The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-05-08
The Future Of che Metropolis and
Rapid Transit.

1 YORK ana Its probable future, Whlch, al luis
time especially, possess unusual interest.
In commenting upon the mutations OF trade
during the present century and the odd causes
inspiring them he showed how commercial
glory had come and departed from our modern
cities even as in the course of time we have
seen it come and depart in far larger degree
from Tyre and Venice. His argument was
that unless the rulers and inhabitants OF city
attend diligently to its interests it will fall
into neglect and decay like other human instr
tutions. Many curious instances of this were
cited. At one time the little town of Salem,
Mass, which is now only remembered for its
witches, controlled the East India trade.
ton limited TO home brewed ale and female
education. possessed the whaling tonnage,
while the poor little forlorn city OF Alexandria,
which has been under blight since the war,
did the chief West India exporting trade.
Showing how the prosperity of New York is
a comparatively modern circumstance it is
well to remember that at the close of the last
war with England our city was third IN the
extent and value of its foreign trade, Phila-
dolphin and Boston exceeding It, The pro-
cess Of this growth has been so vast that New
York now controls three-ffths Of all the for
eign trade OF the country. AT the same time
Mr.. Wood saw the rise of influences which, if
not checked, may affect the supremacy OF
New York just as New York has affected
the supremacy of her sister cities.
Our proportion Of the product of
the West is thirty per cent less
than it was ten years ago. While we are
falling off the cities of the new Dominion of
Canada are rapidly going ahead. Montreal
has increased its expectation Of grain to
Europe 253 per cent within five years
Mr.. Wood did not express the fear, but it
was evidently in his mind that unless the
conditions which had led to this change are
arrested New York may fall under the same
decay which is depriving New Orleans of its
once proud position as the metropolis of the
Southwest.
Among the requirements necessary to as
sure the future Of New York Mr.. Wood
gave natural and just prominence to
rapid transit. 1t may seem straining OF
logic to find solution for our decrease IN
foreign trade in the building of o steam rail-
way to Westchester county; but the causes
that lead to the rise and fall OF cities are in
terwoven and widely spread We can only
maintain our metropolitan attitude by making
New York worthy OF its citizens, Of its bust
ness interests, of its manufactures, of its
CONNIE rcial greatness. If we pursue policy
which destroys the good name Of the city, by
permitting bad men to govern it how can we
complain if we have an evil name abroad?
III we allow q Tweed to control our
Treasury and dictate to us who shall be our
judges and legislators and the administrators
OF our finance how can we expect the mer-
chants Of London to have confidence in our
financial integrity? If We permit New York to
fall into the condition Of atrophy +; if we drive
from it its best class of citizens if we allow
cities surrounding it to grow at the expense Of
New York if we make it the interest and
almost the necessity Of every poor man who
would like to have home for his children to
fly from its tenement houses how can we ex-
pect to attract to it those vast commercial and
manufacturing interests which contribute to the
splendor and the welfare of q metropolis?
Rapid transit Is one Of many measures which
we trust to see adopted when we have
wise men in authority men who believe in
the future Of this metropolis and have the
courage and the honesty of their convictions
We support it. not as the only thing necessary,
but as the one thing to be done-and to be
done Immediately. As another step in the
programme Of our future greatness rapid
transit il as necessary as the Erie Canal, the
introduction Of Croton water and the crea-
ton Of Central Park. But when we have
achieved it it IS only step. We must con-
tinue our work. New York must grow in oil
directions like Paris and London. For this
reason we want the Brooklyn Bridge and the
tunnel to Jersey City. There is no reason
why that large and most respectable part of
our population who reside in Brooklyn
should not have absolute communication with
their places Of business in New York without
regard to ice or storm or tide. There is no
reason why the great trunk railroads should
not have their terminus on this island. For
this reason we favor the tunnel to Jersey City.
Ii is 4 mistake to allow the Hudson TO be, as
it were, barrier between ourselves and the
main lines that 60 South and West. We must
have, in time, system Of docks and piers and
warehouses that Will make New York as adj
vantageous to the mariner and the merchant
as Liverpool. We favor the efforts to i'm
prove the navigation Of the East River, to
open the Hell Gate entrance to Long Island
Sound So, from step to step, wherever our
increasing business and population demands
it, We support every measure that viii con-
tribute 10 make New York the metropolis Of
the world.
The cardinal point in this programme is in
rapid transit. Until We are enabled to keep our
people on the island, until we make New York
q home as well as o hotel and business Office, we
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