The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-02-13
THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS QUESTION.
TO the Editor of The Bvsntpg TsIgreph.

To the Editor Of The Busnfng Telegraph.
We have seldom read q greater amount of
simple twaddle than is contained in the protest
addressed to the Commissioners of Public Build
ings against the erection of buildings at the In
tersection of Broad and Market streets Many
of the signers of this paper are among our most
respectable citizens; but, If they read this re-
markable document before affixing their sigma
lures and coincided in all ts fearful statements,
their reputation for common sense will
be greatly impaired. The idea that the
erection of handsome buildings at
the intersection will have the effect of driving
travel from both Broad and Market streets for
a generation" and of "retarding, perhaps
forever" (though we can scarcely see
how anything can be retarded foreUer)
'fhe development of that splendid avenue
BROAD street) is positively ludlcrous. The pub
lie buildings, In their new location, with their
1oidened avenues around them, instead of lob
structing" would inuite travel, aud would do
more for the improvement of Broad street than
anything yet attempted.
But, If our memory serves us, some of the
signers of this flaming protest are the very per-
sons who applied to the Supreme Court for an
injunction to prevent the erection of buildings
on Penn Square at all, on the remarkable
ground that it was unconstitutional so to do,
although 1t was notoriously matter Of history
that William Penn himself intended Penn
Square for just such purpose.
They harsssed the Building Commission with
legal proceedings intended to overturn alto
gether the designs Of the Commissioners, and
now, when defeated by the decision of the Su-
preme Court. have the effrontery to write
letter Of advice to the same Commissioners to
empress upon them the necessity of reconsid-
ering their action !" And, in the face of the
fact that the argument" of the Washington
Square advocates was directed mainly against
the intersection, and that huge posters were
everywhere displayed showing Broad and Mar
ket streets as hopelessly blocked up, this letter
of advice coolly tells the Commissioners that If
it had been known that the buildings would be
erected at the intersection the vote of the peo-
pie would have been different and that the
result would have prob IDLY been sin favor of
Washington Square" Here our colored brother
begins to peep from under the wood pile, and
we see that this letter is but another device of
the disappointed but untiring partisaus of the
rival locality, and that our venerable but
deluded townsmens signatures are used for this
ulterior purpose.
The Commissioners, however, will scarcely be
frightened by this protest. Eminently respecta-
BILE citizens of our Little Pedlington have way
of protesting against public improvements. We
have not forgotten that names OF highest weight
and influence were attached to protest against
the introduction of gas into Philadelphia; while,
comparatively lately, the same misguided fogies
protested against passenger railroads on our
principal streets, and predicted the certain ruin
Of Chestnut street if II track should be laid
therein. We are happy to know that many of
these gentlemen have lived to see and acknow-
ledge their mistake. These signers will proba-
bly, live to see and acknowledge theirs. When
the buildings are erected, according to the plans
determined on, people will wonder how they
could ever have made such an absurd oppo-
sition E. w. 9.