The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-09-02

The day il close At hand when the Rapid
Transit Commissioners are required, by the
Law under which they were appointed, TO
report the route and plan Of the proposed
steam railway. For reasons which are doubt
less more satisfactory 10 themselves than to
the community they have kept their proceed
ings secret but the people will have no
lasting quarrel with them on that score If the
upshot a their deliberations shall prove
satisfactory. We have At present nothing to
say or suggest relating 70 the plan Of con-
struction, because. in the multitude Of
projects pressed upon their notice, we can
make allowance for the embarrassment W hich
must attend choice. and because we regard
the plan, despite its great importance, as n
minor question. Amid the multitude of
profercd plans there are probably three or
four which would work very well and fulfil
the requisites Of safety and economy. The
fundamental question on which the success
or failure Of the enterprise is staled
is the selection Of n route. and this
is the easiest problem presented to the
Commissioners for solution, provided they
have the courage and honesty 10 act in
the interest Of the city. unswervod by the
protests and opposition Of wealthy corpora
tions. We are confident that the Commits
sioners cannot be either scared, cajoled or
bribed to betray the city by selecting route
which would repel capital and obstruct pub
lie convenience But the route they ought
to select is so manifest that they could not
disappoint popular expectation without ex-
posing themselves TO dishonoring imputa-
tons.
1t is evident that the west side Of the city
is excluded from serious consideration by
the fact that it has already n rapid transit
road, which is running frequent trains and
growing in usefulness by enlarged accommo-
dations. The Greenwich Street Elevated
Railway takes passengers from the Battery to
Thirty fourth street in less than twenty
minutes, connecting at Thirtieth street
with the local trains on the Hudson River
Railroad. 1t is tolerably adequate to present
wants on that side of the city. Broadway is
excluded by law, and rapid transit road
cannot run through the Central Park The
Rapid Transit Commissioners could have
decided without deliberation, on the
day of their first meeting, that they
had no choice but to select some route on
the east side of the city. The law under
which they act prohibits them from laying
out road on Fourth avenue above Forty
second street, SO that they are practically
limited to some route between the Fourth
avenue and the East River 1t ought not to
be too near the river, partly because the
Harlem boats furnish tolerable accommoda-
ton, but chiefly because it would be n great
inconvenience to the city population to go so
far out of their way to reach the cars. 1t is
too obvious for argument that the Third ave-
nue. is the only route that would really ac-
commodate the public 1t can be said Of
that route what can be said of no other, that
it is continuously built up, on both sides, all
the way to Harlem Bridge and for several
miles beyond. Moreover, its population is
large in proportion to the number of houses.
There are few which are not tenanted by
several families, and the great stream of
travel which overcrowds the surface road on
that avenue is o conclusive proof that there
is no other route on which rapid
transit road would receive so many
passengers, or which would so certainly
tempt capital into the enterprise by the GER
tainty that the road would pay dividends at
once. If the Commissioners do not decide
upon this route, OF which the advantages are
so clear and Incompatible, their motives will
be exposed to the gravest suspicious. What
honest motive could they have for selecting
a route which would not accommodate the
greatest number of people? How could they
clear themselves from the charge of intend
ing to defeat rapid transit if they do not take
the only route which can attract capital
This is a question of which the public is as
competent to judge as the Commissioners
and if they do not decide it in accordance
with common sense the only conceivable ex-
PLANTATION will be that the Third Avenue
Horse Car Company has reached them by ar
guments more potent than all those which
are founded on the public convenience.