The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-23

IOTk, III IL does uOt IbIOu OVe1 IIihiu
land" to Poughkeepsie, will in q faWyears at
least march out of reach of the bewildered
imagination of our present Chief Magistrate
Rapid Transit-The Proposed Third
Avenue Elevated Railroad.
The bill introduced in the Assembly to grant
q franchise for an elevated railroad along the
Third avenue to Harlem bears suspicious
appearance upon its face. The incOrporators
named in the bill are mainly the directors and
stockholders of the Third avenue horse car
line, with sprinkling of ancient politicians
who have no particular reputation as railroad
men, except it be in making money out of the
franchises. The annual report of the Third
avenue road shows that. with capital stock Of
two million dollars, its gross receipts last year
were over two millions and its net earnings
close upon million, or nearly fifty per cent
upon its capital Rapid transit would injure no
other city railroad SO greatly as it would injure
the Third avenue, and the question which will
occur to every mind is, whether the
stockholders of this richly paying route
would be likely to give up voluntarily
a business which pays them back their whole
investment in two years to embark in
costly speculation whose profits, however
good, could not be expected to be anything
like so large? The suspicion will force itself
upon the people that the incorporators may
seek this valuable franchise only in order to
exclude other projects, and with the intention
of preventing the construction of steam
railroad, at least for two or three years to
come. SO that they may be left for some time
longer in the enjoyment Of their present
enormous profits. We have had experience
in the past which should guard us against
this danger. 1t is just possible that the stock
holders Of the Third avenue road realize the
fact that rapid transit cannot any longer be
delayed, and hence desire to seize upon the
project of route along their present line and
make the best out Of it that they can. But
the fact that the interest of wealthy city
road is represented in the bill is not calcu-
lated to excite confidence in the scheme.
AS we have repeatedly said, we are indif-
ferent in what shape rapid transit may come
Or to whom its certain advantages may accrue
provided we secure the construction of steam
railroad or railroads through the whole length
of the city in as short time as possible and
with the certainty that the cost of travel win
place it within the reach of oil our citizens.
But we must not be cheated in the matter, nor
allow another underground will-o the wisp to
lead us astray. The subject is one too vitality
important to the people to be triAed with or
gambled with, as in former years. We have
reached point in our career at which we
must have the means of travelling from
the Battery to the Westchester border
by steam cars in half an hour or abandon oil
hope Of the further growth and prosperity Of
the metropolis. Rapid transit is now not
alone our great want, but our absolute neces-
sity. It is on this account that the people are
willing to favor any scheme that means bust
ness and promises success, and it is on this
account that the Legislature should carefully
guard against trickery or jobbery in any measure
that may be proposed. The safest and wisest
plan would be the passage of a bill creating q
thoroughly respectable and reliable commits
sion, with power to build the road on the
city creO1J Or WIN the concurrence OF GER
tain Of the city authorities, to allow its con-
struction by private capital under such
regulations as they may deem proper to
impose. We should thus get the
whole subject within the control of q
local board in which the people would have
confidence, and the result would be no longer
doubtful. The Commissioners would have
the power to build two viaduct or elevated
roads, one on each side of the city, or to
build one road, or to grant restricted charter
to private company for the construction Of
one or both. They would be restricted to no
single plan, but would be at liberty to adopt
the best that might Offer Such law would
not possess the faint of jobbery; there could be
no suspicion that its design might be to defeat
rapid transit altogether, and it would take the
subject out of the hands of the Legislature and
place it under the control of those who are
interested in 1.-THE citizens of New York.
Will not some public spirited Senator or
Assemblyman turn deaf ear to the lobby
and introduce such bill?
GERMANY AND FRANCE-THE Power OF
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