New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-27
TALK OF THE TOWN.
,r,xa TO PUBLIC MEN AND PUB
LIO MATTERS.
.>,n THE DEADLY WIRES.

,,,-,,r1~r AND THE DEADLY WIRES.
MAioN ,,,o, WIN. ground Mayor Hewitt
,,..,,r hIs extraordinary behavior toward Coroner
-. and the fury who are inquirine '"." '" $500
,,neman Murray. / appreciate ''o -.
~',,s.s .s much as everybody Oer'ai"s I" mas uee"
,an, long while since any one OF MS no"'ai
ions, nc MAYORS Office. He has put out stare
ooe"P''u ~. highest character. He has shown con-
pape.s Va ..1orts which few people who did not know
,llv supposed that no possessco IN INC
,,s work Of executing the laws be mas Decn "onue'
- ,sus,rjous and minute In his at'chtlons' anu III
l' ,vs his influence upon puohc anars III .n's
many -, wholesome I suppose, too, that he has
cry @ q, ,ho nropriety all has done, though II is
bc"e ~o,. his support OF the County Democracy
h@'" ~ Lac, fall and his continuous defence OF
~ r,,,ovs since then with an honest and 'intei
,,'r. snpraca,ion of the cItys interests "heh
,s croter comedies that a fatal m'staRe was maui
,,,,nc Felovs's candidacy and openly expresses
- thai he didn't compel Nicois nomination even
iesS. .,rsrss Of a split, It would seem as II Mayor
AZ INC -, afford TO see and admit the truth But
be"' .so,ble with Mr.. Hewitt is that he won't see
'n' a, v,rong and his nervous and irritable tempera
Doept often leads him 100 lar' 49,
T.,s was the case at the Coroners hearing. Every
- IL convinced that these sbonninaoie eic0'ri0
- o,e q constant menace 10 lie. NO one KNOWS
sn bs may accidentally put out his hand OF 1901 ana
~, aru dead in the street before he has time 10 lisp
i'H Already within the last few months human
" p 80 heen taken in that fearful way, and yet
a. notorious that the remedy right at hand and all
rer Of such calamtes can be avoided il somepouy
~ cannpelled 10 do his duty. Coroner Levy IS sHpN
..~ino 10 ascertain at whom the mandamus OF pubic
r should be directed, and II he did less he wonlu
=, salthless official His jury are citizens, not paru-
cans. nor dogs. They are not moved by imperunen'
os,,, nor political hostility to Mr. Hewitt nor by
- ., tho motives which would call for the resentment
81 sensitive man. They called away rom 'her
uess affairs by the laws summons ana oOhgeu u u-
6ertske this inquiry. They have no earthly desl IN 'ne
natter other than to fulfil their obligations as ctizehS'
md that mere fact Of itself should be sufficient TO pro
80. ,hcr, from such violent demonstrations as the
,,ror cave vent TO last Tuesday 1t does not IN the
least excuse him that he has been insulted ana an
moved by that young man Gibbons. The public undef
strands that matter well enough and has little Else thd
eonteupt for Gibbons far as 1t thinks him OF suceu'
consequence to warrant its forming any opinion aDou.
him at all. But although Gibbens's language 10 anu
about the Mayor is objectionable, he is taking the right
de ~ the subway question and Mayor Hewitt Is tax
inc the wrong side. and, anyhow, the Mayor mas no
cbt m vent upon an official IS doing Just what he
bou,d do and body of nofensve citizens the resent
mest which nobody has earned except Gipoens'
Now. here Is the situation right in a nutshell Inc
C.t,r,y po.rd has constructed thirty-seven miles Of
trenches into which everything is ready for the de-
insisting of the wires The telegraph and felephone
duct is capable Of accommodating l31Oo mics Vi WIG
The electric lighting duct has capacity OF ooo es Va
wire This is the kind of wire from which Murray anu
Cher victims received the deadly stroke This WORK
uas all completed last January and the legal ninety
DAYS notice was then given 10 companies Operating
conductors over these trenches that they should deposit
their wires To these notices very little attention has
been paid. so little as to justify inc ueclaf"'i'"
that the companies have set the law at
defiance This was situation seen to be possioie OS
the legislature and It empowered the Mayor IN such al
event and upon the Subway Boards request TO airect
the Commissioner Of Public Works to take down the
no,ss forthwith The Subway Board has called upon
the Mayor to take this action He responded not Dy
directing but by requesting Commissioner Newton 10
do 60 Commissioner Newton replied that ne coniu
not do it, because money had been Appropriated lo
that purpose. And here the matter stahos' "nne
peoples lives are being sacrificed at the rate OF TWO
or three per month.
suppose we take glance at the money question
compled some statistics with regard 10 the WORK OIL
the Board Of Estimate last December, and on turning
TO them find that the total appropriations lor inc
expenses of New-York this year amount 10 S''o'ooo'
600, being increase over those Oh ias' seal %
81 o56g77 d. 1t certainly does seem as II there
rcnt be chance 20 take from that enormous tribute
the few hundred dollars that would be necessary 10 cut
down those refractory poles, now, doesn't IL Conl-
,ss,oner Newton's slice Of the total tax burden Is
50 so 800 an increase Of S43O,oS9 over what ne hau
last wear II really seems, II he were disposed 10 save
the PENNIES here and there, If he would ONLY oHer
the suggestion in all humility, for well Know no" iii
nortant il IS 10 the County Democracy and its GIN
min ward bosses to support their followers at the pup
lie expense-lf would only cut of, say, thiru onS
a third of the political bummers who arc drawing
salaries for nothing in his department, that he might
bc able in the course of week two TO scrape 10
aetber the pary sum enforce this law anu
nrevent the further slaughter of human life. Inc
bureau OF Emcum5rances, which this matter would
properly be referred got along last year on an appro
Dratiou of 10000 This year it receives $4,000 or
$50 Der cent more. Goodness only knows "hat mas
been done with all this money. The ash-Darrel hu-
sance is as bad as ever. The streets at night are
eboked I'D with idle carts and cabs they used 10 De-
II r. IS absolutely necessary for the Democratic ocaS
Of this city, and history so teaches to increase tho
taxes by two or three millions of dollars every Presi-
Dental year they certainly ought 10 be willing 10 spare
the becgary sum required protect life and properly
against these deah-dealng wires, even II they had TO
take IT out of their pockets. There's no rear
cente reader but that they'd get 1t back again VILE
interest.