New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-08-17

wstef. saat' Of as psft- Of this property out
"to Tompkins street." for which he paid
$4,000. But whether this "water.g- grant" Gov
cred the site sold the City for market does not
appear, and il it did, being "water grant, it
conveyed no right to gil it up. In l8is, one Brad
ford obtained from the Mayor and Commonaly a
like water grant" Of another portion Of this
property for 90, 0O0 Of which grant, we are told,
Mott became also possessed but a. to which the
same observations apply as to the water graut'
to Mott himself On the oath Of July, 1850,
the deIterous Lowber first makes his ap-
pearance as having finger in this pie,
from which be is now attempting, by the
help of the Sheriff, to pull out so
mOnstrous plum. At that date, he tells US, he
committed" for Mott the grant to Stuyvesant,
paying the City Corporation 81, 1875 80. BY " COM
mutipg," We suppose be means getting rid Of the
quitrent On the 1st Of December, 1853, We find
the property, through "sundry convsyances," in
the hands, or rather standing in the name, of Low.
Der himself. How it got there, or what he paid for
it, he declines to tell, doubtless for very good rea
sons. Nor does he inform US who were then or
have since become bis partners in the speculation
. piece of information which could hardly have
failed to ,hed good deal Of light on the transaction.
The next thing that We hear about the matter is
that Lowber and his associates are engaged in FILL
ing up-converting their water.grants into solid
land; but by what authority this was done, which
il the great point in the caae-upOn that point Mr..
Lowber says not q word. He alleges that the fill
ing up of the tract, afterward sold for market
SITE cost him over $4s O00 and that for bull. heads
for the same be paid S33,5OO-in the whole,
$sl, 800. He does not choose to tell what he paid
Mott, but, even upon his own statement, he and his
associates can hardly have made-provided he sue
ceeds in squeezing bis executions out Of the City
less than 100000 by the operation.
We come now to the gist Of the matter. The
only title which Lowber sets up to this land is,
after all, through the City, whereas very little if
any Of it ever belonged to the City, the title being
in the State, and even "a to that portion belonging
to the City, the Corporation was positively pro-
niSi;sca by law from authorizing it to be filed up.
We will than ~ Iowher not to nlsfepresett
u by q garbled quotation. We described the
action Of the Corporation in undertaking to au-
thorize this filing up as not only "unwise and
ipjudcious, but as at the same time in direct de-
fance to acts Of the Legislature and IAN invasion
Of the property Of the State" for the benefit
of few spectators; and so, in spite Of Mr.. Low
ber's letter we stin regard it.
It is in vain to say that under these circum-
stances Mr.. Lowber is able to give good title to
the City, and the very anxiety which be shows to
bag the game by forcing the Controller to pay over
the money proves it. The answer made to Objec-
tons urged to the sumcency Of Mr.. Lowber's title
is that he il to give or has given warranted deed.
But when, some ten or twenty years hence-for it
takes about that time under our beautiful judicial
system, to bring such matters to point-it turns
out that Mr.. Lowber had sold what did not belong
to him, bis warranty may perhaps not be worth
quite a. much al the two hundred thousand dollars
now sought to be screwed out Of the City, with ts
Accommodations of interest. The men who under
take speculations Of this sort understand very well
how TO manage that matter, and it might happen
that Mr.. Lowber, when invited to pay back again,
would prove not to have the money in his pocket.
The leyying an execution against the city, the
anxiety exhibited to coax or force Controller Flagg
to pay over the money which he says he has no an.
thority to pay, is conclusive evidence of some
roguery or trickery on foot. If there was not
something rotten about the claim-if the only diff
Guilty about it was that no proper or regular pro-
vision has yet been made to pay it, or that the Con-
troer unreasonably refuses to pay it-Mr. Lowber
and bis confederates behind his back would hardly
be in such desperate hurry for their money.
ExtravaRant and reckless as the City Government
il, things have hardly yet como to such pass that
the only chance for tho City creditors is to sue out
executions and to rush headlong into gen
eral scramble for the City property. II Mr..
Lowber's claim were an honest one, he
would hardly object to wait little. If
he has sold what he had right to sell, and if the
circumstances connected with the sale were such
az 10 bear e1sniaaton, Mr.. Lowber would be con-
tent to wait little, till the Controller had been
properly authorized to pay him, or till that official,
supposiDg him wrong in the view he takes Of tho
case. could be made to hear reason. As it is, We
hope this piece of plumber, as We regard it, may
be carried cut, if carried out at all, only in way
to tx attention upon it, and to lead to Thorough
ripping up of the whole rotten Affair."
Tie election of JAMES S. Rollins ~ Governor
of Missouri s likely to be set aside by frauds in the
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