The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-10-23

fusion.
Castle Garden and the Railroads.
The Commissioners Of Emigration have been
day, to purge themselves OF contempt Of court
In refusing or neglecting to obey mandamus
Issued few days since to compel them to
admit the agents of the Pennsylvania Central
and New York and Erie railroads to the emf
grant depot at Castle Garden, for the purpose
of receiving passengers consigned to them
from Europe and OF supplying tickets over
their roads to emigrants who may desire to
travel by either Of those routes. This order Of
the Supreme Court the Commissioners failed to
obey, and to-day they are expected to explain
the reasons for this apparent contempt
A few years ago the several railroads, steam
boats and canal lines running from this city
competed for the emgrant travel, and en-
ployed runners, who hung around the Bittery,
snatching up the emigrants as they lett their
ships and committing ell sorts of depre cations
upon them. The unfortunate strangers were
subjected to the grossest abuses, and were sell
dom suffered to get out of the hands of the run
ners, baggage smashers and boarding house
thieves until they had been feeced of the
greater part Of the money they happened to
have in their possession. To remove these
evils and keep the emigr ,nts out OF the hands
of the outside robbers, it was determined that
tickets should be sold to them inside the Gar
den, and that they should be forwarded at once
to their destinations. In order to accomplish
this the three trunk lines of railroad were ad-
mitted to Castle Garden on condition that
they should make an equitable division Of the
passengers between them and discontinue COM
petition for the emigrant travel. This plan
worked very we'll for some time, but recently
difi cultie5 have arisen between tho Castle
Garden Superintendent and the agents Of two
of the trunk roads-the New York and Erie
and Penn ylyania Central-which have re-
suited in an arbitrary order from the Superin-
tendent or Commissioners turning those agents
out of Castle Garden and keeping only the
representative Of the New York Central inside
The effect of this is, of course, 70 compel all
emigranls arriving at Castle Garden to travel
by the New York Central road, or to compel
them to 60 outside to get their tickets at the
offices of the other lines, thus subjecsing them
to all the dangers, abuses and impositions that
beset them few years since.
1t is pretended by the Commissioners oil Emil
grafton, or their Superintendent, that they have
not excluded the two railroads in question
from Castle Garden, but only their two agents,
whom they accuse of some irregular practices
inside. This is q mere evasion of the issue.
The directors OF the two roads request to be
furnished with the evidence of any improper
act on the part OF their agents, when they will
at once remove them and appoint others. To
this reasonable demand the Commissioners
refuse to respond. They therefore turn the
roads out OF the Garden when they refuse their
authorized agents admission.
The people care very little for these squab-
bles except SO tar as they affect injuricusly the
interests of the cmigrant and the credit OF the
city. II is very clear that by favoring the New
York Central Railroad, to The exclusion OF the
two other great trunk lines, the Commissioners
of Emigration are doing direct public injury
as well as gross act OF injustice. and they
should be restrained by The court on the
ground that they are abusing their official
power and diverting the law under which they
act from it, Legitimate purpose. II any rail-
road agent has been guilty Of improper prac-
tees inside Castle Garden the Commissioners
should make public investigation Of the
charges against him, and IL they are substau-
tiatcd the road he represents WILL no doubt, at
once remove him. They have no right other
wise 10 dictate to any road who shall or who
shall not be retained in its employ. AT pres
cnt the whole affair has a very suspicious look,
especially a. the only serious charges ever
made against any road doing business inside
Castle Garden have been laid at the door of
the New York Central AT all events, the emf
grants are the real sufferers by the singular
course pursued by the Commissioners aud the
court should make thorough investigation of
the whole matter aud compel such action on
the part OF the Commission ~ will at once put
a stop TO these dis2raceful sauabblcs and pro-
,ect the rights and interests Of those for whose
benefit the emigrant laws were enacted.
The Park Bank Obstruction.
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