New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-29
nOTJvE POUEE ~ TIE STREETS

In commenting upon the new law permitting
street railroad companies 10 exchange horses
for some other motive power. we have confined
ourselves for the most part "a III" terms under
which this authority was granted and to tn"
objections raised IN behalf of Ia" city govcIn-
mcnt against the measure. II i EVIDENT that
a strenuous effort Will be mad" before I'm"
courts 10 prove the law unconstitutional, but
with that we have nothing 20 d.. II IS. how
ever, matter Of vital importance that the
transportation companies sh"rld hav" th"
chance" under proper restrictions, Ia test the
value Of other means Of propulsion. tn" full
measure Of horsepower is Comvl"hend'd has
practically been reached, and i, inadequate. TIL"
public is intensely Interested in tn" discovery
and employment Of some better system. II The
new law should be declared unconstitutional.
we'll and good We have no preference for this
particular statute, but we do not hesitate 10 say
that if the courts should forbid experiments
under this measure, another should b" passed
at the next session Of the Legislature which will
not be open to objection
1t is mistake to suppose that smface rail
roads of some type will ever becom" matter
of small importance in this city. Rapid transit,
bringing distant parts Of the island into close
relations, may be al present our most imp"ra-
tive requirement, but no scheme Of quick com
munication over long distances however com
prehensve and perfect, will ever ohv'atc III"
necessity Of cOmmOdiOus and easily accessible
routes upon the surface. As We have hitherto
said cable roads have not been unanimously
approved wherever they have been tried, bur
there is small reason to doubt that improved
methods of construction have already made this
system on the uptown branchc><,f the Third
Avenue Road superior in almost every re-
spcct, and by large balance Of advantages, Ia
any system operated by horses. There is, fur
thermOrc, no necessity for surprising that the
ultimate measure Of success has been reached
even there.
But still mme promising than tho cable SyS-
tenn is the outlook for electrical propulsion. As
Governor Hill points out, the system which hae
thus far shown the best direct results is that in
which the current is supplied by overhead wires
and that is for obvious reasons out Of the qucs-
ton in New York as it ought " be in every
large city. We are slowly and laboriously get
ting rid Of the network which has long dis.
figured, DISTRACTED and made dangerous the
streets, and it is as certain as anything IAN bC
that the wires now going down will never be
replaced by others erected for different pur-
pose But if it is true, a. we believe it to be
that neither the storage battery nor the conduit
system has hitherto shown itself capable OF
thoroughly efficient work on large scale, we
are far from being reduced to the necessity OF
believing that there is no future for either OF
them. One or both may be hereafter made
adequate to every requirement Of surface traffic
Electrical science is in it's infancy, and in con
templating it's possibilities scarcely any figh
Of fancy even is absurd. We hope to see the
| constitutionality Of the law passed by tho las
| Legislature promptly determined, and II The
decision should be against it, new measure
devised for consideration early in the mex
session. That provision Of the law now undc
discussion which, unless it's effect has beer
] misundentoed makes the consent Of the Rail