The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-12-17

1HE UNION rEhkf LEASES-1HE DALE STOP
pEDBY ISJuNcrIoN.-It will be seen, by the legal
documents published in another column, that
the sale of the ferry leases which was to have
taken place to day, has been stopped by injunc-
ton. The order has been obtained from the
Supreme Court in Columbia county, it not
being considered desirable to make the appli-
cation to any of the local judges. The bill on
which it has been granted sets forth two points.
The first comedies the claim of New York to
the franchise involved in the ferries, but insists
that they are vested in the Corporation; that
they are part Of the delegated sovereign
power for political and governmental objects
only, and that consequently the Corporation are
bound to exercise the franchise, not for pur-
poses of emolument, but for the benefit of the
inhabitants of the two cities and of those who
use the ferries The second alleges that the
powers of the Corporation being of this charac-
ter, have always been and still are subject to
legislative control, and that by an act passed in
May, 1s45, the Corporation were Invested of all
control over the ferries, and the power to grant
licenses to run them vested in three commits
sioners
Whatever validity there may be in these ar
guments, it is matter for congratulation That
the efforts made to force on premature sac
of these leases have been defeated. They do no .
expire for another sixteen months, and tl.are-
fore the haste that has been manifested in re-
gard to them has justly afforded grounds for
the sns..;~:--- A.-s sne people OF Brooklyn were
being unfairly dealt with. That feeling has
not been weakened by the unaccountable
failure Of the Committee of Conference, ap-
pointed by the Board of Aldermen to consider
the matter, to make report-the more es-
pecially when they seemed to have arrived at
an agreement with the Brooklyn delegation.
The specific charge Of collision which Is made
in the bill seems to be founded on the fact that,
although by the terms Of the leases originally
granted Of the Catharine and Wall street fer
ries, they do not expire until May, 1863, those
leases have been shortened by agreement be-
tween our corporate authorities and the Union
Company, in order to secure sale in one lot
of all the ferries at present in their hands.
In connection with this latter arrangement
we may mention that rumor is prevalent that
an agreement has been recently entered into
between the directors Of the Union Company
and the proprietors Of the ferries Of the Eastern
district, to the effect that as soon as the leases
are obtained by the former, they shall consoli-
date the whole Of them, from Red Hook to
Greenpoint, in the hands Of single monopoly,
maintaining the passenger fares at uniform
rate Of two cents.
We repeat, therefore, that it Is subject for
felicitation that these corrupt compacts have
been for the moment defeated and that time
will be obtained for the people Of Brooklyn to
try by suit the force of the arguments set
forth in their bill The citizens of New York
are equally interested in the assertion of the
principles involved in those arguments, for the
question Is one simply of the expediency Of
suffering powerful moneyed corporations to
override by the weight Of their influence all
considerations Of public policy and con-
venience.