New-York tribune., 1874-04-23
ALBANY.
THE FARCE OF RAPID TRANSIT.

PASSAGE OF MIR. CAULDwELEs BILL BY THE ASSEM-
BIY-No OPPOSITION FROM TDE VANDERBILT
rNTEREsr-A PROJECT NOT LIKELY TO BE Exc
cUTED.
lYRox THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF rHE TniBUsE.I
ALBANY. April 23.-One of the bills introduced by
Mr. Cauldwell for rapid transit in New-York came up
as the special order in the Assembly this morning,
and was read through. slightly amended, ordered
TO a third reading and passed i'll less than an hour
The bill is not the one first introduced by Mr. Cauld
well-appointng a commission to locate route and
adopt plan Of quick transit-but it Incorporates
company consisting of John Schuyler, W. D. west
cot, Thos. A. Vyse, Robert Stuyyesant. Lewis b
Brown, Jonathan Edwards, Henry Lewis Morris,
John T. Shelton, VIM. Tracy, VIM. Z. Conner,
Douglass Campbell Jordan l.. Mott, and Eugene
Schiefelin and authorizes them to build road
beginning in the neighborhood of the City Hall, and
running thence through blocks crossing under the
Bowery, and thence east of the Third-aye. to and
across Harlem River The Company Is to purchase
the right of way through blocks and run under
ground at the streecrOssngs, so as not to interfere
with the public thoroughareS or with private rights
in any manner.
The plan is similar to that known us swans
three-ter road" which already has charter, except
that the two upper tiers or tracks in Swains plan
are omitted As there is but little chance Of Its ever
being built owing TO the enormous cost not only OF
construction. but Of acquiring the right OF way Sr
Vanderbilt and the Third-ave. Horse-Rairoad Com
pany condescended to allow it to go through the
Assembly without their opposition Had the Dill
nterfered in any way with their vested rights IN
horse-railroads they would doubtless nave sup
pressed it summarly. Their faithful servants on
the floor of the Assembly stood ready to do II, out
the signal was not given and so they kept their
hands off. They even showed the magnanimty OF
their master by praising bill that he had no motive
in killing.
Mr. Lincoln pronounced il the best " commission
billy that had been presented TO the Legislature
this session. and proceeded to contrast the attention
it had received from the press with that which had
been given to the Eastman bill, attributing the di
ference entirely TO the modesty on the one hand and
the opposite quality the other OF the anthors OF
the two bills Mr.. Weed also praised the BILL as did
Col Spencer, Mr.. Lake, and Warner Miller. Mr'
Miller said that it gave him great pleasure to listen
to the euloges pronounced on this bill by members
of the Railroad Committee, and to hear the Chair
man of that Committee say il was the best bill OF
tle session. He was somewhat astonlshed, now
ever on looking at the heading OF the Dill, 10 see
that it was reported from the Railroad Committee
some time after the Vanderbilt and Thrd-ave oilis'
and instead of being reported fayorably was re-
ported simply for consideration" de wondered
why the Railroad Committee had not discovered the
merits of this bill while it i'll their hands, but
bad thrown suspicion upon it by reporting 1t tor
consideration"
This palpable hit at the Railroad Committee was
greatly relshed by portion of the House, and some
kind of an answer to it was deemed to be neces-
sty for the Committee. Smith NJ Weed undertook
the task and the excuse he gave for the action OF
the Committee was that the reason why the Rail-
ii sTr anll vvpl
consideration" Instead of fayorably was because
there was already in existence, and had been for
two years. charter for quick transit precisely SIM
liar to this BILL with the exception that it proposed
three tiers of railroad tracks instead Of one; and
inasmuch as nothing had been done toward the con-
stction of the road already chartered, the Commit
tee thought that the public might regard 1t as
tri1ing with the quick transit question to recon-
mend another bill like the one that had proved OF
so little value to the public.
When the roll was called on the fnal passage of
the bill Mr. Eastman, under request 10 be excused
from voting undertook to reply to Mr. Lincoln, who,
he said. had gone out of his way to throw mud"
upon his Eastmau's bill. He said the gentleman
from Ontario had pronounced the bill now under
consideration the best commission bilP that had
been introduced this session, thereby displaying bis
ignorance of what he was talking about for the bill
was not " commission bill" at all, and therefore
could not be contrasted with the bill introduced by
himself. The Speaker here interrupted Eastman,
and said that hereafter when members asked to be
excused from voting, he should conne them strictly
to the rules They must limit their remarks to as
signing reasons for their request to be excused Mr..
Eastman said that he should insist upon replying to
the remarks of the gentleman from Ontario, but
under the ruling of the Speaker he would take some
other occasion to do it. For the present he would
withdraw his request to be excused from voting,
and vote favor OF the bill. The vote on the bill
stood SO to-.
CIrBPENT TOPICS AT THE STATE CAPITAL,