New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-16
WHAT BROOKLYN TALKS OF.
AN UNI UAL NUMBER OF IMPORTANT
TOPICS DURING THE LAST WEEK.


another week in which many matters OF vital
interest have been crowded together. The decision
Of the Court OF Appeals on the reapportioncd As
scmbly districts; Judge Prait's setting aside o. inc
award Of the Water Commission; the arrangement o
The officials indicted In connection win ne oirm mn
Day affair; the giving away of valuable lr ran
Of the new Board of Bridge IruStees-thls l. surely
remarkable record. More than that; all mes d ro
mentous matters came before the public on ~ nlN
three secular days of the week. Later came te Nv"
scheme for lcgaizng the Columbus Day eApcn ires.
and the death IF Postmaster Collins OF IouIs, in
without say ing that such pace cannot lohs w man"
tained.
The Court Of Appeals decision is most gratifying
triumph OF right and justice, and thlnh IL Is sane
10 say as unexpected il IL gratifying. "hch an
appeal TO the courts against the outrageous gerry
msnder was made, shortly after the action OF the
Supervisors in July last there was httle douD' !"
the minds Of honest mon that the monS'rouS DIVISION
of the Assembly districts would be set aside. IN
decision of Judge Bartlett sustaining the Alder
men, and saying in effect that they wouid nave
bcen justified In putting 900 people in one DIS
ric 5000 in anoIher was Keen b oS dp.ppaon
without dissent from either of the judge pubic ID
tercst in the matter died out to large extent, au
attracted very little attention The persstency OF
the Republicans who carried on the struggle au T
r r.va The decision of the highest court Is
unanimous. and the opinion was written ny Du,V
crat. There Is now the assurance that hleS s.iaa
will be fairly apportoned Instead OF n n control
Just as many Of the districts "a possible
The sweet was speedily followed by the bitter The
day after the decision the gerymander came Judge
Pratts finding in favor of the Long l'iahu water
Supply Company. The recent award OF the COM
mission, granting 100000 to the company 1t" iN
properly and franchise. was regarded by 'he puon'
at large with complete satisfaction Inns i NV
set aside and the Judge holds that new commission
mist be appointed to pass upon t-c matter II So
there will 10 a complete rethrasing al the ola straw"
and another big bill of expenses FOR 'he GUY !" pay
Really IL begins look though 1t wonlo nave Ioe"
money in Brooklyn'> pocket II tAe 'h'pi" o"'t"'"
which was the fruitful cause Of scandal had p'eh
carried out Judge Pratt says that the award Is
INADEQUATE since the commissioners did not rightly
estimate the value of the exclusive franchise OF
the company. and thus lays down plih0I' VIM
anPther % cam T he No no; appeal from IN, decision
but If he had approved the award IN, -, co,p'' ny
M the Court of appeals 1t is greatly to be reerH"d
that the Judge did his way clear to decision
,h"t wonld have brought the matter before VI
General Term a, least 1t is known that the eSun ,a
for the city preferred to nave me o' ooa ~, o,6cr
indgo than Mr. Pratt. but did not succeed anu t n
iecals the unexplained remark OF one O ot'n &C.
falI nj a time when q vacancy III the COMMISSION W,
~ NV o"r Commissioners by the Judge in question
MAYOR Bocdys proposal 10 drop the M tle 81 pi,ln-
on, the company altogether. unless legislation pI n
be- secured has large foundation oil common S'''''
Judce Moores refusal dismls, the Indictments
against the Aldermen supervisors and other, GU"
ccrned in the Columbus extravaganza was Ioi'
on "Wednesday by the arraigning 81 Inc lluou" nv
and the setting of April ~ as the da'' lor 'nc "''
NJ one Of them Judge Moore met the best eAPec-
,o,ions in his decision OH this matter and the In
d,ced ones have naturally not been feeling as chrp
as they did when first alraisned ID our W withont
were, ready TO wager that they would gei on "lu ~,
trouble. District Attorney Ridgway Is DaCh io o III
vacation. and ought to feel IN Vou ,or Vigorous
prosecution demanded a. Weil aS p'a SiS in f h
ii.
moi
The Aldermen have been at it again and this time
they have outdone themselves. hard-and1ast com
bine has been made in the board of just thirteen
menbcrs-preclsely the number necessary 10 oNeErue
tho antcipated veto OF Mayor Body. The whole bus-
ness was cut and driedmOst carefully arranged III au
vance, and all contingencies seemingly provld'o lor'
A more outrageous job has never been perpc'ra'eu III
the city 1t doubtless useless to dcnounce it, Tor
the men concerned in it are lost t. all sense OF
shame and all of honor. These important fran
chises. for which large sum Of money might hnyr
been sccured havr ,inP% Decn gwen away 10 Pry
clos parallel this proceeding the broadway steal
i, hc people nf ia the zen SH. AZ" least o o ioho
left uncovered by the con>pliaors: no motto 81
the alleged meeting Of the Railroad Committee, al
Which G the report VIA Ia, aTrceG p was "a Ev 10 "o
clearly In doubt. Beside an action Win ~ at the
suit Of any taxpayer for waste under the Tden act
which invoked effectively in the famous water
litigation Of l79o9l
The expected happened in the selection Of James
Howell president Of the bridge Board. 1t Is an
open question whether the welfare Of TIE Rridg" would
not have been more certainly assured by the inroduc-
ton OF entirely blood when the new llw went
into operation The board /, composed of seasoned
timber, all the four men chosen by IN" two May prs
having served for considerable period under the oil
management. Mr.. Howell is the most experienced OF
them all. II must BE- said that there Is no, muci,
reason for hoping for more vigorous management Of
the affair, o the Bridge. bg, AT al events shall b,
spared the scandal OF no quorum. which fragrant
under the old regime, aud which somct>'c> made 1t
Lnpo.sillc to hold meeting for months together.
The present appointed trustees receive salaries. and
dnieS. wiil' in addition to he lonr it viii need only
one Of tie eXoiico members to make a quorum.
During the week ! rode downtown one evening
the Brooklyn elevated road in car that WAS
brilliantly illuminated. 1t was one Of the Old ears
revamped, but ii had been provided with lamps of
new variety, which gave II soft. bright ana well
difuscd light that cmincny satisfactorily far
the best lamp, have seen IN car anywhere, and
equal To the light given by the Irntsch gas system.
1t my hope that should either take passage in
that again. else find that tai, style Of lamp
had been generally Introduced, but thus far have
no, another provided with ii. ] testify
hope that the company MEANS to adopt IT, and that II
the lamp in question. Iy the side lamps the
lights in the Bridge cars ale miserable ,iavcsty on
illumination.
something has been printed in the OF the
week in reference to the Froebel Academy. Two
years ago that institution. In the upper part Of the
city, was made an annex. In "A sense. to the Pratt
Institute. and turned to the control Of the
Pratls. Thr first public announcement OF the change
In the management made in The Tribune. In
ire action which they then took the younger Pratts
were carrying out the wishes Of their father. who
had believed that the FrOcbel could be made feeder
TO the Pratt Institute Two years experiment has
shown that thi, Is not the This is not due to
any fault in the academy for it Is a model school.
doing work that Is pronounced unique by cX-
pereacCd educators Now the Pralts are ready to
surrender the Froebel TO its former managers. and
their goodwin /, manifested lN an offer erect a
new building for It's accommodation the present
site, facing Iompkins Park. The offer i a
one. and there i doubt that IL will be- accepted
and that the good work Of the academy will continue