The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-18


ont into the upper parts of the island and
into the new territory. If we do not secure
''rapid transit at once, without further delay
we shall check our onward progress and risk
the destruction of the prosperity of the city.
We are entirely Indifferent as to what plan
of steam travel may be adopted or to whom
the franchise for railroad may be given.
We believe that the most practical project,
the one most certain of success and which
promises the most speedy completion, is that
OF two viaduct roads running the whole
length of the city-one on the east and one
needed, from river to river. We
believe that such roads, honestly
built by the city under the supervision of An
unexceptionable commission, would pay their
running expenses and the interest on their cost,
besides accommodating sinking fund for the
redemption of the bonds issued for their con-
struction. But we are just as willing that an
elevated road, or an underground road, or any
other shall be built, and built by private en-
terprise, provided the work is certain to be
done. If practical men and men of capital
will undertake to give us a railroad we are
ready to bestow all the benefits of a franchise
upon them. Ali that we insist upon is that
no jobbers lobbyists, legislators or other
speculative Adventures shall be allowed to in
terfere with or become interested in this great
public work. for they would either defeat it
altogether or make it so costly by their steal
&c
of its real benefits. road must not only
be built, but it must be built so
honestly and economically as to secure to
the people the advantage of low rate
of fare. 1t would only be a mockery to the
working classes and to all men of small in
comes to run a railroad from the City Hall
to Harlem for fifteen or twenty cents The
people must be provided with ''rapid transit
at rates but little, if any, higher than those
charged on the present horse cars. If any
passengers desire extra luxuries or special
accommodations let them be provided and
paid for on the plan now adopted in the
drawing room cars" seen at rare intervals on
one of our city lines. But the laboring man
and the poor clerk must be thought Of in
this matter The great bulk of our popula-
ton is composed of men Of moderate means,
and they are compelled to sacrifice the health
and morals Of their families, to forego all the
comforts Of home, and to acquire
loose and dissipated habits, while hordes
of greedy spectators are struggling
for the prize q e valuable franchise.
There is no good reason why the progress
Of the city should be checked, why real estate
should be locked up in unproductiveness, why
the expenditures already made in the upper
part of the island should be thrown away, and
why the main advantages of the annexation Of
the Westchester towns should be sacrificed,
when steam railroad, which scores of hon.
est, practical men and capitalists are prepared
to construct, and which the city might profit
ably build, would at once remove the cause of
such evils. All classes of our citizens are in
terested in this important subject, and we
shall not cease to urge immediate action on
the State Legislature Our city Senators and
Assemblymen in especial will be held re-
sponsible for the passage of a law which shall
be free from all faint or suspicion of jobbery,
and which will secure to the people without
further delay the means of rapid transit
through the city, SO that they may be liber-
ated from the extortions of landlords and
enabled to live as civilized men ought to live,
in decency and comfort