New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-21
GAYNOR'S MASTER-STROKE.
THE law CHECKS BROOKLYN ALDERMEN.

"A
Che grant of valuable street railroad franchises
NY the Brooklyn Board of Aldermen at the special
roo,nc of the board held last evening. An in
sanction was served to restrain the Aldermen from
,.L;no any action save TO rcsoind what they / ad
already done and TO prevent Mayor Body IRON
doing anything save to veto tn" resolutions
odopted last week. 1t had been granted by Judge
Culen at the instance of William J. Gaynor. the
LAWYER and rcformcr, who appeared for John
Adanson, property owner in tn!on-st., who Is the
nlaintin in the proceedings pending to com
pel the Aldermen to pay TO the city the $4,000
offered by company for franchise III Union
st., when the Aldermen voted the franchise to
another company for nothing The Aldermen Sc
cured modification of the injunction from Judge
Cullen late last evening, and recalling the resou
tons from the hands of the Mayor referred them
back TO the Railroad Committee of the board.
The proceedings in relation TO railroad fran
chiscs which eliminated last evening began sHv
eral months ago. when the Kings County Flee
trc Railroad Company. at the head of which Is
L. VI. Flynn. who has been termed the Jacob Sharp
of Brooklyn, and in which number of prominent
Democratic leaders interested. applied for "A
franchise covering many important outlying
streets, score of miles in length. The Brooklyn
City Company. which already operates many miles
of railroad in the cty's streets. saw that grant
TO the new company wo1ll prevent the extension
Of it, lines, and az once made an application COW
ering the majority of the same streets and soma
Others and offering S25O,O00 to the city for the
franchises. This offer subsequently, modified
50 make it 81 600 for the streets asked for
by the Kings County Company and 81 1000 for
the Others The Legislature passed bills prevent
ing the company from extending its road i'll Put
nm-ave. and some other streets being given up
the offer of 81 10000 subsequently reduced TO
$4,000. Meantime the Kings County Company,
which had been incorporated with 100000 capi-
tai found that it could not increase this, and the
s,me men formed the Nassau Electric Company
with S6,O0O,OO0 capital. and a new application
was put in for the same street. in behalf of this
corporation. of which Mr. Flynn is president.
4 week AGO Monday the majority of the Rail
road Committee of :he Board Of Aldermen. TO
whom the applications had been REFERRED got to-
gether without informing their associates and
voted to grant the streets asked for TO the Nassau
COMPANY the other streets asked for TO the
Brooklyn City Company, and p few to the hlnas
County Company. After an excited debate and
warm protests from the minority OF the Railroad
Committee, til" cold thirteen of the Board as
they were dubbed voted to adopt the report of the
ma iority No provision was made TO secure the
$50, 900 offered by the Brooklyn City Company.
When the resolutions came before Mayor Doouy
for approval he expressed an Intention OF NetolhS
them if provisions were not made for adequate
payment to the city for the franchises. lie
wrote a letter to this effect TO the Aldermen, and
asked them to hold special meeting to act IN the
matter after conference with the rairoa oihclais
That meeting was called for last evening.
Yesterday afternoon there was protracted
conference at the Mayors office in regard e that
subject. The Railroad Committee OF the Alder
men, Messrs. McC !ath. McGarrv. Jordan, Waf'r
and Thomas. met Presidents Flynn and Lewis oil
the railroad companies, with Corporation Counsei
jerks President Lewis reduced the offer of the
BROOKLYN City Company from 100000 TO S30.oOo
for the streets especially asked for, as Oreenc-ave
and DecatuI-st had been crasec from the Ils'.
lie renewed the offer of SljO,0o0 for the streets
asked for by the Nassau Company, and he Offered
$4,000 for some Others, about two miles IL length
President Flynn offered much the City Com
pany for the streets which he wanted. After a
conference with the Mayor the latter announced
that the lowest figures which would be accepted
would be 50, 900 mile for the streets asked
This would make the Nassau Company pay Sl65.-
600 for seventeen nils of streets, and the Brook
lyn City Company $4,000 for eleven miles ms
was agreed 10 by the two presidents on condition
that the distances BE- carefully measured, and the
SANG terms should apply 10 both. Arrangements
were made for action by the Aldermen 10 approve
this and the whole affair was shpposea 10 oc
settled.
Eut in the mean timc and wholly unknown 10
the Aldermen, the papers had been drawn up IN
a suit in behalf of John Adamson, of unlon-st''
10 prevent the granting Of any rights TO the Nassau
Electric Company in that street, which is included
among those asked for by 1t, on the ground that
section "a of chapter $50 Of the Laws OF looS
had been violated in the grants made. ms Is
provision of the city charter that no grant ior
railroad in a street shall be made unless a hS'
iority Of the property owners III thc sueo' h"'o
pttioned for it. A temporary inluncnon WIS
granted late yesterday afternoon by judge 'uleh'
with an order TO show cause on Monday why 1t
should not be made permanent, restraining tho
Aldermen from taking action in tine matter, save
10 rcscind the resolutions already adopted, anu
preventing the Mayor from taking action save
TO veto the resolutions. Copies of the Injunction
were served upon the Aldermen as they entered
the Council Chamber for the meeting last evening
When the papers were read CONSERVATION s"1cd
the Aldermen and railroad officials interested, and
there was "a hasty consultation with Corporation
Counsel jerks The meeting Of the Board was
adjourned for an hour, and Mr.. jerks and Alder
man McGrath of the Railroad Committee, visited
the house Of Judge Cullen on the Heights and
secured "a modification Of the Injunction, so that
the Aldermen could recall the resolutions already
adopted from the hands of the Mayor
When fhe Loard rcasscmtled at p. m. the
Injunction, as modified, read, and Alderman
Mc,irath moved to recall the resolutions from the
hands Of the Mayor Alderman Pickering OBJ
jected but was ovcrrulcd, and tn" motion was
adopted Is vote Of II to 4. Those voting Ill
the negative were Aldermen Pickering, licaney'
Hess and Myers Alderman Thomas was absent
Tie minutes of the Board were secured from thc
Mayor. Then McGratll moved to refer the resoiu-
tons back to the Railroad Committee, and Picker
ing objected that this could not be lone under the
modified Injunction President Cofiey held that
the Rair )ad Committee q part OF the Boafd,
and so it was within the power OF the body thus
20 dispose Of the resolutions Pickering refused 20
vote when his name called. The Boarh ad-
jonrned until Monday. -