The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-11-27

Will Do III lhVOI Oh giving Lne lhbIeI VhdIaoVoI
to our great thoroughfare. The members Of
Select Council have been in communication
with their constituents, and are now familiar
with their views With knowledge of what the
people want, will come legislation to meet
the popular wish. There can be no question
as to the earnest desire of the masses to have
the Mayors veto overridden by the vote Of
Councils. During walk in Broad street
yesterday we overheard conversation between
two mechanics on their way home, which well
expressed the feeling of all the large class of
laborers and pedestrians generally:-"Tt is an
infamous shame" said one, "thst the Mayor
should try to give up this street forever to
fast drivers. Why should they have nine
tenths and we have hardly room to crowd
along f' "Oh," said the other, 'it was only
done to please the contractors; but rather
think the people have got ahead of them this
time" Here in homely language, being Der-
bdtim what was said is the whole question in a
nutshell. The reason why such a scheme is
desired by certain parties is to enrich the con-
tractors The effect will be to cheat the people
permanently out of their favorite walk. But
we agree with the mechanic, 1--WE rather think
the people have got ahead of them this time"
This morning the organ of the Mayor, the
North American, gives column on the sub
eCt, in which an attempt is made to defend
the action of his Honor, not by out-arguing
the opponents, but by dismissing all the ques-
ton with a remark not unlike that of De
Maupras, when dunned by tradesman, "You
trouble me, sir" The Mayor quietly remarks,
''We have failed to discern single plausible,
much less sufficient reason for this step back
wards" But none of the weak arguments
used are refuted in the North american. The
fallacy of giving the mass of the people
broad pavement on which to walk is not
pointed out. The inherent weakness of the
argument that it is not fair to de-
vote nine-tenths of a street to fast drivers, to
the discomfort of the hundred times greater
number of pedestrians, is not set forth at
large. The palpable absurdity of supposing
that the property owners on Broad street
would not consent to what would mutilate
the street. is not refuted. Nor is that silly
statement that it is unjust to inconvenience
the many to accommodate the few held forth
in the ridiculous light in which it must be
certain the Mayor could expose it. His Honor
contents himself by denying to any one of our
foolish statements seven plausibility," and,
of course, would not consent to argue what is
so weak.
Yet, strange as it may seem, we think the
article in the North American would have been
much stronger had the author opened his
batteries of logic and utterly demolished the
fallacies of those who favor the broad pave
ment. Some deluded citizens are so welded
to their errors as to think there is something
in the arguments adduced in support of the
bill, and are mliraJie dictu! so obstinate and
stupid as to hold to their errors even if they
are not plausible" What may be still
more curious is that we are among this mar
row-minded throng, and think that the
schoolgirls reason against anything, "'cause
it amt" is hardly satisfactory when coming
| from Mayor.
AS it is, we think that the ten thousand
pedestrians should be considered in the laws;
that when there is still plenty Of room for car
risges, we ought not to unnecessarily incom-
mode the crowd which has to walk; that the
property owners are tolerably good judges as
to what is needed for the benefit of the street;
and that somebody else ought to be consulted
besides the contractors, and those who
have substantial, if not nominal, interest in
the Nicolson pavement. For these reasons we
earnestly hope that Select Council will, this
afternoon, pass the bill over the veto Of the
Mayor. Our space will not allow us
to repeat the arguments we have already
used in favor of the reform. We would merely
add that with the widened pavement the street
will still be within three feet as wide as Mar
ket street. This of itself is an answer to the
talk about incommoding the carriages in the
future. We do not propose to legislate for the
future at the expense of comfort for the
next twenty years. 1t may be very well fol
the Mayor to call us ''short-sighted" and
''selfsh," and remark that the friends of the
bill have adduced no arguments "worthy o.
the name' but we are still of the opinion
that the dim possibility that in the future
something may be required should not deter
us from doing what is already certainly de-
manded for the popular good. The Mayor
takes great pains to 'make up his record
1t is already made up, and will not be for
gotten. The people look with searching
anxiety to see which members of Select Coun-
Gil favor them, and which favor the con.
tractors. They watch for the vote on the veto.
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