The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-03-08

cOnld tney not transact such business betterf Ihavt
already shown that IL the local governments are mo-
SO honest they ought to be- it is the fault Of tn.
constituency, and matter for them TO take care OF
II you are to attempt the regulation Of these local If
fairs you would have TO rely on local information
and that information limited and partial III WI
leave the matter with themselves they act upon the
information Of ALL In the fourth place. the bill before
you seeks to establish unjust distinction between
the city and the country. We want equal and exact
Justice To all Ii the law Is good for u.s. tits go,d 70,
yen also. Repeal the general railroad law, with
draw the power OF any twenty-five persons to take
property for their own use, and make them come r.
Albany for the grant Look at this bill-t does not
apply to railroad which runs through the city-it
must begin and end in the city This the language
(Which railway shall begin and end in such city.
The people OF Utica have nothing to say If twenty.
five private persons anywhere in the State choose to
organize themselves into railroad company, and
get the consent OF their municipal body to run the
cars, even by steam through their streets; but, il
any OF the citizens OF Utica having the interest of that
city at heart, desire to form better communication
from part of it to the other, and for that pur-
pose to lay down two iron rails, and place carriages
Of certain construction in the street, something
further than the power OF the corporation must be
obtained. You cannot, in Buffalo, authorize the lay
ing of rail from Lake Erie to the outer circle the
city, but ii persons choose 70 incorporate themselves
to line from Buffalo to Black Rock they run
through the whole city Is that just-s it reasona-
ble-is there any color for this discrimination?
submit there is not. And even if you strike that
provision from the bill there would still exist dis
elimination between the city and county which
ought not to exist. In the ooantry the railway can
pass along or across q highway. They can do
more; they can take away your land-can run their
line through your homesteads, through your gar
den, within foot of your door. Why give such a
power in the country, and take from the people Of
the city their power Of selsgovernment? Why pre-
vent the laying of railroad in the public streets,
for public purposes, to carry public carriages!
Why annul the power Of the city government to deal
M he pripa ao f
this bill s altogether wrong. 1t originates in par
tcular Occasiont is legslating for special cases,
which, of all kinds OF legislation, is the worst. 1t is
brought forward for insufficient cause-proceeds
upon wrong grounds-reverses the whole policy of
the government, and is utterly useless, tending to
continue the worst evils which exist, by Offering
from without that relief which can only be perma
Dent when 1t comes from within. Gentlemen,
have thus far argued. and on the supposton that
the Broadway railroad is an unwise measure, and
adopted on improper grounds; and think | have
shown that the Legislature ought not to interfere,
even that supposition | will now proceed, with
your leave to show you that the Broadway railroad is
not what was thus supposedly but that, on the con-
trary, 1t Is wise measure, adopted on proper
grounds ! say, then, in the first place, that the
Broadway railroad was not an unwise measure, bat
it was an eminently wise one. l shall afterwards
consider the terms on which 1t was granted. rail
road such is proposed, is needed. 1t will relieve
the street 1t will be most convenient mode OF pass
ing IRON part OF the city to the other 1t will not
interfere with the ordinary travel and will promote
the settlement OF the upper part OF the city. All
these positions shall endeavor to maintain. We
have the statistics of travel Broadway, carefully
taken at two different pericds-August aud October
OF last year. will ask your attention to these tables,
and to the results which they give They show the
number Of omnibuses the number of other vehicles,
and the number Of passengers in the omnibuses pass
iDgthe Museum and Canal street-two different points
On Broadway-for every hour during thirteen hours,
from seven in the morning to eight o'clock in the
pa
the Museum during the thirteen hours, and 3,4l2
other vehicles, making total OF $3.50 vehicles IN
thirteen hours, giving an average OF LIS an hour
During the hour of heaviest travel, there are 44O,
or from 20 to "a a minute. If we suppose each ON
nibus to have only two horses and half the other We
hices the same, we have during the day 5000
horses, or 2,0G9 an hour, and during the hour Of
heaviest travel 424 or "a to 40 minute During the
day. therefore, there Is Sl5 vehicles and 26,903
horses, and during the heaviest hour ,440 vehicles
and horses being "a vehiclesand 40 horses every
minute. Do you need more evidence to show that
Broadway is overcrowded? You are told that the
OF the street only averages forty feet.
1t is something more however. From Canal street
to Blocker street the width is fortyhve feet but
taking either of these averages, you need no other
TO show you the condition OF this tho
ueh:are. Those Of us who live in New York need
no more than the evidence OF our senses. We all
know that Broadway is 50 damned, particularly be-
low the Museum, that 1t Is unsafe to drive private
carriage, and unsafe to cross except IN running The
be endured longer. think there is not man here
OF those opposed to the railroad, who will not say
that the condition Of Broadway is intoerable. Whea
you consider what it is now, and consider further
more what it must soon become at the rapid rate
the city is growing, you will say that change in
public conveyance Is Indispensable. The city Is in
creasing at the rate OF probably sixty thousand
year. About ten thousand persons occupy street
rom river to river We have then, SIX streets year
filed up. The persons who live up town must come
down. The great artery of the city Is Broadway.
And ask you to consider whether the present state
Of things possibly last. In few years Broadway,
If railroad Is laid in it, will be in state Of infinite
confusion. With the present amount OF force, 80
crowdpg the street how many persons are taken over
it during the thirteen hours! During the hour OF high
est travel sos persons are taken past the Museum up
Broadway, and $50 down. These take 527 omnibuses
I'll up and 256 down. 1t Ii one OF the nconye-
niences Of the omnibus SYSTEM that while the loaded
vehicles are moving in one direction the compare
lively empty ones must come down IN the other, to
supply their places. The whole omnibus force on
Broadway can now move up only 2,s08 persons in
an hour. In ten years the number Of persons who
will want to go up Broadway will be ten or fifteen
thousand. How will they be takenl VIII some
gentleman tell me howi submit that it is not pos
sible with the present mode of conveyance to accom-
No mode can be devised by human ingenuity to make
the omnibuses efficient for this travel. They have
done their utmost-ther day is past.
Such is The condition Of Broadway at present.
W
great invention Of modern sciencethe iron rail- and
the car moving on it. 1t appears to me that the
thing is perfectly simple. 1t appears result to
which we must inevitably come. 1t IL impossible to
avoid it. There is reason why cities should not
make use Of that invention Ms well as the country.
The city is the place Of all others where we should
have this improvement, so f.r as capacity and ease
Of motion are concerned The Broadway railroad,
as authorized 10y the Common Council, may have
cars net exceeding forty five feet in length, with the
horses attached. Mr.. Edwin Smith, the engineer,
who has made an afbdavit-which have laid before
you-states that within these limits Gears can be
constructed to carry forty passengers inside, and
forty on the top, without risk orinconvenence, which
cars can be drawn by two horses" | will take for
my calculation OF less capactysay sufficient to
carry sixty passengers-ahd SNOW you the result II
you will take carrying sixty passengers, forty
seven cars up will take the 2,S03 passengers now
taken by the omnibuses, and fourteen down will take
the So who go down. The arrangement OF these
grantees is to have depot at the foot OF Broadway,
to keep their during the hours Of slack travel 80
that they have sufficient number there 10 bring
up, without sending down empty Cars.