New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-25
FOR TWO NEW BRIDGES.
THE SENATE PASSES THE SULLIVAN BILL
&c TO 3.
ADOPTING A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE BILL THAT
ALLOWED THE UNION ELEVATED ROAD TO
BUILD 4 LINE IL THIS CITY,
,cr rEIEGsAPH TO TIE TRBuSEI

Aranv Feb o4-The Senate to-day passeu inc TWO
bills presented for the benefit Of the lh'oh He'"'cu
Railway Company OF Brooklyn. allowing II 10 con
stnct the two bridges over the East RIVER anu also
giving it the right TO build three miles OF ra'roau IN
NewYork City without paying one cent Tor inc iran
ctise The Bridge bill not amended III any par
tIcular and II will go to the Governor imhedia'eiy
but Senator McCarrcn presented ut the ISt minute Il
substitute FOR the other bill Its provisions are sweep
Ing Although, by the construction oil the Drdse ana
e railroad which are authorized by the two bills. the
people will be greatly benefited, and travel between
Ncw-York and Brooklyn viii be made easier more
rayd and more comfortable all these ends could have
been attained had more care been taken ara had
fewer dangerous sections been left in the bills.
The bills were special orders In the Senate this
morning. and their discussion took up tho entire morn
Ing session. There was one noticeable fact IN conunc-
ton with their passage, the silence of the Tammany
Senators until after the outrageous bill Introduced by
the most daring and Cheeky member Of the As
sembly Colonel Webster, putting into the hands OF
The Tammany gang, led by Richard Croker. tile sur
face railroads OF the Annexed District or New-forh
City, had passed the Assembly. No Tammany Senator
spoke or voted for these bills until word had been
received from the Assembly that the Broollyn Demo
Gratis had supported the Murphy Croker grab bill
II Brooklyn had failed to respond TO the
demands of Edward Murphy, jr. the Brooklyn
Bridge bills and tho Elevated Railroad bill would
have failed to receive the votes Of the TammanJ SEN
ators. This was the agreement made by Murphy with
the Brooklyn Z" Boss7 on Sunday night.
Senator O'Connor attacked the Bridge bill. lie
first made . motion to rccommit II TO the Commerce
and Navigation Committee with Instructions to str1iOc
out the cnacng clause, for the purpose Of discussing
IT, lie said that the bill had been rightly defeated In
the last Legislature. lie had doubt that there
was an almost unanimous demand In Brooklyn Tor ah
ditional bridges between New-York and Brooklyn.
This demand ought to be recognized, but IN s'ich
way that the interests OF the two cities would be pro
tected Last year bill was introduced providing for
commits ion which 10 sell the franchise az auc"on
TO the highest bidder, and which would see that The
toxes upon the structure were paid THIS
bill was defeated by the same men who were
trying 10 pass the present measure. Mr.. o'Con-
nor wanted he said, to call the attention
OF The Senators TO some OF the powers that were con-
ferred upon the corporation. Tlcy were powers wa"
ought not to be conferred upon any corporation. iho
company could build the bridge almost anywhere hIi"
could extend It's tracks in any direction; ana INC
structure Itself was exempt from uXatioh lor''o''
while all the approaches and appurtcnhnces "e'c "a
emptcd from taxation for ten years last winter tho
sum OF 100000 offered for the nanchlse' anu II
II WAS now put up at auction. he felt certain TINT an
exceedingly large sum Of money would lie ob'an@i
for it, lie argued with senator Fassett, who DeheVen
that no large enterprise could DO put tirongh ui'ss
the corporation believed It would make big SUN oil
money The lii further provided. I'm Section 81, tla'
only 10 per cent OF the capital stock need be pad l
and that could be paid in any form. The c"pita
stock Of the company Is TO be s2j'oooooo' So Io'
q. 800 900. this corporation would control tbs valu
eble franchise Further the city authorities have no
control over tho bridge or the manner Of carrying
on the work on t. Here Mr. OCOnnor rcad the leucr
OF Controller Myers OF NewYork, protesting against
the passage OF the BILL
senator McCarren spoke Tor tie Nl. Iic began by
saving that he appreciated the purity OF The motives
that actuated Mr. O'Counor In opposing certain sec
tlons Of the biIl The people Of New York and Brook
lyn particularly the people Of Brooklyn, wanted ths
hu passed al AFFIRM continued the senator, what
senator oConnor has said In relation 10 the defeat In
the Assembly Lost year Of tho Commission BILL That
was bin that intended 10 prevent the con-
structon OF bridge. There Is further 10 need 70 Dis
guise the fact that the Union Elevated Railroad Is
behind this bin and wants IT, The proposition Is TO
construct "A road from the New York terminus OF the
bridge 10 any part Of Long slnnd, that passengers
can travel that distance for cents. Now, supposng
the franchise put up at public aucilon who would
buyl NOt corporation In the CITY OF New-'orK
and Brooklyn would buy It. except the corporation
which Is behind this bill. I admit that the franchise
might be sold for 81 600 0Oo s2,oooooo or 5000
0O0
senator Muln interrupted the speaker. 10 ask him
this bridge from taxator Mr.. MoCarrcn admitted That
the structure Itself was to be exempted from taxation.
but sad that after ten years the approaches would bc
taxed. together with the property purchased for the
approaches. The corporation was not an cleo
mosynary institution il did not intend TO put up IT,
money at a loss. But II the bridge were built. II
would bring than twenty miles Of territory within
direct communication with New-York.
Mr.. Mullin again interrupted McCarrcn TO ask him
did not also exempt It from paying the preliminary
corporation tax. Mr. McCarrcn argued that the law
upon that point had not been affected BY the present
bill.
Here Senator O'Ccnnor asked Senator McCarrcn II
he would accept an amendment 10 the bill which would
prevent the corporation getting the franchise from
simply buying II up and then refusing to build the
bridge Mr.. OCOnnor argued also that the word
taxes extremely broad one. and that the
exemption from paying taxes meant exemption from
all kinds Of taxes. Senator McCarrcn refused To ac-
cept any amendment. declaring that all Of them were
Intended to prevent the passage Of the ill.
Senator Asplnall. OF brooklyn. also made
a speech in support Of the bill lilo said
AS the representative Of the IId Senate District.
interested In the passage OF this bill than Is
either the Senator from the lid or the IVth. Every
bn is sad to have something wrong In It, No bill
has ever been drawn at which some one could not
shout The people Of Brooklyn familiar With the
provisions Of this bin. The cHtirc press Of the city
Las printed the bin In fun. and tho people arc
familiar with II. As the representative Of the lid
District, Republican district, I say that the people
there, almost 20 man, In favor OF this bill am
not sure about the exemption from taxation
senator Erwin, who had been locklng up the law
the question said here that the bin did not
exempt the company from the organization tax It
exempted the structure, but not the company, from
taxation; and IL exempted that from State taxation
for only ten years.
senator Saxton said that Senator Erwin was right
when be said that the bill did not exempt the company
from taxation; but he added that, In The ten years
for which the structure exempted. the State would
lose S37O, 900. Il want 10 vote for this bill7 he
continued but ! am afraid that there are so many
objectionable features In IL that cannot do It, IL
not give the people who own property near tho
bridge, whose property win DO damaged, any rciief
or protection. II such an amendment IS put Into