The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1886-02-07
zHE TWO BRIDGES.
Hudson nfembers nof Solid for The Bridge ai
9eg the Gap-The Staten Island Bridge.

Hndson Members MOI Solid for The Bridge ut
ss the GapThe Staten Island bridge.
TRESToN, Feb. Sit is likely that the
bridge discussion will begin to attract at
tention next week. The Washir gton street
bridge scheme is in the Assembly chamber
in two or three different shapes. One Of
the pending bills removes the legal obstruc-
tions that stand in it's way. Another au-
thorizes the bridge. The ship canal pro-
jet. which many mDre citizens than are
advocating the bridge believe will contrib
ute wonderfully to the growth Of Jersey
City, may effect sentiment among Hudson
county members. upon the question Of the
bridge and unanimous push on the part
even of the Jersey City Assemblymen for
the bridge need not be looked for The
ship canal enterprise has been old since
Sheeran introduced it into the Assembly.
It looks to the encircling of the city with
waterway wide enough to permit of the
passage of vessels to any point upon its
banks, and is designed to make amends for
the loss of water front the city has sus-
tanned by the liberal gifts she and the Leg
| islature have both made to the great COR
porations. Such waterway would, it is
urged, be valuable in sanitary point of
view by serving to drain the Meadows in
the very heart of the city but especially
and chiefly valuable in leading to the erec-
ton of vast systems of warehouses along its
course. It is proposed to utilize the Gap
| in the gigantic enterprise, and the bridge at
| Washington street for which some mounte-
banks are so loudly clamoring would be re-
| garded as an obstruction to its eventual
use as q part Of the canal system It is for
| this reason that some of the Hudson As
semblymen are rather disposed to favor the
| t7nneI scheme that Matthiessen & WEIGH
ers have presented to the Legislature
! through the bill introduced by Major Pelou-
| bet one day thus week.
The other and laroer bridge enterprise,
which contemplates the spanning of Staten
Island Sound in the interest of the Balti-
more & Ohio r. r., is regarded with as lively
| an interest by members from all over the
State as the little penny bridge at WASH
| ington street is by the Hudson members.
\ Four weeks of the session have now gone.
! and no bill specifically authorizing its con-
struction has yet found its way to the
| clerks desk in either house. Statesmen
| who feel that $500 compensates them but
poorly for many weeks of labor, begin to
! fear that no bill may be offered, and are
beginning to turn their eyes upon Senator
4 O0dGo ACG 1OIBluulUS b1o tESCtlOu VI Autck
State bridges without the express consent
of the Legislatures as the objectiof all their
hopes. The Baltimore & Ohio people claim
that the General Railroad law permits the
construction of the bridge without any
further legislation, and fear that bill
specially authorizing the bridge might be
regarded as their concession that the spec.
ial consent of the State is necessary before
they can proceed. Chace's bill, they say,
/ proceeds upon the theory that the General
Railroad law gives them all needed author.
ity in the premises, and is designed to des
troy its efficiency in that direction. They
more than half admit in their argum enfs
that the bill Of the Middlesex Senator will
cripple their enterprise, and they will make
warm opposition to its passage. The
i liveliest railroad circus that the Legislature
has seen in many years will be provoked
by the attempt to pass it. Nor is the re-
suit of the contest SO certain as some wise
i acres think. The refusal of the Legislature
to pass Pasker's memorial to Congress is an
indication that the great corporations that
have heretofore bossed legislative matters
in the State have the Assembly, at least
less thoroughly and less perfectly in hand
this year than usual and they may moi
find it easy work to hold the majority
4 against the insinuating advances OF cor
j poration as powerful and as rich as any o.
4 them.