New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-05-27
TIE BROOKLYN BRIDGE.
IFTTFR FROM THCfLoW WEED.

u
IsnLY ASSUMED BY NEw-YoRX-BHoo&IHN TIE
SOLE GAMER RI sisIANCE 10 fURilllIE La
PENpIrURts NECESSARY.
70 iL,Editor or The Tribune.
SIR: 1t required a strong rein f'r two o. thIoe
weeks TO hold back an expression oil W"'s' u
astonishnieat ard indignation at vote Oh 'ho
New York Common Council, approved by u'o
Mayor giving nearly S3,OOoOOO tn TIE BROOK
lyn Bridge Company. Tho Inclination 70 pro-
test against th.s recilcss disregard CT tho in'r-
ests and welfare of this city has been roaIi'lhcd'
until a paragraph in TIE T1DCNE Announced q
"rapjd transit triumph from Chicago 20 Liverpool,
via Baltimore. must now, IN imitation % TAG eN-
asperated spinstor, speak OF sp." The S2C0j,0oO
now Appropriated is but the beginning Of The end.
How many more millions win bc required to COM
plete bridge the foundation for which cost nearly
S. 600 600 | Will not even offer conjecture Ino
way public nOueys have been expended, Tor the iaSt
six or seven year5, both in Now-York ana BfooJyh'
teaches lessons which ought to produce = Saln-
tary effect upon the Taxpayers OF both cities
But it is less account OF the money Wlch Is "
be lost than of the obstruction to commerce tat
protest earnestly aud emphaticaJy aEsihSl h'o
bridge. Tho Commoa Council acted III the !&ce u
In defiance of the udenied and undeniaDe
fact that the bridge will compel a largo
number of vessels navigating the East River
to strike their topmasts The only answer of tie
friends Of the bridge was that but few large vessels
wond pass IT, and that it would cost bat "a few DOL
lars to lower III ir Opmasts. This ia fatal adlnis-
sion. Heretofore commercial cites Throughout t"c
world have thrown every possible protection around
that vital interest. Throughout cur country the
tide waters have been declared FREQ by laws when
guarded them scrupulously against DISTINCTIONS
coastwiSe merchant informs me that has house iuT-
nishes and receives froghts from fifteen vessels,
each of which would be compelled to drop It's top
masts before it could pass under the bridge.
From It's %. gin until 1920 the City OF Ne"-lorR
was indebted for its growth and prosperity TO lis
great natural advantages. by the wisdom, patriot
ism and cenragc # Gov Clinton and his friends tic
Eric and Champlain Canals weTo constructed 10
those great n,proyemens the city owed It's contln-
ucd superiority until the advent % railways Up 10
1880 therefore it may be almost SAID that our city
growth was spontaneous. When, however, INC ran
came into use, the laws Of distance began TO tel
against u.s. 1t then became generally known That III
miles Chicago was situated mach nearer Baltimore
than New-York and that ButIIo was nearer fhiE'-
delpha than it is to New-York. This stimulated
other States and cities into competition with New
York With such geographical disadvantages II
became evident to all thinking mon that our ely
unust thenceforward preserve its business By fur
nishing every possible induCement and facility 10
its customers Has this boon dOncj pnh we hope
TO accomplish it by policy Which a"ics rival
cities to undersel' usf While arc not only rcpoS-
ing upon advantages which have disappeared ana
rolling up a debt which imposes burdens that inrst
soon become intolcrabe, Baltimore. Phiiadcip.ha
Boston and Montreal arc reaching westward Tor
division Of tie traffic in merchandise and products
of which New-Yorl so long enjoyed monopoly.
Too many schemes. assuming 10 DO prom0uYe OF
the public welfare originate in interests purely per
,onal. Behind the Brooklyn Fridge as behind our
Boulevard and Riverside Park it would not be
difficult to discern group of iadOEit1O'o real
estate spectators. These enterprsing gentlemen
work up thToug h the mcium of pablo meetings ana
the press popular sentiment III favor OF their IN
provelnents To all this there wo'dd be no uilcctiOh
II the Taxpayers wero not saddied with the e.-
pense The times admOnish cities ~ well "a cliizehs
to econonize. Municipal governments must stop
tonandering public money before city debts become
toe onerous. Nor we afford 10 staye OH the con
sideration of this question. Indeed. there Ii oven
now in tho unprecedented number of E" To Lets"
staring Us in the face throughout the city starting
sdnonition of evils which least their shadows be-
fore" MANY, too many OF the causes OF our
adversely were unavoidable. For others, such for
example as shameful mi;govoinmeht, and equally
= runous if not equally shameful extravaganza ana
NJ luxury We arc directly responsible. The federal
Government il row spending q large amount OF
money to remove the distractions at liurigatc, 30
that large vessels may pass safely through that
diflicult ard dan1orous channel. But of what nso
will that DO if such vessels to encounter new
obstruction in tine Brooklyn Bridge The excava-
lions at IIurlgaSo shOnd be stopped, and the
Brooklyn Navy-Yard abolished if The commerce OF
tie East River Is 20 be ob5Tuctd by bridge under
which LARGE vessels cannot pass freely
Io6ject ~ tie appropriation Of money by orr city
government for the Brooklyn Bridge, nos only boz
- ,,.,iI al.
but because il will not, in any possible way OF man
ner, compensate any other New-York ntci' :. On
tho other hand if what claimed for ii he true. we
should be seriously injured. do not, however, be-
heve that il would have the effect Of seriously de-
popnlating our city. intercourse between New-lork
and Brooklyn is largely confined 10 persons doing
business III the vicinity OF the wlarycS, On either
side Of the river. Such Persons viii contmue to use
the ferries simply because tie transit costs but hyc
minutes while mOIe than twice that time VIII he
required to reach either terminus of tic bridge,
after which y0u have to travel a mile III crossing II.
The bridge will he convenience for fashionablcs,
who will probably divide their afternoon drives b,-
tween Central and Prospect Parks, and for size
"Fonr-in-aand Club" For most other uses it viii
prove a failure. But if all the advantages claimed
in favor Of the bridge should bc realized. every IN
terest Of NcvgYor win be- injured rather than bcne
flied by ITS construction. IT, therefore, the objects
of the bridge be to enlarge tho boundaries and to
increase the prosperity OF Brooklyn At tie cxpenss
of New York why should We coutrOute millions
toward its construction Would It not DO better to
snk our money i'm the East River, for then it would
merely he lost while in using IL 10 enable our neigh
bOrs 10 transfer population aId business I"
Brooklyn we become the willing architects OF Oh:
own rum Are there not other causes enough at
work against us without thu5 voluntarily sacrificing