The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-03-13
sIxTH AJENUE PROPERTY HOLDERS
For Rapid Transit. hut Against the Stealing
of the Public streets.

Property holders opposed TO the Gilbert
Elevated Railroad held an indignation meeting
at the Masonic Hall. Twenty-thrd street and
Sixth avenue. last evening Mr.. t. A. Morrison
was Chairman and made the first speech.
Owners and occupants of property in the Sixth
avenue he said. were entitled to light and air
They had not met 10 protest against rapid
transit, but against the ceding Of n great and
valued highway TO II railway corporation.
Mr.. Josiah p. Fitch. tho lawyer. next ad-
dressed the meeting. He was obliged as New
Yorker he said, to blush whenever he saw one
Of these unsightly railway structures that q -
figured some of our streets. Like tilr nrst
speaker. he was for rapid transit, hut IN the
right way. and under equitable conditions. No
property should be- used or injured without first
being paid for. The state has no right to steal.
When the STATE acquired tho land now used for
streets. the land was drdi'nl"d lor use rs "A
highway and not fOrnny other purpose; andthe
State has no right 10 divert i To any other pur-
pose. Isn't il pitiful. isn't II moan for the state
to sneak up and put something nlongside OF a
mans property whrh destroys II. and then To
say, Il didn't take your properiyy Now this
ought not to be built We ARE told that 1t is COW
cred all up with fraud-in It's INCEPTION and over
MOhilior in II. That they nropOse TO issue stock
for t50OOOO per mile, whefeas u is " cost but
100000 per mile There are also n to be issued
first mortgage bonds for VI 900 900 per milo.
| and second mortgage bonds for the Same
| amount
Gen. Eghcrt l.. Ninlc, the civil engineer. called
| the Gilbert Elevated Railroad the con'eit Of an
| IDIOT wrought out for tho dcstru tion Of luna
| tics-a bogus, fraudulent stru ture. Thomas
| f. Field. who lett his country Tor his country 3
good stood godfather 10 T. Gen. Niele spoke
| 0f the present owners of the Greenwich street
| Elevated Railroad ns old gentemen who bought
| up n lot of old iron in Greenwich street Tor
| si25 900. Now" he said. " see this road in
The Stock Exchange list ma representing fl0.-
900 600 OF bonds and sl2ono 900 of sto K s22 :,
| OOOOOO inr throd ron" The problem of rapid
| transit has been solved ms fnr down ma Forty
| sYcond street from the Harlem ryrr and
| the whole solution of the question Hes in con
| tinuing the underground railroad down TO the
| Battery. But there II not S22 900 profit IN it,
The Chhirmnnth hen rvnd u proamhonnd rnso-
Int uns declaring that the spirit OF the meet ne
WIS to prot st against tho unslghty and unsafe
| stru turrs put up 10y spectators IN the leading
| streets and avenues OF tho city. and resolving
That the only true practicable and proper system o
Ia- upun sound engineering principles one that has
streets and avenues the city TOR their legitimate ~
aud occupancy nnd one that gives Just cOinsnsanor
inr ANY dimars that may Ue sustained by property u
| its consti.e uOn.
| II was also resolved TINT committee of one
| hundred, representing the sveral property
owners nssoontiOns. lay the true state OF facts
| before the Legislature.