New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-25
VHATBROOKLYN TALKS OF.
c,n,pSrs At MEN AND THINGS on THE
,oxc ISLAND SIDE OF TIE EAST RIVER

Of M ~tu
MANY o,hor men who have served thcir reno" ''N0,'
~eu and won an honorable and lasting Tp''d'"" :"
.ho civ NJ Churches. Mr.. Ropes was not n'",O "
prooh,vp and in fact. did not take mp Ms TV''
there until he fort' two years OF AK ~.
welfare of his adopted city was eve. deA I" ''"
no sncnt much time and effort in promo''- "V'
interests An index TO the clnra''e' u va ~
furnished in the remark which he mace ho' wa a
,ha, hc coud not have been hired 70 DO "'d' "0 ''
done for the CITY for salary Of r1oo"o -
most NJ his public service a free VIII o"o'"e
t,e community Of which he was ono OF t'o J"
publc spirited and large minded members ...tdo
supp,Sc that Mr.. Ropes was niue" n'''"" oi,,
Of Brooklyn. excepting. Of com Se' III IA" ,id. ht
Salem where ono Of his brothers receh|N w
IN the city where he made MS home Tor h''rN ',','
Gears hi, name was syronyme ior a" "''' a., m
,o.rles. and sclf sacrificing Mr.. Ropes "d' N'o -"
compromising foe of the Democratic '"r ~,
done 50 much injury 70 BrookNn' anu wa ~ '''i
zealous in his efforts 10 redeem t1e d""'''''' '' 80
the nublic charities Of Kpss County ii'" INV H.nr
# tbe spoier, who had long worked '"c" WI" IA N''.
,onar,mcnt For his WORK here alone nc u o'"ll"
>, a. ,,.i,, graf tude OF his f'lIo" clt zehN. me
,o.,,ro, sacriGce which he made IN accepting llc
osce ~ Commissioner Of CITY Works "leh VIZ 10"
w,s FIRST elected Mayor-not 10 mention III" SpT'
which he manifested in the movement WHICH or""-"'
obout tho nomination Of Mr. Low and the subsequent
reform adminstration-waS another notable incident
o. bts rscsuI career ON the whole, Mr. Ropes WIS the
,do,l citizen ever ready 20 respond t. the demands
which the public might make upon him; never seek
inc political prccrment. but not feeling al liberty Il
decline when called upon to serve the community of
pnassallable integrity LIBERAL in spirit, and endowed
with rare social gifts and grace>
II Is unfortunate. from point of view. that
the recent scandalouS performances Of the Bridge
Trustees were not pcrpetrated few weeks earlier
There is little doubt that If they had been the
rv.U1d NOT IaNe fail IN DlTfA
obviously desirable work OF encctinS the reoreanza
tion Of the management OF Bridge affairs which has
long been necessity in the eyes OF clear sighted
and impartial observers Of the method, which have
characterized the work Of the trustees The attempt
n put advertising signs in the Bridge cars had
hardly been folcd by the discovery that 10 leeal
authority could be discovered for the action they had
taken when the fact that they had been PLAYING as7
and loose in the matter Of the contract for printing
Fridge tickets was brought t. lish The effort 10
make it appear that tho course pursued was straight
forward and honorable is rather sorry. The plain
fact IS that there no fair competition for TIE
contract and that bargain might just A. well
have been made without entertaining the idea Of
any competition Whatever one company was viz
tually told what another lad bid. TINS gaining mark
etly unfair advantage il is. however hardly su'pr.,
Ing that President Howc, should pursue such course.
lie admitted without disguise a few DAYS ago that
he had prevarca,cd" in falling VIII s1m, reporters
and there 10 be- no Of remed,ing II except
by dcprvinc ne trustee, o, AL power whatever. TIL,
occurrence viii bc an excellent argument for the al
vocaes Of the abolition O; The trustees 10 make
Of next winter. II should not De forgotten
Dr. Chamberlain Of the Classon Avenue Prcsby-
terian Church. has decidedly increased admiration
for Governor Hill since he had occasion Ia call on the
Governor number 81 times recently ~ regard 10 the
bill Incorporating the proOyn Institute Of ATS and
Sciences IT seems that the Governor scrutinizcd The
bill with the care. and caused 10 i" sent
back 70 the legislature twice before ne finally approved
II. Thus It had to he passed three times before II
became law. one Of the Governors objection,
to II was that it did not contain the fun # tho
incorpoTatOrs; in some cases only thc Ial'als had
been used and this Mr.. Hi Gemurlcd 10 decidedly.
d. Chamberlain tame away from Albany with tie
belief that II the Governor gives as quCn attention
To all the bills sent 10 him by the Legislature he
paid 10 the Institute bin ne must find his time pretty
fully occupied. AID that the people have no ground
for complaint that he is lacking in panstaknc care in
the consideration Of the subjects brought 10 his attcn
ton. Or. Chamberlain, by the way, in personal
appearance suggests The Governor. especially i'll the
fact that neither Is well furnished in the matter of
hair. lie tells story himself which touches thi,
very matter. It is about man who said he should
greatly like to resemble Or Chamberlain in many
respects: but he was perfectly that he would
never be able to make ".uch WIDE part In his hair"
There a striking contrast between the modest
ceremonies which married Tie breaking Of ground for
the Washington Memorial Arch in Ncw-Yorb the Other
day and the flourish Of trumpet with which the
80 -, CIV "' 800 nv" '' "'' '''P',,
~ '"
"a "''-'''" ''''''
I,l' - ,''- '''''' ~ ''''"- 'i' '"."'
- a., - . 49,, @, ' 1' ''' 49, ''' I'm
a., - 80, 49,, .., we"
10 stfnd,t.ll. and nothing las since been done
Tho interval has Afforded abundant time for the or
eauizat.on If a movement t. have The arch pl3cod
IL the best position possible for il. in the quarter
where II l. T. stand Tins matter seems 70 have been
allowed = - by default however Morcs the pity.
since the cost o moving the fountain which oocuuic,
tie very best site Tor the arch ""'d hardly have been
more than the n-SlG'Do-"Ach the Monument