New-York tribune., 1867-03-15
A WORD WITH ALBANY.

The Commercial Advertiser has letter from
Albany, which says:
"From the present shaping Of matters here infer that
arrangements are ndhing rhereoy BroGarag a n,tv V
and industry effect It, Surface railroads WIZ pe
built and put in operation. while the tunnel projects arc arc
northern extremity Of the island. The tunnels once IN
fun operation the surfaces will be o pndes OF
transit from up to down Town"
Which. being interpreted, means, the Broad
way Railroad project is fixed" to go through
with such adjuncts as the managers may see
fit TO include in their arrangements" "a
legislator who sells his vote may just as wei
sell It for three or four bills as for one, ana
| will probably contract cheaper by wholesale
than by retailD
"Surface railroads will be built and put in
| "operation" No doubt! Of course they VIII
| But "the tunnels once in full operation, the
"surfaces will be abandoned" Indeed VIII
they9 A surface railroad in Broadway will be
worth more to its stockholders than all the
"tunnels" ever yet projected. Who believes,
then. that "the surfaces will be abandonedf
When do you imagine that the tunnels VIII
abe in full operationr y if the surface roads are
| thereupon to be abandonedT Bah! Last
night the Senate, by vote of 18 to II, ordered
the Broadway Surface bill to a third reading,
after adding TO it tho amendment, insult
| ing to the people who suffer from It's
passage, that the Company shall forfeit
81 900 for every day that it fails to operate It's
cars, or to keep Broadway free from snow ana
ice. But snow and ice will not obstruct travel
as much as the cars will. The bill was pro-
nounced complete, and we think it is
When the Board Of Public Works was de-
| feated. we knew what to expect from this
Legislature The Broadway Railroad Is certain
TO 60 through So will the S2jO,OOO for new
Capitol. So will half a dozen bills taxing the
people to commence or prosecute new Rall-
roads SO will (probably) bills to enlarge the
locks on the Erie and make a Ship Canal of
the Champlan. The floodgates are open: Let
all who want anything done for their benefit
at the public cost improve the fleeting oppor
tuniiyi
We have promised to take things coolly. and
will do 40. But there is one point on which
we warn the Legislature and its masters not to
crowd the mourners An Underground Rail
road-or some kindred facility for expeditions
transit out of town from the business section
of our Cty-is indispensable. We must have
it, and have it soon. On this point the una
nll0lll anu tdiUCstntSN VI N'hN NAi'H ~ "'''
lutte.
Any arrangements" no matter how clan
desline or covert, whereby the construction of
an Underground Railroad is TO be cOnflded To
parties who will begin with relieving Broad
way" by surface road. which they will
promise TO take up when " the tunnels shall
bo lin full operation leads-all know where.
The surface road will be put down at once
" the tunnels will be mpeded 10y all manner
of injunctions and obstacles. not To be "in
" full operation these ten years. il ever. To
put the underground Road into the power of
the owners of the surface charter Is TO post
pone its construction indefinitely.
Men at Albany! you must give us an Under
ground Railroad mot n mere charter. mind
you but Road! Charter one, two or three
companies--let the hackers of each project
have a chance, if you will-but pass no bill
that does not compel the grantees 10 construct
their road surely and expcditiously. Woe 10
you, Messieurs if you Try TO humbug the
people with the empty mockery of a charter,
when they need. and you well know how TO
give them. a road