New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-09

Those two most able and philosophical operators,
John Pettigrew and George Law, have devised, and
are now working with great success at Albany
CITY Railroad drag-net, which promises to clear the
pool of all scaly serpentine, and creeping things in
the habit of frequentiDg those troubled waters. We
have examined the acheme thoroughly, and have
never before seen the art Of Involvement" carried
to such high perfection slender basis Of
actual OF prospective profits.
The particular bill devised by Pettigrew and Law
is entitled can act to authorize the construction of
Z" a Railroad in Seventh avenue, and other 0renues
in the City Of Ner- YOrk"-the model for this, no
doubt, having been found in Senator Ben amin's
celebrated bill, which Struggled the Houmas Land
Claim through both Houses of Congress- The bill
in question should more properly be styled "An
act to authorize John Pettigrew and George Law
" to construct, or to abstain from constructing,
" horse railroads in all such streets and avenues of
" the City of New York as may unto them seem
" advisable"
The bill directly names and covers forty-eight
streets ard avenues, and purports to incorporate
thirty-iour favored individuals as the future prs-
prietors of this unlimited gold mine. Of course,
with such prospective capital to dispose of, shares
are easy. and influence" fetches its very highest
value Each Senator suddenly finds himself offered
the means of requitiDg with lavish hand any
political service which any political or personal
friend may have done ior him. Thus, the
amiable Andrew i. Hodges is made corpOra.or
in grateful acknowledgment of Senator Spinoa's
vote; and it will probably be expected in all cases,
that where the value of the gift is in excess of fair
remuneration for past service, such excess shall be
paid over as a debt Of honor 10 the Senator con-
ferripR the obligation. In this manner, the seven
teen Senators who have been taken under the shed
would have a large sum placed at their disposal
wherewth TO found hospital for political Magda-
lels or for any other apprOpri charity unto them
commended.
Beautiful and praiseworthy as this scheme looks
on ts surface, We are not without some of the
louder kind of scolers, who suspect the public
spirit of Law, and doubt the immaculate virtue Of
John Pettigew. These men say that the whole ar
rapgement is deusion, simply designed to prevent
the creation of any new city railroads which might
interfere with the large interests in existing lines
owned by MeGsrs Pettigrew and Law. They point
to the fact that both Law and Pettigrew must be
well aware that the Governor will veto any such
monster monopoly this bill proposes to establish;
and therefore, they contend, the hberaty of Petit
grew is cheap, and the magnfcence of Law costs
him nothing seeing that they Ony assign prospective
shares in company never destined to be and never
designed to be established
In one word, the opinion of the beat informed
parties here is that Messrs. Law and Pettigrew
simply wish to kill of the city railroads already
needed by thu city, and partly under way but for
the explosion Of this bomb-shell: and that, with
full knowledge that such network Of city railroads
as they propose can never be tolerated by the Gov
ernor, these two operators have seduced seventeen
Senators into supporting their bill, in the hope Of
comforting by it some fsyors on their immediate de-
pendents. Such would appear the only reasonable
explanation Of the case; but the Senators have
fallen into the trap with the confidence and sweet
unsuspsctinspew of children just shedding their
milk-teeth.
For the mirage of an immense monopoly held out
by Law and Pettgrew, and perhaps for more
solid considerations, our Legislature appears
anxious to abandon those little green spots in the
desert Of Legislation which promised to give us q