The New York herald., 1876-11-16
THE CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL.
Question Of Exempting 1t from Payment
If Sewer Permits.
ALDERMANlC ACTION CRITICISED.
Vicar General Qunn's Explanation Of
the Matte,.


Board Of Aldermen in exemptng the trustees Of ST.
Pasrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral from paying the
fees usually charged for making connections With
sewers has given 10 adverse and prejudccd
criticism In equity the Cathedral should be sx-
empted from the payment OF these fees Tor the reason
that the trustees undertook 10 do, at an expense of
900 to themselves what the city under other crcum
would have had to do for them. Az thero was
appropriation Tor the purpose they applied
for ana obtained permission TO construct. ~
their cost sewer extending from Filth to Fourth
avenue. Fynrst street, and they asked in return
that they might bo exempted from the paymcn. OF
tho permits for sewer connections, three in all, for
carrying or the water from tho roof and from the
boilers used Tor heating The sdnce. permit or this
kind usually $40 for house occupying lot OF
srouad twenty-five feet by my feek The law regu-
ntng the matter is embraced In section OF the
vrdinances Of the Common Council as revised In 1866.
and is foIlows:--
s Ten s. % x. b rsd to he n. BG.F Acne
mission connee, rom each house store or building With
any Each hotel boarding house or public
s . sy T ysA additions. Of
THE INTERPRETATION
put upon this ordinance by the Department of Public
Works Is that church comes under tho head OF
public building just well theatre . concert
ball a schoohouse In that view OF the It has
uado no discrimination favor OF any church and LIS
customary way OF charging for such permits accord
Ing 10 the aroa Of ground covered by the building
The charge is eight mills per square foot, which
amounts 70 $40 for $50 square foet the number con-
tanned in lot twenty five by nfty icet The ground
which tho Cathedral stands covers over thrty-lve
such lots or about A. 900 square feet and tho charge
Tor sewer connections would be $500 The block,
belonging to the Cathedral but and OF tho
sewer connections would make the whole about $700
THg ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF rnE CATHEDRAL.
The argument made in favor OF the Cathedral being
exempted is that by OF it's undertaking to con.
ruc the referred has claim TO considera-
ton from the city that tho Cathedral private build
Ing, erected by private corporation which made pur-
chase Of the land whoroon stands sixty years
ago and holds IL In too simple; that being consecrated
forever, according to tho Roman Catholic CUSTOM to
ecclesiastical purposes Its sito, unlike that Of de-
nonpa patlonal church. which may be sold and turned
secular uses, never bo considered available for
building lots, and that At tho utmost It's con-
nccticns could not cost moro than $50, in place of
$780, as Mayor wickham estimates II.
THE ARGUMENT AGAINST
sxcmptlng the Cathedral is contained tho Mayors
veto message, in which he says
granting the privilege which would be conferred In
cas- case which would mot apply with y iess equal force to hs
Tho city used ior religious and pur
barssments numberlcss solicitations for Others which
could not be denied Il this wero granted
VIEWS OF ALDERMEN AND OTHERS
The Board OF Aldermen wcro OF q different way OF
thinking AZ their meeting, october II, they passed
resolution, follows. and II was adopted by unani-
nous vote-
Patck cstheora connect the Cathedral
IN N with s ss
Common Council sa
:nd f svsnSss without the Of The fees usually
II will be observed hcrc, what seems to have
escaped the Mayors attention, that express mention
made Of a sewer "to be bullt at the expense OF tho
said trustees" The Mayor vetoed this resolution
and, as already Indicated, gave as principal reason
Tor dong so that It would set bad precedent Last
Thursday the resolution passed the Mayors
nanrcd nv ousIv for ,hr names Of the votmr Alder
men they are here appendcd:
Affirmative The presdent. Aldermen Billinss Cole, cud-
Norris rnrroy ). Reilly Reilly. saaer Seer. shsis
Neyatirs-Aiderman pnckney.
Tho HERALD reporter yesterday met most OF tho
Al crmcn VINO voted for the resolution and found a
unanimous feeling among them that under tho cir
tumstanccs, as known n them, but with which tho
public had not been as fully acquainted they had acted
property and juslihably. Alderman Purroy said
no I,roccdenls for our action. Why can point him
10 at loast dozen. besides, oven II ihcro not
are doing piece OF CITY work that will hundred
times than the cost OF the connections
ana they entitled 10 some allowance. Republicans
sna democrats ed II with one exception and he
would have voted with tho rest II hc had had time to
consider ~
Alderman Jacob Hess republican, said :--'I don't
look upon tho Catholic Cathedral public building
The meaning oi the ordnance. IL Is private
corporation, aud unlike school hospital. is only
q 10
Aldermen held the same view but chiefly relied on the
Cathedral IN tue enterprise already adverted to Tor
making this case cxCeptoIal
WHAT VICAR GENERAL QUINN SAYS.
Vicar General Quinn said TO the reporter :--"Thnt
matter is easily explained. We are getting fnvor
whatever from the city. We arc doing for the city
lob, and named Sattcry has the contract. that
viii cost ~ s. 900 and the city nothing There
money in the Treasury to do II, and II had 10
DO done, SO wc Sc. 10 work 70 do u ourselves after
getting permission IRON tho city. We are putting
down q sewer Fifly- -nrst street, with prob
ably have about thrca connections with It on that
Asylum next the Cathedral, has itx con-
nect,ons on fifty second street, that wcrc put
IN twenty ye.Is ago ~ We & have s no'nng TO DO with
Trustees OF ST. Peters church for SIS 600 IN tho year
is10 Then there was Joint corporation formed with
the trustees of 81. Pairicks Cathedral, IN Mulberry
slrce,. and this Was aitcrward dissolved and tho
ground 10 tho north Of Finynrst into
hands OF the trustees Of ST. Peters The Cathedral
Will Lc sroat oruament CITY, ana all the stories
about getting iavors from the city connection
With were long since disposed Of IN Tho State senate
BY . republican senator"
Mayor wckLam said nc satisfied no effort was
made by anybody connected With the Cathedral to
have the permit fees RENTED and that II was tho
work OF somebody who thought no might WIN popu-
Isrlty by H. ln connectIon with what the Mayor
hncd at tho reporter heard among the gossips tho
City Hall that q contractor named Anthony Clark,
gagged Cathedral was nj the bottom Of the whole
thing and urged IL his own responsibility, but then
tho Straightforward manner OF Vicar General Quinn,
In speaking OF the matter, lcs little room TO DOUBT
that he OF the trusoo- approved tho action OF
the Aldermen, while his statement explained that ho
considered the trustees wcro entitled 10 tho favor
rKEcEDEyrs SET.
Major Twomsy, Clerk OF tho Board OF Aldermen,
thought Mayor wickhnm wrong In saying IN HIS
veto MESSAGE to the Aldermen that the practice for
twenty ysnrr OF making no exception favor n any
church, religious institution, charitable institution or
private person enterprise In the matter OF permits
ior sewer connections had been rigIdly adhered 70.
ON April I, 1873, Mayor Havcmcycr approved rcsou
ton tho Board granting permit, without fee, TO
build vaults under tho street. the charge Tor such per-
mission ranging from thirty cents 10 81 per