New-York tribune., 1891-12-27
WHAT BROOKLYN TALKS OF.
MEN AND THINGS ON THE LONG ISLAND
SIDE OF The EAST RIVER.

The trolley seems to be Inevitable. The report OF
the Railroad Committee went through the Board OF
Aldermen with rush Monday In spite of pleas for
delay on the part OF small minority. The vote was
13 to 4. There have been some wmors that the hvor
able action OF the Aldermen secured by improper
means. but nothing In the way OF proof has been
brought forward and the people at large do not appear
10 have taken the reports seriously fact the oppo
ston TO the trolley has been feeble. Perhaps the feel
ing Of the greater part of the population has been that
any application of electricity substitute for horses
would be an Improvement. The need OF more adequate
transit is admitted on all hands This is not felt
sharply in those parts Of the city which enjoy the ad
vantages Of the elevated roads. but the other regions
especially those in the outer parts Of the city are In
mood TO welcome anything that will give them more
rapid transportation. At all events she opponents OF
the Of the trolley at the hearings which have been
held have been only handful and 1t is known that
many prominent business men in favor OF the
change.
Tho advantages of the trolley for suburban and
hin!y populated districts are undoubted is use In
narrow crowded and crooked thoroughare like lower
Fultonst. Is entirely different matter. The horse
cars there form almost continuous line at certain
hours Of the day. and it is Inevitable that the liability
accident will be multiplied many fold bv the Of
electricity in the contemplated form. That this is
coming, however, may be set down practically
tain. The interested companies, which embrace a
large majority of the surface lines Of the city, have
no doubt whatever about it, There is to be hearing
by the State Railroad Commissioners early next year,
to be sure, but they act on their own precedents
favorable decision viii speedily follow the hearing.
The propertyowners the streets in which the trolley
is to be used yet to be reckoned wlth but tho
probabilities that great difficulty will be ex
perienced IN securing gufcient number Of consents
TO warrant tho introduction Of the means OF pro-
pulsiOn Under the elevated roads the wires may be
attached TO the elevated structures; elsewhere, of
course. cumbersome system Il poles Will be used.
rhe officers Of some of the companies talking OF
having running by electricity by June or July
next.
Mayoreect Body will assuredly win large measure
Of popular approval by his decision to retire from all
the boards with which he is connected, in order TO
devote all his time TO his official duties for the next
years. His action recalls the fact that the late
Ripley Ropes retired from active connection with the
Brooklyn Trust Company during the time that he
served Commissioner Of City Works under Mayor
Low and also that during the four years that John
r. Adams has he'd that same Office he has continued
10 act as chairman Of the Kings County Democratic
General Committee. 1t is said in the political gossip
of the day that Mr. Boody intends to retain all the
heads of departments beQueathed 10 him by Mayor
Chaplin. lie viii make mistake IL he does not in
st on every of them severng his active connection
In an Official way with party committees Mr. Ad-
amss conduct was all the reprehensble because
his fellow Commissioner, James ID. Bell of the Police
Department. promptly resigned from his ward as
socation when he took an Office under Mayor Chaplin
in the latter's first term.
The bill relating to bridges the East and North
Rivers which Senator Hscock has introduced at Wash
ngton, laid before the Senate without having been
read by him. according to the statements which he mas
made. lie acted by request, as Is often done In
matters OF legislation but at whose request he has not
vet made known. suspicion naturally turned toward
Mr. O'Donohue, the president of the New York and
Broohlyn Ferry Company the prominent citizen at
whose request the Senator acted but the latter has
most emphatcaly stated that he knew nothing about
the bill until he read of it in the papers The
measure is palpably mlsnamed: 1t should be called
bill to prevent the construction of any further bridges
over the rivers named. If had been drawn up In the
direct interest of this particular ferry company, it
could hardly have been cOuched In terms more favor
able TO the ferries. Still the provision that future
bridges must be at least mile apart might as well
have been extended to two miles, three, so as to
make ii absolutely prohbitOry. There has been con-
siderable discussion regarding the already but
its first friend and advocate has yet TO come forward
1t is not at all likely that it will be seriously con-
sidered by the Senate, or ever reach the House. IL
ought be consigned to quiet grave. Before tat Is
done senator Hscock should at least let the people OF
New-York and Brooklyn know who 1t was that had
such scrupulOus regard for their mutual welfare as
10 devise a scheme TO make communication with them
by bridges as difficult as possible.
The meeting OF college presidents and college grad
yates at Association Hall Tuesday evening prom
ises TO be an occasion Of great interest 1t speaks
well for it that many Of the Eastern colleges are
interested and that Columbia. Princeton. Amherst and
Wesleyan are 10 be represented by their presidents
There ought to be more community OF feeling among
the colleges and this meeting is calculated to bring IL
about the Young Mems Christian Association Of
Erooyn has for time been cndeavorng 10 arouse
the special interest Of college men. and the purpose
OF this weeks meeting IS TO further the interests of
the Y. NJ c. A. among the colleges President Low is
+o N md he %
come in his old home. There can I've no doubt of his
interest in the meeting since he is TO journey from
and TO Boston in order to attend 1t.
brooklyn has not fared particularly well in the
matter OF places IN the committees OF the House OF
Representatives. Nothing else was to be expected
though in view Of the fact that Messrs. Chaplin Clancy
Coombs and Magner all supported Mr. Mills for
Speaker Had he been elected il IS certain that Mr.
COonbs at any Iae would have had the desire OF his
hcart-a place on the Ways and Means Committee
II is to be feared that Mr.. C0ombs has begun to feel
that his Congressional career is f0redoomed 10 failure
ia the opinion OF not few OF his enthusiastic admirers
there is no man in the House-not even the Sage of
Corsieana hInscf-so well fitted TO do effective ser
vice on rhe principal committee, especially In the line
Of tariff reiorm' But alas il was not 10 he. Truly
the I" logic OF the situation demanded place for Mr.
CoOmbs there. For this is the only chance be VIII ever
have. He elected year ago last fall by a fuke-
ptful plurality OF cighteen-and history will not be
likely TO repeat itself in this particular. Brookyn's
influence in the Nations councils during this Congress
will be small indeed.
"The work on those armories will bear good deal
OF watching" said o wellinformed citizen few weeks
ago Who can doubt II who sees how the work is
being done in psFticulars2 Recently big boiler
was delivered to the 18th Regiment Armory, being
erected in the Twenty fifth Ward. OF arrange
ments should have been made betimes for putting IL
into ats proper place But no. Through lack Of In
teigent oversight commonsensibe foresight the
brick walls reared aud place left for the ad-
mission of the boiler. So when the time came for