New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-28
VIEWS OF CONSOLIDATION.
LET rs HAVE THE GREATER NETWORK.
BROOKLYN CANNOT SUPPORT HER INDEPENDENT
EXISTENCE. AND REQUIRES THE AID
VANTAGES or UNION


= EXISTENCE. AND REQUIRES THE AID
VANrAGES or UNION
TO tn f.d!;o: OF The Tribune.
Sir: BROOKLYN the pleasant city OF homes pos
sesses but few Of the natural advantages OF an IL
depeDdert municipality. L. the first place IL has
no connection with the continent except through
New-Yorl; With the exception Of little annex
boat tina: runs 70 the Pennsylvania Ealroau al
Jersey CITY all cor.ers and Soers must pass through
NeN-Yor5. the only gateway TO the outer "o'I1,
T,ool,r - imprisoned by the sea on one SIDE ana
vow Yo,l; ON Tie other. and hence Is a natural
norton of the great city through whose open doors
It's people must come and go
70 e,op, to civ Hall New-York, you describe a
circle Yep miles in diameter. You take IN Az oil brVN
lyn cXcapt the Twtnty-siNtn Ward (haSt New
York; and en-, New-York about STRAIGHTFORWARD.
,o,v,,, moro than half Of Manhattan Island more
remote from the business Gentle Of New York than
any norton of Brooklyn. Bearing these iac's IN
mind is fl any wonder that brooklyn WIN rs
million of inhabitants. has 10 Board OF ITad'' 10
I,ro1uce Exchange. stock Exchange. no clear
i,g House no hotels and 20 morning papers OF It's
ou,no WHY should il have them? II has no need OF
,bo,, II is resident part OF the great commercial
civ If Ncw-York. which provides 1t with these
us.fu institutions. and takes all the credit ah 'he
prestige and more than It's share of the proh'. IN
Erooklvn every morning hundred thousand men
ann q hundred thousand women are reading New
yorl. napers advertising Ncw-York business and
Nov-york goods; and this is natural. for every
morning and every evening rivers of men ana
v.men-blnkers and merchants. and clerks ana
t1r.rs I'm every vocation-fow 10 ana from the great
Fridge and dozen ferries with as much regularity
and IS ceaselessly as the tides of the sea.
Another Of our natural disadvantages IL the fac'
,ha. ~.,Yorb controls the water rights of the East
piver she owns in fee simple to the mean tide
level along our shore. The Union Ferry Company
rsve NeW-YoTk annually more than NeloO TOT uo'h
privileges which arc not Ours. brooklyn cannon "
tend q pier or build bulRhead aiong hey waterfront
without securing the privilege from New-for Is
rot this little humlatng 10 an independent hu-
rcipality?
We'll If Brooklyn lacks these natural advantages
how can consolidation help her? 1t certainly can
not change natural conditions. No but it can give
her what she Is Justly entitled 10. the local behch'
o@ The large taxable resources of New-YOrl. par;
az which Brooklyn has earned. and indeed you
may say has created. More than 2o.VW oil BrooN-
lyn's taxpayers hire and occupy Offices or stores
or warehouses in New-York creating demand for
this kind of valuable property, which immensely
adds TO its assessed wealth. and every dollar OF this
fax fund which Brooklyn has created and suS-
tanned is applied to the municipality of NeW-fork'
giving her better paved streets, larger and better
paid Fire ana Police departments, and adding 10
her local prestige and power. New-fork mas vast
taxable resources in banks and trust companies IN
surance companies and other financial institutions
to which Brooklyn gives large support. and from
which She receives not one cents worth OF local oene
nt The American Sugar Refining Company and the
Standard oil Company are the largest manulac'-
urers of their kind in the world. but every dollars
worth of their material. as well as o. their
refined product. is bought and sold in New-fork
and all this money passes into the NewYOrk banks.
Indeed nearly all OF RrOokyn's numerous factories
have their warehouses and sales departments IN
New-YOrk. and his financial business. which would
be done in Brooklyn if she commercial city,
4 1fl Of Otrr
metropolis. Brooklyn sorely needs and ought to
have her shave Of the fund which is the product
OF her industry and the wealth OF her own Gre
ation and it only be had by consoldation-not
CONSULTATION on any terms. but on the broad basis
o. a uniform tax rate and fair ana equitable ad-
Justment Of valuations
Of conhscauon; Her city area and street mlea8ss
are fully equal to New Works. while her assessed
valuation the basis Of 10 per cent IL but little
more than s5NOO0O.ODO. and New-York assessed on
BTook fo eSpens ABOUT s2ooo snnGay and
New-York about $4,000 900. Consolidation would give
with much lower tax rate while the tax Of
New-York would be but slightly Increased BROOK
lyn's bonded Indebtedness has about reached the
legal limit of 10 per cent of her assessed valuation
while New-Yorh lacks nearly Hooc0oO of teach-
ing II. -, ,,o
Two cities is obvious The policemen ana flremen o,
the cities would be under one management ana
all would receive the pay for Ike service. Be
sides Brooklyn would have the call on the metro
,poitan police in case Of great riot IKE me trosey
strike and the metropolitan iiremen IN case OF
great fire AS IL IS. BROOKLYN cannot raise ny tdAi
ton money enough 70 give her as large anu ven
paid fire and police departments as her necessities
require. The Commissioner Of city Works ought 70
have S2DOO0 year for the next twenty years 10
expend on street pavemen,s. The condition Of our
pavements Is Il disgrace 10 the city, bat they can
be greatly improved TIL Brooklyn can have the
benefit Of the larger taxable resources that properly
belong 10 her, because she has created them
From a commercial standpoint, Brooklyn mas every
thing 10 gain and nothing 70 lose by consolidation
She is a living organic part OF NeWYOrk, part of
her bone and a part OF her muscle, ana consider
able part Of her brain Brooklyn loves her local in
s,itutiOps her churches her schools, and all the
traditions attached 10 her honored name; bnt the
unvrttcn laws % trade ana commerce are a thou-
sand times more potent factors in shaping the des-
tiny OF City than al he enGearments OF civic pride
or local traditions Commerce which Is the life
10 other law than that which begins and ends In
dollars and cents: and Brooklyn change
this law than 1t can change the orbit Of the earth
Civic pride civic pride, tens Of thousands of
her citizens DO their shopping in New-YOrk. and
may be seen at night coming from the Bridge and
all the ferries bearing their purchased bundles
while the New-York stores deliver daily thousands
OF packages az their doors. NewYork can well af-
ford aid In building more East River bridges, for
they great arteries that carry more rich blood 70
her commercial heart
II consolidation is largely question OF sentiment
with the good citizens Of Brooklyn Il "a hard 10
see why the Greater New-YOrk should not be pre-
ready he second city in the world. ana Will soon be
he arst whether Brooklyn is annexed or not. Her
hank Clearing house business Is slOVoGp a week
greater that OF all the other cities OF the United
Bates combined. Her name and her prestige are
known and felt az every point on the round globe
where : iiae floats or a pennant hies; Why should
her wealth and fame. cast her lot and her destiny
with this proud metropolis Of the Western world
and share her wealth and her fameY
Brooklyn. April a. 1895. NELSON ]. GATES.
TIE SCANDINA WAN TROUBLES