The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-11

The Underground Railroad Job-Tbe Pneu-
,sa matte Humhng. ~
The Underground Railroad lobby at Albany
have at length coaxed. bought or driven the
Senate and Assembly to report favorably on
their job. The committees of both houses are
Tunnel scheme, and this bill was reported on
Saturday In the Senate; but Mr.. Whitbeck, of
the House committee, is said to have found
something wrong about the matter, and so to
have withheld the bill in the Assembly. The
chances now appear to be that the fight be-
tween the rival lobbyists will become SO bitter,
through the success of the Beach men, as to
Eender the passage of the bill impossible. AT
the same time, every effort will be made to
give members sufficient interest in the job to
secure their votes, as 1t is supposed that a
great many millions Of dollars can be made
out Of it.
If the legislators at Albany desire to do vio-
lence to the wishes of all the real property
owners on Broadway, to destroy millions of
property to needlessly upset the business of
the great thoroughfare of che city, to throw
back the prospect of rapid transit in New York
ten or fifteen years, and to impose all this
outrage, annoyance, trouble and damage upon
the people of the metropolis for the sake of
aiding the fortunes of set of lobby adven-
turers, they will pass the bill now before the
Senate. But if they respect the rights of
property owners if they regard the wishes of
the people, and if they desire to see railroad
actually in operation in New York within the
next three years, they will strike out the en-
acting clause and pass in its place bill to au-
thorize the construction Of two viaduct roads,
running on the east and west sides of the city,
from the Battery to Harlem and Spuyten
Quyvil Greek. We call upon the representa-
lives from New York in the Senate-Messrs.
Benedict, Weismann, O'Brien and Tie
man-tO Lift up their voices promptly
against this outrage upon the city.
They know that all the real prop
erty owners or Broadway, with Mr.. A.
T. Stewart at their head, are opposed to such
q destructivs, impracticable and dishonest job !;
and they know, too, that no sensible man
could be found to invest dollar in such an
undertaking. There are nominal property
owners on Broadway, as in other parts Of the
city, whose actual interests in the real estate
standing in their name is mere trife, who
can be induced to enter into any speculative
Job or to endorse any proposition out OF which
pecuniary advantage can be derived. A
mortgagor whose house is encountered to
the amount OF eighty per cent of its value is
less interested in the property than the mortga-
gee. Mr.. Stewart and others who are the clear
owners of their real estate Oh Broadway are
opposed to the bill, and will resist 1t in the
Courts, as they have before done, should it be-
come q law. They neither desire to raise
money to pay off mortgages nor to use the
influence Of a nominal possession of property
they do E0t actually own es means
of promoting their interests in outside
schemes. The Senate should insist upon
learning the sentiments Of bono .Jfde property
owners before they pass bill that will destroy
the finest avenue in New York, upheave the
whole business Of the city, tumble the build
ings down about the ears of their occupants,
sink large amount Of money in on utterly
impracticabie job, or enable ring of lobby
lists 10 abandon the protested purpose Of the
law and avail themselves of lis provisions to
run horsc-car road along Broadway.
", Tho bill now before the Legislature has
be6d pressed upon the favorab.e notice of
members by fraudulent representations. No
bona fde owner oil real estate on Broadway,
Hcy IL fra ipto IN,
heavily mcrtgaged properly, is in favor of
tearing up and destroying the street for an
experiment hopeless of success. By what
right does the Legislature undertake to over
ride The owRers of property and sacrifice
the interests of men who have built
mp New York to advance the for
tunes of lot of lobby adventures
If our representatives at Albany really
desire 70 give the metropolis what Is so much
needed-ra9id transit by steam through the
whole length of the island-let them pass a
practical law for an enterprise known to be
not only possible, but certain of accomplish
ment. ABroadway tunnel, If ever constructed,
could only be completed at cost that would
render il Impossible TO run cars at rate oil
fare that would accommodate the masses OF
the people, and thus rapid transit would only be
d mockery. We have had enough of these jobs,
and the Legislature cannot do better than
kick them all out of the Capitol, together with
their promoters. The property owners should
at once move In the matter, and we call upon
Mr.. Stewart to head the opposition to this
new attempt to destroy Broadway in the in
terest Of a set OF jobbers and lobbyists, whose
only objecI IL TO make ''strke" out of The
scheme and then 10 abandon it,