The New York herald., 1866-06-17

the Old world.
The Block sde In Dur streets.
The complete jam which has existed in
Broadway and the principal stresw In the
lower part OF the city during the last three four
days furnishes conclusive proof Of the neces-
sity of providing additional facility for travel,
| by widening some Of the streets Broadway,
| from Chambers street down, has been constant
| ly packed with vehicles of all classes, often
making 1t necessary for cart and omnibus TO
remain at standsiill for half an hour at time.
As to crossing that street, 1t has been almost an
impossiDiity during many hours Of the day. Nor
| has this jam and crush Of vehicles been con-
fined alone to Broadway. The adjacent streets
| on both sides have been almost as bad, while
several of the cross streets have, if anything,
been worse blockaded than Broadway. The
loss to the business interest Of this city by this
delay and detention will in short time be suf-
6cient to cover the entire expense of providing
sufficient room by widening some Of the princi-
pal streets to the extent necessary to obviate
the whole difficulty.
II is high time that steps were taken to pro-
vide against this evil, which is daily increas-
| ing. ahe entire business community are in
terested in it. II something ls not done the
time is not far distant when the blockade in all
the principal streets down town will become
serious impediment to the business Of the me
tropolis. Lower Broadway or somc of the
streets parallels to 1t should be widcned and
also two or three Of the cross streets running
4ka W. sxl a
cross streets are taken, whether it Is Fulton or
| some other; but that additional room for vehi-
| cles is demanded must be admitted by every
one. Tie only thing required is that those
streets should be widcned which by their loca-
ton WI furnish the greatest relief with the
least expense to the city. The sooner the work
is done the better it will be and the less will lie
| the cost.
| The absurd project Of cutting Off the stoops
of the touses in Fifth avenue has now, no doubt,
served It's purpose, and our city authorities
should turn their attention to the urgent de-
mand Of the city in the business portion. As to
the Fifth avenue scheme, we doubt very much
fthere ever was any very serious intention 70
pass it. The City Hall plotters saw that there
elderly gentl ,men on that avenue who could
be easily frightened, and the scheme was pro-
posed in the belefthat by working upon their
fears they could be, to use the phrase of the
lobby, made to come,dowD." The scheme was
nursed, several public meetings held 10 give
the parties hearing, and this kept up until
the respectable gentlemen Of Fifth avenue were
rLax,, 10 tha III ~
plished, private meeting was held, at which
were several Of thcse elderly and respectable
residents Of Fifth avenue. The stoop question
was no doubt amicably settled for this year, or
! until this Common Council expiree and new
one Is elected, when they too will look around
for somebody to "come down." Taking the expe.
rience of their predecessors % thcir guide, they
too will be anxious 10 remove the stoops in Fifth
avenue We are surprised that certain Mayor
OF this city should bite at this bait so readily
Having been Mayor Of the city and rubbed
up against the politicians around the CITY Hall
for two years, we should have supposed that
he would have known enough to have seen
through these tricks. But, as TO the other
highly respectable elderly gentlemen who have
with the committee, we are not at oil surprised
at thoir course. They belong to the Citizens
Association, and II Is only on par with all the
proceedings OF that singular association.
Nothing else corAd be expected Of men connect
cd with It These respectable gentlemen having
been attended to, now let us have something
done that will bring practical relief to the over
Nd ed Ia in lha 1nx - If he n.t
Gun ToApYNo FonEros PoLIcY.-we again
ask Mr.. Secretary Seward or Mr.. Secretary
wellcs, whichever Of these gentlemen has the
document in his keeping, TO produce the official
statement Of Captain Walker, OF the De Soto,
concerning the outrage committed by the Brit
ish gunboat Bulldog at Cape Hayiien. The
public want to know the nature Of the offence
and all the circumstances relating to II. Cap
tain Walker undoubtedly forwarded q state
ment Of the affair to the Navy Department, as
In duty bound and unless Mr.. Wclles has fallen
asleep and forgotten where he laid II, 1t must
be available somewhere in the public archives.
The whole spirit Of our foreign policy appears
10 be diverging very rapidly into toadysm.
Mr.. Seward seems only TO think Of keeping on
good terms with oil foreign nations and taking
care Of thoir interests all over the world, re-
gardless Of what is due to the dignity of this
great nation. England, Il would appear, Is his
special ward, over whom no has established
himself as faithful old "guardy."
Although the United States have arisen from
the fire Of the late civil war the greatest coun-
try on the globe, our foreign policy is weaker,
more contemplate, and more vacillating to-day
than It ever was before. Even England, which,
under the management OF old and weak
minded statesmen has fallen from the position
OF o leading power TO that Of second or third