The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-05-12

The Fourth Avenue Improvement.
The announcement that the Fourth avenue
improvement has been so far completed that
there are cars now running as far as Ninety
sixth street will be received with as varying
emotions by our people. Men of practical
turn of mind will rejoice that this fine work
is SO nearly at an end 1t is the completion
Of one of the finest monuments Of engineering
in the country. 1t is a step toward rapid
transit. Now that we have steam travel from
the Battery to Thirty fourth street, and from
Forty street to the Harlem River, we
even than that OF the railroad ring to prevent
the achievement of steam travel over the
whole island
There is another aspect in which the com
pletion of this improvement commends itself
to our sympathies Since the fall of the great
Tweed empire and the exile of the Tammany
Napoleon TO the st. Helena of Blackwell .
Island a great number of statesmen have
been employed on this useful undertaking.
Those who care to moralizs upon fallen great
ness will find visit to the tunnels and
equeducts of the Fourth avenue improvement
useful ernnd Here in steady, hard employ
ment, blasting the uncongenial rock, lifting
the heavy stone to its place, scraping,
drilling, stamping, digging and delving,
arc the men who only q few years ago,
were the administrators Of our justice, the
disbursers Of our revenue, the collectors of
our taxes, the makers of our laws. In the abb
sence of accurate statistics we cannot say
how many Tammany statesmen have found
relief and opportunity in the Fourth
avenue improvement. Here they have
been digging at two dollars q day,
awaiting the return of their Emperor
with his Imperial followers. What will
become of these statesmen now that the
Fourth avenue improvement is fnished1
Mayor Wickham and the Bourbons show no
disposition to restore the old rulers to
power. The sturdy yeomanry Of Mullingar
who followed Genet and Norton and Sweeny
in the olden times, voting early and voting
often, are not bidden into the municipal coun-
ell The darlings of the Manhattan Club, like
Fitz John Porter, 'Bsldy" Smith and
Townsend Cox are in authority. Genet is a
wanderer in foreign lands, Fields lards the
lean boulevard as he tramps around Brussels,
Norton is establishing an honest reputation as
the champion clam opener Of Coney Island,
and there is no leader left to rally the discom-
flied democracy and summon back the spirit
Of the old days.
The question, what the Tammany statesmen
will do now that they have finished the
Fourth avenue improvement, is q serious one.
Mayor Wickham does not seem inclined to
give them share Of his patronage. They
might Ego West" taking advantage Of the
present decrease in railway travel The fu-
ture is not encouraging. They might 90 back
to Mullingar on the present reduced Storage
rates, were there any inducement to return to
Ireland 1t is very hard, however, to tear
themselves away from New York As we
are, with all Of our strifes and differences Of
opinion and faults, in the main q charit table
people, would it not be well for the Manhat-
tan Club rulers to found fund for the relief
Of the fallen and unfortunate statesmen Of
the Old Tammany empire2