announced that series would be
Drosen,ed and certain speakers address the
meeting whereupon the Secretary, Mr.. Stuart
read the following resolutions which were ire
<rsn,lv applauded while he was perusing them
HAcyoos The Common Council Of our City have Iaiely
.emptea 10 bind the City and citizens OF New OH IA
CONTRACT W IN the New-y0rk Gas Company upon terms
more severe and unjust than ose Of the existing cohsc
~ wl,cb great majority of our citizens have long and
Sainly complained and whereas, his Honor Caleo o.
$50 NJ, tis Veto based not only upon the mpohcy and
inexpedency of the Ciys entering INTO sucn ~
asopOn The ground-cearly defined by opinion ron lne
BENCH oitbe Supreme COurthat the lighting OF the CITY
a. public duty the Corporation having no power VI c i,Su
10 eps ate or 10 the exclusion 81 any laufe
neon nance or law deemed necessary for the puplc
yssr C9a,set by Caleb s. Woodruff believing ms action
In The mater justified by reason acts and p9pc QPnon
p<.od T6st we concur with Mr. Woodruff In his view,
Iassd ON lie opinion Of Chief Justice Nelson that the pub
lie duties Of The Corporstionunke pubic properyan
not be leg ssted contracted to the exclusion OF Iuure
legislator irrespective Of future public necessiues ana
Re,sed That the Gas Committee Of the Common Coun
ell after hodng the petition OF 1900 Gas Consumers pray
log for Gas Reform, nine months In their hands dd 10 pre-
sentine Report which, ON All lls pages Is only iaoofeo
specous AID unfair argument fav0rng tie Gas Company
treat petitioners and The pubic with cOnumey ana
Ees,S That the CITY and citizens of NewYork are, by
every reason night entitled to Gas OF as good quality
.rla pras as IL
citizens ibis Union, east that the Report OF me Com
mon Councils Gas COMMITTEES admits the cheaper average
Nighttime Of Philadelphia aud Pittsburgh and that no future
copIscr rhon be entered until II demonstrated that
New-York either cannot have gas light cheap and
good rs enjoyed by her sister cities.
RsssIr(d That The existing and the vetoed contract,
sSes against The Gas Company's monopoly of
The streets their mains and that the Ciy-esPeciay
asst Is DsOeny assumed by friends OF the Gas Contract
bst n,s consumes need not use the gasf they dislike
s prce-s bound in Justice its citizens however good,
and Whatever bargains makes for ITSELF 10 remove all
obstruction competition ia supplying private consumers
Resoc 3D. That view of the discoveries made, and
being in this country end IN Europe OF cheaper and
better processes for lighting buildings and cities the Cor
poIa.0n should make contract preventing the use OF
fUeh discoveries the moment they offer substantial beneht
and and 10 secure the present Gas Com
peny or companies from the of their machinery the
Of the adoption of any improved light the Corpora
such machinery fair valuation In the event OF adopting
mears Of lighting the city.
Resolred That in attempting revive the vetoed
tract in form passed by the Common Council, the
Corpo' on will Outrage public interest," and opinion and
fbat the fends OF Gas Reform Will unite in resisting all
Rs,oircd That this neeliag, ndorsng the veto of the
Eighteen Years Contract, oeyse and fitting
Testimonial Individual subscription to the same TO be linn
lied 10 aos TO be 70 Caleb s. M Mas as
York Of his firm defense Of their interests and rights ana
that Committee be appointed by this meeting 10 carry s
resolution into erect
Mr.. Camp then arose to make a suggestion
based upon experiments: He was authorized to
state that gas is already invented better than
any other now in use, which was free from most
/. - h.
drogen gas, free from all smell, free from smoke,
&c and hes been tested by Jacob Settle, Coleman
& stetsop, Howard of the Irving House, Thomas
s. Hambln, and others Itcould be manufactured
mt half the price of the contract lately vetoed.
He had no hope of the Board Of Aldermen, but
could make the matter perfectly comprehensive
10 the Assistants. The gas which he had refer
ence to composed of a matter which had been
considered refuse in all ages, and persons desi-
rous Of testing it had only to refer to his office, or
ut 22l Chrystie-st.
Mr.. r. ID. Price then announced that he had the
Hoor (although loud cries were made for q. Ed
WARDS LEsTER) and proceeded to compliment the
Mayor for his veto, and to complain of the bad
lighting of the street-lamps. He gave way ON
point OF order to
Mr.. Lester. who stated that he had not made
much preparation for speech, having been IN
yited 10 address the meeting but few hours
lie would much rather address his country cOus-
ms who were much more indulgent tnan the city
folks. who. if he failed in pleasing bis audience
would make him laughing stock by their Eve
.nd.twenty Reporters Although the audience
was not as large as it ought to be, he was assured
from the cOuntenances OF those present that they
could be relied upon in an emergency like this
Mayor Woodruff had proved himself to be true
man, aud his veto was in keeping with the state
of progress in the 10Th century. He cared not
whether Paine had been shot at or hit or that his
gas was made OF turpentine-lt was all the same
to him, so long as it was genuine discovery
From the discoveries announced by Foreign
Correspondent Of the Journal Of Commerce stock
in the Old Company would go still further below
par He did not wish to impugn the motives OF
any members ofthe late Common Council, and don't
know but what he might have followed their ex
ample in the same circumstances. lLaughter) he
was requested to read the article In the Journal
of Commerce, (which he highly complimentary
when be was interrupted by Mr.. Price.
The Chair announced that the Meeting must
and should not be disturbed.
Mr. Lester proceeded with his reference TO the
recent discoveries made In gas manufacturing.
He was not speaking for any one gas, he had
enough himself In honor OF science he had
right to speak in the year 1851 when science was
progressing with such great rapidity, and i'm
portant experiments being daily announced from
the laboratories Of scientific men. He felicitously
referred to the approbium heaped upon Fulton by
the business men of New. y Ork some years ago
when he first commenced the navigation of YES
sells by steam, as a sufficient vindication Of the
men Of science now experimenting. When Mr..
Greeley entered the room, he compimeHted him
M an Editor who never could be bought by any
municipal corporation. After Mr.. Lester had con
cluded, II Greeley took the stand and expainedthe
reason OF his late attendance 70 be the difficulty
of finding the place of meeting which he had
spent some time in searching for. In the face Of
the fact that the citizens were so unanimously
against this Contract an attempt was making to
reenact it by the new Council. He had inquired
into the passage of the vetoed contract of several
council men who could not be bought and learned
that the usual amount Of personal influence was
emnloNed many of the memhers NOT thinking of