The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-29

The Underground Railroad Jobs as Al
bany-The Disgrace Of the Reform Log
islature.
Two rival gangs Of lobbyists are striving to
for New York underground railroad along
Broadway. One is known as the Beach
pneumatic scheme, and the manner in which
It's projectors seek to push it through the Leg
islature is told in the letter Of a correspond
emit from Albany published in the HERALD
to-day. The company, purporting to have
been organized under q general law of the
State, is said to have already issued five mil
lion dollars of its stock without onsideration,
and to have incurred besides three hundred
and seventy thousand dollars debt. However
this may be 1t is certain that the project, like
all of its kind, is simply lobby scheme to
make money other than by the legitimate con-
struction of railroad for the accommodation
and benefit of the people of New York. and
can only be carried through by the lavish dis
tribution of bogus stock among legislators,
lobbyists, Bohemans and strikers of every de-
scription. The other job is known as the
central underground scheme, is precisely
of the same character, and seeks to beat
it's rival only by more liberal dis
tribution of the spoils supposed to be
embraced in it among the members
of the reform Legislature and the
leaders Of the Albany lobby. Both are noto-
riously corrupt jobs, and in both instances the
most valuable franchises and the most impor-
tant interests of the city are proposed to be
placed in the hands of a gang of unknown
spectators, who have no right to make the
impudent demand and who would not be vol
UNFAIRLY invested by the people of New York
with any public trust.
A State Legislature that would thus outrage
the rights and disregard the interests Of the
people of the metropolis would be worthy Of
the worst days Of Tammany rule. Every
bona Jide property owner on Broadway pro-
tests against the tunneling Of that street.
The citizens at large demand that the city
shall build their railroads, and that the fran
chises shall not be placed in the hands of ir-
responsible and obscure men, whose only
| object is to make money out of them without
regard to the public interests. Every COM
petent engineer in the city admits that an
underground road could only be built under
Broadway at the risk of the serious
damage of all the property and at the
certainty of the destruction of a large number
Of the most valuable buildings on the street,
and that the capital required for such work,
even supposing it to be practicable at all,
would be 80 large as to deprive the great
mass of the people of the real benefit of rapid
transit through necessitating high rate Of
fare. Yet the so-called reform Legislature is
fighting and scrambling within its own body
| over these two shameful schemes of plumber
and destruction, and the only question is,
Which corrupt scheme can manage to buy up
the greatest number of votes? ,
We now call upon the authorities of the
city, as we'll as the property owners on Broad
way, to protest against this guerilla action Of
the Albany legislative plunderers, so that the
men who now infest the State Capitol may
have no excuse for their venal votes. Let the
Mayor of the city, the President Of the Board
of Aldermen and the Comptroller protest. in
the name of the city, against this violation of
| it's rights. Let Mr.. Stewart and other large
owners on Broadway declare their opposition
to the destruction of their property by any
gang of irresponsible spectators and lobbyists.
We are aware that there is q general reliance
on the Governor to veto the bills should they
be passed, and that it is regarded as more
agreeable and profitable to appeal to the
Executive than to mix up in the dirty pool OF
Albany corruption. But the mask should be
stripped from the venal men who sit in the
State Capitol and assume the character of
honest reform Legislators. Not one of them
but knows that these city railroad bills are
foul and rotten with corruption, and that they
are passed. not in the interests of the people of
New York, but of set Of greedy Adventures.
If there were a spark of genuine honesty and
integrity in the Legislature bill would be
passed, without regard to the lobby, author
zing the city to build two great viaduct rail-
roads, one on the North River side and one on
the East River side; but in this there would
be no pickings and stealings for the members
and their friends. We call upon some of the
sincere reform representatives at least to make
the attempt to pass law allowing the people
of New York to decide by popular vote at
the next charter election whether such roads
shall or shall not be constructed as public
works by the city. BY this means we shall
get upon record the names of the Senators and
Assemblymen who in reform Legislature
dare to vote in favor of notorious corruption-
lists and lobby Adventures and against the
free expression of the wishes ofthe people.
| The CINoINNATT CONVENTION. Chi
cago Tri5une-quasi administration-holds