The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-07

The Harlem Water Front.
The struggle over the speedway In Central
Park is still fresh in the recollection. For
tunately. as is apt to be the case In times Of
serious danger to the territory or senti-
ment OF New York's pleasure grounds. the
press. throwing all partisan or personal con-
siderations aside. was solid against such in
vasion of Central Park. and in favor OF pre-
serving the artistic authority which pre-
sides over the Park system. full and i'm
pregnable. After the satisfactory settle-
ment OF this contest. the public, recog-
nizing the value Of tho trotter as an
element In metropolitan life. and feel
ing more than the usunl friendly interest
In the particularly lucky gentlemen who
could cultivate this type of horse. deter
mined to transfer. as 1t were. whit they had
taken from the Central Park. and which
had existed elsewhere before to the banks
OF the Harlem. and make there the soft road
desired. and give there the desired oppor-
tunity for driving at speed.
| 1t never was proposed. in locating the
new road. that it should involve a sud-
den departure from tho usual customs Of
tho city in the matter OF legislatng for
the next to exclusive benefit OF Il spe-
cial class, or Of giving to the road
riders more than they. after years OF
effort and agitation. had got tempo
rarily with such satisfaction to them
selves on the west side OF the Central Park.
Although the Harlem River Driveway act
intended road which could be available for
trotters, nothing was said at the time OF it's
enactment about defeating the territory
| taken 10 the drivers as against all the nat
ural and necessary rights and pleasures OF
the public. Nothing could have been said
OF this nature at tho time. or the city
would have been obliged to refuse on the
| spot to sanction any such distinctly class
| legislation. The soft road was taken
from Central Park to the Harlem River
still subject to the reasonable rights
and benefits OF the rest OF the COM
munIty. II the city had thought best to
provide the horsemen with ground where
they might be entirely freed and separated
| from the slightest contact with the general
| public which the most exaggerated criti-
cism among them declared to be undesira-
BILE. it would have bought for them Fleet
| wood Park. or some other similar location,
| and leaving tho track enclosed, formally
| turned it over to them. subject to their reg
ulations purely. Although that was not
| done. but place In the centre of the city
was chosen. with highways on both sides,
one OF them the peerless highway Of the
Harlem River. on land that would inevita-
bly, have been brought into the public's
hands as park. even il the speedway had
never been heard OF. a disposition has been
asserted from the ranks Of the norsemen
TO force the view that in the making Of this
great public improvement they shall be
considered as not only dominant but
| absolutely despotic aud unapprOachable.
Nothing, not even so much as a shadow.
shall be suffered against any desire ex-
pressed In their name, although the most
iniintesimal sacrifice, II one chooses so to
speak Of it, might confer enormous benefit
upon the public at large. They demand the
right TO dictate the plan OF this public park
even to the eviction OF the landscape artist
| and to the overthrow OF the most precious
principle or park construction. They ask To-
be placed in possession OF the driveway's
entire water front Of two miles OF the pic
turesque Harlem. not because its charm is
in itself OF value to them. but because they
DO not want people on the water side, and
the cher reason for this preference. as We
understand 1t, is that II the public are adj
United there, they must have the means
OF passing In some way or other from
one side OF the speedway 10 the other.
1t il as though. having won in their
effort To enter tho Central Park.
the drivers had afterward demanded
that the entire Eighth avenue should be
closed, and that The two miles and half OF
Central Park, the precise length Of the
Harlem driveway should he made into an
impassable barrier. though in the heart of
the city, rather thun that the shadow Of a
bridge should be cast across the road. A
sudden clamor has sprung up about danger
In going near the driveway. strong enough
to tear down the foot bridge crossing the
New York Central tracks at Forty-seventh
street. The extreme. We might say the
almost fanatical determination to strip the
new roadway even of the shadow of public
use other than theirs as though its every
moment was h be the scene for race for
untold sums. is forcibly illustrated when We
remember that tho Central Park road would
probably have had crossing 1t twenty
bridges, although the public access 10 the |
water front on the Harlem will require two
or three bridges. or none. according TO the |
method OF crossing chosen. II the public |
may not so much as pass il overhead OF
otherwise, why are carriages" permitted |
on its Toadbed?
In the old times on Harlem lane aud later