New-York daily tribune., 1856-02-12
THE BRIDGE At ALBANY.
To ne Ed,s,v Qf The n. Y rribsse.

SIR: |; il a matter of regret to reader OF FHr
TRIBUNE, who halls its daily appearance as daily
triumph of the sacred principles OF free speech and free
thought TO find that valuable column headed Letters
fIora the People occupied with such communication
"a that which appears in It to-day, entitled " The
Bridge a, Albany" ard sigued Many Citizens"
Tho character Of that communication may not be
so apparent 10 YOU, Sir, TO warrant the writer of
this in using vour columns fo mske any mputstion'
uron the motives Of Many Citizens" Out of respect
10 vou and in appreciation Of yonr courtesy, the
presumption VIII be allowed that - Many Citizens
was sirlpv ignorant Of the matters upon which he
smoke di-interested reader OF hs letter wo1d infer
from il substantially as tolows:
Frst That FIVE grea' railroad routes had ther ter
riri at and opposite to Albany, prevented troE con-
Meeting there bv the want of bridge at that point
over the Hudson River. 80.
Second That the great commercial Interests of this
great State were intimately bound up in and with the
interests of these FIVE great railroad routes so having
their termni, and disconnected for want OF
bridge.
III I'd: That the interests Of this great State, en-
barked upon its uavigabe waters aud its canals, or
represented in its other great little ailrOad routes,
II, New-York and Erie, it, New-York and Harlem its
Buffalo and New-York City. Buffalo and Corning,
Canandaigua and Emira, Syracuse and BinghantOn,
Utica and Bnghamon, its Northern routes, Its routes
finished and unfinished projected and 70 be projected,
are al secondary and Of minor importance 10 It's inter-
care and encourag cement of the state to prevent
tie diversion of trade and travel On to rival routes
through other States.
Fourth That the opposition to these five great
railroad routes so having their ermini and so wanting
a bridge from getting that bridge, comes only from
Troy and but little any longer from there-all, all con
cedng the great public necessity OF the measure ana
the right of passengers and owners OF large accumu
ations of freight and produce on the wharves at Al
bany to be transported over bridge
Now Sir a Committee ofthe Senate ofths state have
AZ this time under deliseraon this important subject.
Before them evidence is TO be taken, documents lad
and arguments presented by counsel. More than
10 600 citizens of this State have already demonstrated
against the measure and to say that ten times
that number will yet do so, might be tar within
bounds. Which, then, are these five - routes 80
having their termini, and so wanting &yke, and so
deserving Of the fostering care and e0ersement OF
this State ~ -.
miles long in itself mere local road between Troy
and East Albany-in its connections an integral p0r-
ton of the Hudson River road TO which il is leased
the link between that road aud the New York Central
via Troy; and the Albany and Boston Road and the
New.York Central via Troy-its owners in Troy re-
monstrate against this bridge.
Second: The Albany and Boston, route Tor the
most of its engh out of the State, and carrying travel
and trade away ftom metropolis to rival one-ts
owners most undoubed applicants Tor tins bridge ana
also perhaps friendly to what may yet be tavorite
prodct with other railroad routes viz filling the liud-
son River with paving stones, sandbars ana bridges
every ten miles.
Tiird. The Hudson River Railroad already as be-
fore minated connecting an unbroken rail with
the New-York Central and all important Northern
rcutes by means of its link, the Troy and Green
BUSH SO much for the east side. On the west, ana
Fonr6: the Albany Northern, which extends for about
tbirtv miles in n northeast direction from Albany, and
es for good part of its length the east side of the
Hudson. crossing not many miles above Troy. III IL
sufficient answerto this routes camor for bridge at
Albany if makes any that if II wishes to carry pas
- ..lt t..r rfxFa NJ
should never take them to the west side, for be-
tween It's northern terminus at Eagle Bridge and East
Albany. the Troy and Boston and Troy and Green
bush now form shorter, more direct ana better
graded route than ITSELF And now,
Fifth: The Great Newl Ork Central-all Oth No.
all only from Buffalo to Sch pectady, and from there
that arm which runs into Albany. That arm wnich
rms into Troy at that city, bridge and INTO
the finest and largest depot IN the state, where ITS
rails are tIed to those OF all the roads on the
east side of the Hudson, Is wholly ignored by the ig-
a0rnRt" author who writes over the signature Many
Citizens" and grant he has high precedents for so
doino This connection at Troy, Mr.. Editor, the
writer of this article asserts to be now in daily and
constant use by the Newlork Central in conveying
freight from the West to the southern ana eastern
roads and whenever II chooses can so transport IT'S
passengers. IL now has and has had for forty days,
noble bridge Of ice at Albany, and if freight s accu
uulating there il il not because of the want of
bridge but because of the absence OF other facilities
vet to be furnished by the roads themselves. ms
los as An Investment of more than million of dol
lars but she otcrs it free and without one word OF
ce npain as her contribution TO the great necessity OF
he noe that of rapid and cheap transportation OF mon
himself and OF property She claims that she has not
folded her arms and listened with dOgged sehshness
to the great cry Of the people, but has responded
among the foremost. She laid down the first l ran IN
the State. on her Troy and Schenectady Road; she
nut ON it the first long and mOdern-bu car known to
travellers between Albany and Buffalo She built the
first mammoth steamboat on the North River. She built
the frst link in the Hudson River Road She now has
lust completed the finest depot perhaps in America.
OF all these she makes boast; but she does claim
that she has done what she could and has asserted her
claim 10 the unimpeded, free and unsh acked ENJOY
mont Of her natural, GOd-given rights in the noble
Hudson She does insist that the great State OF New
York as on repeated occasions heretofore shan sun
throw the nantel of her protection around her one
ask from her sister cities, Albany, Utca Schenectady
syracuse Rochester Buffalo, OswegO, Auburn, POugh-
keen.ie Newburph and Emira-she asks from the
GREAT metropolis, she asks from the rural towns she
asks from al respectable journalists throughout the
State fair candid treatment, All honest manly cOnsld-
Grafton of her claims; and shall she not have II
Hitherto she had cOntended solely almost against
her sister city. Albany Now that city ia with her,
and together they are contendng against the largest
and perhaps most powerful combination OF interests
ever known in this cOuntry-cOntrolng thousands OF
empoyees and millions of mOney-wIeldlng an inhu-
erce Of which political parties may well be Jealous
but TO which they never can attain. The circumier-
ence Of the State nav at no distant day quake and
renble as does now s center beneath the ponderOls
roll of its behemOth locomotives; Troy may DC ls
fr,t victn but if 80, she will not be It's ast
Tyoy Feb. 9, 1886 FAih rLAi'
BOLD HIGHWAY RoBBERY-Last evening, about %