New-York tribune., 1879-04-26
THE PlPID TRANSIT CoMPROIUSE.


Two DAYS ago THE TRIBUNE urged upon
tbe reprcscntatlves of this city in the Legs
lature the necessity of watching with the
most jealous care all legislation affecting a
change of routes by the elevated roads. That
necessity is suddenly emphasized by the agree
ment arrived at yesterday between the two
roads. The energies which have been en-
ploycd in negotiation with each other VIII
now be used, in the case Of one OF the COM
panies, at least, upon the Legislature and II
our citizens are not vlgilant great business
interests will be irrctncyably damaged. There
are more ways than one of obtaining yalua-
ble concession at Albany, while there IS but
one way of resisting successfully the assaults
of q rich corporation upon Legisatule-the
way of an organized and emphatic public
opinion.
The compromise between the roads leaves
the Metropolitan comparatively well off. The
New-York has found itself obliged to yield to
fine Drior claim of the other road to the route
from Chatham-square and along Pearl-st. to
South Ferry. The Metropolitan road must pay
the cost of the structure already erected, and
NAV submit to tax upon its receipts; but 1t
thus secures, without the necessity of further
| legislation, a continuous and advantageous
route on the East Side from South Ferry to
Harlem. The New-Yorli road, on the other
hand. finds its line ending just above the
| CITY Hall with its Chatham-Square branch,
and will inevitably seek to extend it.
II is generally agreed on what route this
road has fixed its cOyetous eye. Its apparent
purpose is to gain legislative permission to
| extend its line down Park Row to Broadway,
! and down Broadway to Bowling Green. The
! bill suddenly produced by Mr.. Seebacher III
/ the Assembly Railroad Committee the other
! dov. soon after the arrival of Mr.. David Dud-
lev Field in Albany, apparently permits this
extension to be made, and wholly omits the
/ customary provision that the consent OF the
propcrty-owners along the line shall be OBJ
! tanned. The only visible restriction is tha. the
! new route shall be approved by the authori-
tics. supposed to mean the Commissioner OF
/ Public Works-a power which the citizens OF
! Ecw-Yorl, will not resign 20 one man.
/ # seems almost unnecessary to point oat the
cnmmity of this scheme, and yet ii such
Z matters as these, the iJinest facts are those
usually which need 20 bemost dwotu upon. The
proposed extension would 60 far to destroy
| the last remaining Park in the lower part OF
the CITY, it would actually destroy, in large
measure, the most valuable property interests
! in New-l ork. Let any one conceive. for a mo-
mcnt, the effect of running noisy elevated road
along Broadway, both upon the great traffic OF
the street itself and the enormously valuable
propcity which lines il upon both sides, and
! then ask himself whether the Seebacher bill
should not have the life stamped out of IT al
once Elevated roads are painful necessities
il seems, upon Manhattan Island; but they
should run upon streets where the damage tC
real estate and the friction with traffic vii
both he IA slight az possible; not upon Parl
Row, which constantly swarms with vehicles
where our only downtown park is and wher,
stand the great public buildings, both %
the local and National Governments, no
upon Broadway, where the business of
continent is done IN some of the finest busi
ness palaces in the world. The Broadway