New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-03-22

person Ill AlDunJ uVupb'"
strike; and Tweeds hrmness in refusing 10
come down was generally approved ne was
srro ne Grabam's vote at last, and might rs
well make stand against buying 1t now as
ounr There are people who can never have
enough. ~,
We never hoped to defeat Tweed's bill
aforesaid in fact, we never cared to do 30.
T,pe. tho law is right "a ID stands, and the
Iow-makcrs arc not hence all the trouble.
Tho proyision that our Annual Tax-Leyy
sboll be scrutinizod, revised, approved, by the
legislature, originated in the purer days OF
our state. when votes in Senate and Assembly
were not bought ard sold as openly and ex-
brilliantly as the first shad Of the season.
But. for somo years past tho Legislative re-
vision of our Tax-Levies has been corrupt
and loathsome farce. Not only have the
Democrats, with scarcely an exception, voted
TO pass anything sent up for approval by our
Board Of Supervisors, under the pretense OF
Difference TO tho principle of "local self-gov-
"ernment,o but there have always been more
or less corrupt wretches chosen as Ropub-
licans who could be bribed to vote for what
ever the "Ring" chose to pay fort and items
that our Municipal masters burst not put
lDlO NuO ldA-iICNJ hh'O NOph ipiS''t
into it, at their instance and by their venal
procurement, in the Committee on Cities Of
one House or the other; so that tho Tax
Levics have actually come down worse than
when they were sent up The thieves Of the
Lobby and their Legislative tools have stuffed
their pockets out of each Tax-Levy, and our
taxpayers have been made to pay, not only
all that "the Ringn chose to exact, but enough
more to defray the cost of buying the thieves
by whose aid the job was "put through
We do not see how the passage of Tweed's
bill can make the matter worse. Il certainly
sweeps away expensive, corruptinS shams, and
brings us face to face with the hard, prosaic
fact that four men tax IA just what they Will.
We should not like to vote for such a bill
but we should hate, in view OF the actual
status, to give the deciding vote against it. We
don't want any more Tax-Levies sent to Albany
and bought through tho Legislature; we know
that our Board of Supervisors, as now con-
stituted, would contriye to steal at least Half
Million extra if they were allowed to tax us
at their discretion; so we have not cared to
oppose 8Ir. Tweeds bill. He taxes US at his
discretion now; let us SEQ the hand that
searches our pockets rather than have it eldb-
OIdlfiN BlbNtu III Oui tAENhoN'
We have hoped that our masters would feel
constrained to provide at this session for some
sort Of swift conveyance from downtown to
uptown and out-oi-town nOrthward. The need
is most urgent the public patience is nearly
exhausted; our Taxpayers are driven from us
by thousands because they find 1t easier to
reach Jersey villages twenty miles away than
the upper part of this island; AID we can
never have quick transit from Nali-stract ana
lower Broadway TO Harlem flats and Fort
Washington without track that passes either
under or over the crOSs-streetS so - to clear
the persons, teams ard vehicles, travcrsins them.
Such track, accordingly, we must have: but
all questions a. 10 its details seem to us meet
for discussion ~ civil engineers rather than
by journalists. Hence, we do not favor under
Ground or elevated, Broadway or BoweTy: we
simply want some means devised and adopted
whereby passengers may be taken from Harlem
| or Yorllville to Wall-street and the Battery IN
! twenty minutes. Such road would soon
carry One Hundred Thousand pas
scngers each way per day; which, at
ten cents Der ride, and counting Sunday
| but half so productive as other days, would
afford gross income Of SG5,O00 per week, or
! 81 0G0 per annum. This ought to afford
! S2000,CO0 nct-cnough to pay the interest on
SlJ,OOOCO0 per aunuIn-and that sum, frUgally
expended, ought to give us scryiceable
! UNDERGROUND Railroad. As to buying way
| through solid blocks of houses, and building
! thereon an Elevated or n "ThrcC-Iicr" Rail
road, we apprehend that that would prove too
expensive; but, If capital can be obtained
! therefor We do not object to trying it. Only
let us have some practicable plan adopted ut
| this session, and we shall be thankful for SO
much, and not disposed to look the gift horse
! i'll the mouth.
Our Canals require bold and vigorous legisla-
ton. Their revenues have sadly fallen Of;
their expenditures have considerably increased.
We believe return to the higher tolls of
four years ago imperatively required. But
those in power Will not change their course to
suit our views; and we await tie fuller de-
vclopmcnt OF their plans.
| --------u-------------