New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-05-01
TIE WEST WASHINGTON MARKET.

| hspf1k, Apil2a 1890.
TIE VEST WASHINGTON MARKET.
| To a. Essov Of The NJ y fyssssA
| SIR: 1t Is very important that editor of q pubic
journal Ia this country, In commenting upon public ac
should be scrupulousy correct and b that bic ~
ssrtions founded In fact Our ne wspapcrr ere n
rome measure the guides II not the formers OF pub!io
opinion and public opinion In this land Il the sap.ea
law, for It quickly reforms Legislature, poiaeal
party Judge or pubic jeurntl, especially III Ends
that the false sasensns of sach journal have card &c
TO be nised This 10 particularly whom statement
Is made by an editor seaiost 20 csl party, when The
slishtest examination viii sho1 that the party e,u-
| planned OF had neither part nor lot In the sct.
I have been led 10 these reflections by seeing The
statement in The NJ Y. Express that the Republican
Land Commissioners Of tho state had made the lease Of
the West Washington Market property, and that thsk
lease was improvidept and I'M wise. viii reply 70
the rst proposition and then will consder the ques-
ton, Was the lease judicious or lott First VIII
state that for twenty year, psst nave gSen ,ne par
and have stood by them In many close contsst do1n
TO the present tme-that have never been Rspobu-
CT n and not party TO the Lease referred !oj pug
have watched that transaction from the beginning,
simply az a Taxpayer. and an entirely familiar with
the whole matter.
Now to the facts:
Mr.. James B. Taylor and Mr.. Owen w. Brennan
in April, 1853, applied TO the Land CommissoSsrs Of
Those Commissioners had no confidence 10 the Sates
title to the property. That Board OF Commissioosn
was composed Of the following gentlemen; aideon J'
trolsr Isaac v. Vanderf Gel Treasurer; Lyman IRE
main, Attorney General; Van Richmond, Engineer
and Surveyor; Tboe. g AivoEd, Speaker OF me AS.
eemby Henry Il. Selden, L eq'euant Govsnor-au
Democrats except the last, the
| The meeting of the Land Commissioners 1t which the
lease of West Washington Market was granted was
held 10 April 1853 alter the Adjournment OF the Lsgs.
atuIe AID tie was not present.
Thus il appears tina. the lease was made by the Demo-
cratic Land Commissioners and the Reppbfictn party
had no CO. aecon with the matter. These facts are
notorious, and are well knowp TO the editors OF fzAe
Eap,ess. as they matters OF public interest.
On receiving their lease, Messrs. Taylor Brennan,
the .ssees attempted to take possession OF their prop.
erty but resisted by the corporation OF the city,
who EMPLOYED five able counsel, who rank among the
most distinguished at bar to resist the title Of the
State Messrs. Tay Tor e. Brennan communicated these
facts to the Democratic State officers, TO whom the
assertion and establishing Of the States right to the
property seemed hopeless and was at once apparent
that the profits to one years lease would indemnity
the essses for the costs and risks attending such suit
A consultation was held, and it was agreed that Il
Taylor g. Brennan Won conduct the suit a. their
own expense and indemnify the State against any aad
all lore or costs in the suit the lease should be eXsndsd
to the IN from time TO time until the suit thoud be de-
termjned ard also that the essees should have any
amount that might be recovsed for back renA for the
use and occupstion of the ground by the city, Taylor
gave bonds to the amount OF so 900 70 the Sate for
its protec ion, ard, In accordance with this under
standing the aboye-named Democratic State officers
extended tie lease to Mr. Taylor, arss "a April 1900
resolution of the same Democratic State OH ARA sx-
tended the lease to April. 1861. They follows
offered byiAitorney &c nerai fremsin;
Wherodi The action brought 70 recover the Wess whn
S a ns, rel r. I ssnds ~ ias
e.: Be ;s
@nson e be lease e.Hs from -, :s e
s. ,sS s. Be sn.%sd I on: ys.1 on The sans s
and conditions Dated 2sth Of December, 1858.
This carried the lease forward until April 1861, In
his the Land Commissioners acted wisely. Iaey say
he ntereets Of tie Safe being projected Ia good
aith by Mr.. Tay lor who at great expense bad en-
10y ed counsel competent to conduct suit OF this mag
nt1de and importance, and, az the suit was 10 his name
if tie Land Commissioners should, in violation OF
pehted faith, refuse to carry out the understanding
that was heard Taylor would o. course abandon tho
suit and the State and city would be thre back TO
inst where they started two years ago. The present
Board OF Land Commissioners have merely concurrod
in the action Of hcr predecessors In carrying out the
pliQhted faith of the Safe. These things are well
known to the editors of The Express, who, In the
matter, are misleading public opinion snd endsavo,Dg
betn done by the Republic IN State officers.
In The Erpress of the 9th ins. the editors assert
that the Republican Legislature we're attempting TO
compel tie City to pay judgments ths they he editors
of TIE Frprcssl Assert were obtained By default.
They knew when making this assertion, that It wsa
not true that thcse judgments were obtained by de-
fault, but that they we're obtained alter long and
rely contested trial before the Supreme Court and
jury and they also knew that there no other way,
except by the sacrifice of the real estate Of the City ~
sale under execution but to apply to the Legislature
or power to raise the money 10 pay of those l1.5-
melts. In regard to the proprety and wisdom Of the
course the State officers IN first raakng the lease Of
those premises for g. 600 ayea,Mr Fisgg, the City
Controller on being applied to- stated that no reutwas
paid TO the City for West Washington Markets an.
luther have before document No. Al Of - Board
CT Aldermen which ia cation from Controller
avg, made in 1854 ard it IL Inc last report mss to
the Common Council, showing the net receipts Of the
several market in this city; aud shows thst The toad
net income of Washington Market land this includes
the West Washington Marke, ground, after dedac,ing
the exrer OF collection and repairs, bot s. i %
Tho S'ste Officers could get NO better information
than this The statement Of Mr.. Flagg, the Controller
and financial officer OF the city, declared that the Wsx
Warrington Market paid nothing TO the City Treasury,
and thus both it and Washington Market I'D but
81 I6I bS net income. TIE State l. add Commissioners
might well sur pose they were doing we'll whom thsy
secured 81 0 per year for The eass valuable part aud
in addition had the States title the disputed lana as.
serted and sustained by Mr.. Tay lor, the lessee.
There is probably no other msn IN the STATE than
Mr. Taylor who could have taken that lease aud tae
rick after ding s ESTABLISHING Mt and the expenfsare
at less s60 GOO In the payment Of tbs rent AID Legal
expense and the whole 20 depend upon the successful
teIminstion Of suit &C infested as tbs has been Moth
ing but the most untiriug Industry guided by soaoe
judgment could have carried that 70 lie slccessu
result and established the tile Of the STATE 70 its prop
erty, worth nc enst one million Of dollars. .