New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-01-18
40 COVPTLST0t.

j. X not 10 30 pNpVtf'i lilil 'ii' - 80 "-' r
mcrts presented 10 the legislative committee
which began the consolidation inquiry In BROOK
lyn yesterday will produce much eic't upon me
minds of the men WHO are conhu"''HS II. III
thc frs- place The sincerity cf the Investigation
is under strong suspicion ana III the s'coh"
placc the members OF The committee are al
ready pretty familiar with the subject upon
which they are ostrnsibly seeking information
But some advantage will result if public opinion
throughout the State is enlightened rs I" the
real feeling of majority of brooklyn ctizeh"
concerning this exceedingly important propose
ton. for by that means i powerful influence may
be brought to bear upon the Legislature"
Tho sentiment Of Brooklyn is. or ought t. be.
the controlling factor in tie ease. though there
are other considerations which would deserve
70 be carefully and impartally weighed. even
If there were 10 doubt whatever that The two
ch;cf communities concerned were c"SiroIs OF
lo;nc united one Of them was submitted to The
committee yesterday by Mr.. Robert ID. Benedict.
having been already SGT forth In orr columns
namely the confusion which would apparently
follow consolidation through the calling int0
existence Of Boards Of Supervisors in the several
counties each having large and exclusive pow
crs in matters If finance. Another point IN
VOWED relates 10 the contraction Of pubic dcDis
beyond the 10 per cent limit. which would seem
iuqlv be possible so soon as municipal and COM
ty lines should cease 10 h" identical. These com
plications are forclbly stated by Mr.. Benedict.
and hitherto we have S'cl no solution Of he
nrobcms which he raises Political conSidcra-
t,ons also have necessarily come II be involved
in thc scheme though originally ii was not sup
posed 10 be n political operation IN any sense
or degree. Put. nevertheless. the fundamental
question at this time is. What do the people
want:
II is not satisfactory answer to say mat
the people voted in favor of consolidation IN
1891 That would not necessarily settle the
case. even if the ma jority for union had been
large instead Of extremely small. ana il the
votes on the question had been east with full
knowledge instead of general ignorance Of the
nossiblc consequences. The fact that the prof
Get was submitted to popular vote was an eN-
plicir acknowledgment that municipal organ
ization ought not to be exingushcl against the
will Of its members. If compulsory cfacemcnt
was impropcr and undesirable then. il is i'm
propcr and undesirable now. We have no idea
that New-YOrk wishes 10 swallow brooklyn
without its conscn-. SO far rs we can judge
there is no intense desire for union in this city.
hut if there were we do not believe That our
pcoplc would be disposed 80 cocrce their neigh
bors and thus add an angry and rebeliouS Gle
mcnt 10 the population. 1t Is certain that II
there was an actual prepondclance of public
sentiment in BROOKLYN favorable to consolidation
in 1891 il was exceedingly small But the real
nucstion I, not what the wish of Brooklyn then
was hut Whar il now IS There Is no more wis
dom or propricty in using compulson now than
there would have been then. II there is to be
n Greater NcwYork. we want II to be inhabited
by loyal and devoted citizens.
The thing 10 be determined. therefore, ut this
time is whether the demand for rcSubmisSion
is so feeble that it can he honorably and safely
ignored or too strong to be Justly denied. We
said months ago that If the brooklyn opponents
Of consolidation without another vote were able
to make out good prima facic case. showing
flat the voters in 1894 did not generally know
vh,t they were doing or might bc held to have
dome and that there has since been great APP
noron, change Of sentiment avcrsc to that pre-
tended settlement they would be fairly entitled
to claim another opportunity to express their
wishes at the polls II seems TO us that they
have made on such ease, ard we do not think
that the Republican party. being in complete
control Of legislation and responsible 10 the pco-
nlc for the exercise OF power. can afford 10 pro-
coed uuon the assumption that the vote Of 1894
was decisive. Nor do we think that the honor
and welfare Of the city Of New-York would be
prouotcd if it, boundaries and lis population
were enlarged hy such process
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