The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1886-07-03
BTNadhrin'S New York Letter
Special to the CARBON ADVOCATE.


manning ground which encloses ii, and
which by courtesy is called a park. The
old building, over which orators grew
eloquent three quarters of century ago,
looks poor and ruinous.. The eity,which
gathers from its taxpayers over forty
millions of dollars per annum, and
which subsidies her sheriff and a dozen
other officers with nearly one hundred
Thousand dollars year, has not enough
of money left to repair the steps which
lead to her municipal capitol, or to
mend the marble hall now falling 10
hopeless ruin. The building in which
the city once took SO much delight has
an unlhriftY, unkempt look, quite in
keeping with its disreputable associa-
tons. Several persons, are paid large
salaries to keep il in order, but the hab-
il appears TO have become chronic to re-
gard every place in the city's gift as n
snecure, a place with lots to get and
nothing TO dc. 1t is not altogether
What the city paws them, but the large
possibilities which a situation under the
city government affords. Even the
humblest porter is supposed TO have a
political pull, and the keepers of the
principal saloons in the different wards,
when the Departmental fail, are generally
n1, 20 Gt,1 Ill n.
around the City Hall. Oh, if the walls
of the Aldermen's room could speak
what startling tales they could tell In
this dirty dingy room once sat Tweed,
and long before Tweed's time-away
back in the thirties and fortics-men
sat here to whom Tweed and Jaehne
were only worthy successors. This is
by many hundreds of millions of dollars
the richest city on this Western CONT
nent. You can meeo more millionaires
in walk of fifteen minutes along
Broadway, Wall or Broad street than
you could meet in any other city in as
many months; yet, where does its
wealth 60? In twenty years it has taken
from the taNpayers nearly seven hun
dred millions of dollars and it has
plunged it in debt, about one hundred
and thirty millions beside. In front of
the Hall is fine marble fountain: it
was job put up in the golden age of
Tweed and cost many thousands, but it
was empty and dry; the pipes got out of
order and the city was too poor to re-
pair them. Under the shade of the
trees, which thanks 10 benign and
overruling Providence, still grow and
thrive, sat crowds of listless idle people,
Ike Micawber, they were anXiously
waiting for something to turn up.
WHAT'S the matter, my friend? said |
to very stout looking fellow who was
doing in one Of the seats. Hard times.
he replied; the strike threw me ont and
/ hain't had nuthin' to do since. That's
tough, | said. Tough, tough! tough
amt no name for it. Stranger, s'help
me; haven't Lad a taste of whisky for
a week, Just think of it in a land of
liberty. Ye hain't got sich thing as a
loose dime about yer clothes, has yer? |
assured him | had not; that my pocket
change was composed exclusively of
Sl0,0GO checks, and | was therefore un-
able to accommodate hin. l went up
to the Governors room; comfortable
old lady had charge Of the place, and
with the exception that she looked
trifIe older, | could have made an afti-
davit that she was the identical woman
| saw there forty years ago. The room
looks exactly the same, not table or
chair has been altered. Our long line
of Governors, back to colonial times,
look benignantly down from the walls.
and to the right of the door is " .lliam
Pages picture of Governor Marcy, look
ing as if it had been executed by Sc
cond-class house painter. 1t is recorded
that William Page visited this room
several times, and though he pOcketed
50 900 of the city's money for Governor
Marcy's portrait he refused to acknow-
ledge it as his work up to the day of his
death. The Governors room is the
only one that looks as if il had been
swept for the last ten years; in fact it
appears that ii the place is ever to be
thoroughly cleansed it must be purified
as sinners are bv fire.
In the parks, in the saloons and all
along the streets are thousands of idle,
seedy looking men. On every hand is
the cry of hard times, and yet in every
portion of the city buildings are going
up wherever there is spare lot to build
on, and where therc is not they pull
down splendid houses to make room for
buildings more magnificent. Many
years ago the old dry goods firm of
Bowen, McNamee Il Co. erected what
was then thought one of the most mag
niiicent buildings in the country: peo
pie prognosticated the speedy failure of
the concern on account Of their reckless
extravaganza in building. It was oc-
cupied of late years by Dolmonico's res
and was favorite resort of all
the principal bankers and brokers down
town. 1t has been torn down, also the
Bank and the building ad-
joining, to make room for one of those
buildings which are rising in
every portion of the city. Hard times
The times may be hard, but there seems
to be no lack OF money to invest in
building, and it is now regarded as the
very safest investment notwithstanding
our fearful rate Of taxation.
The great Darling will case has ended.
and nothing more romantic has ever oc-
cupicd the attention of our courts for
years. Professor Darling was one of
the most thoroughly scientific men in
the country. As an anatomist il is safe