The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-30
THE GREATER NEW YORK
MAYOR STRONG DIsCOURsEs OF THE
BIG CITY AND OF HIMSELF.
How New York Grows and What q
Big Thing 1t Is to BE Mayor
Mr.. StrOng'S Heavy Duties.

copyrighted, 1897 by Frank G.. Carpenter.)
NEW YORK CITY, May 2S.--I have spent
this morning in the capitol building of the
| second city of the world. refer to the
City Hall, which is to be the center Of the
| government of the Greater New York The
Greater New York contains twice as many
people as either New Jersey or Iowa. 1t
| has nine times as many souls as Rhode
Island or South Dakota. All the people In
Nevada would rattle around in some of its
smaller wards like the dry peas in a pod,
and its inhabitants are more, with a few
| exceptions than those of the greatest of
our States New York city is surpassed by
| only one place in the world as to its popu-
latlon. and 1t is an easy second among the
worlds cities in business and wealth. There
is no town but gray-haired London which
| viii compare with it, and with lusty strides
it is fast tramping on London's heels Dur
| ing my visit to the English metropolis not
| long ago heard a great fuss made about
sale of business property there at a price
equal to $l0.000.000 an acre. A lot was sold
within stones throw of the City Hall
only year so ago for a price amounting
to $5,000,0O0 an acre. This lot was on the
corner of Nassau and Liberty streets 1t
contained considerably less than quarter
of an acre of ground and it brought $780,
WV luHIe Is scarcely any property on the
Island of Manhattan which can be bought
cheaply to-day. There are lots along lower
Broadway which are worth a price equal
to a carpet of silver dollars over their en-
tire surface and there are some / venture,
which you could not buy by offering to stand
silver dollars on edge, side by side and end
to end, making two-inch plating over the
whole lot. The tendency of prices here is
ever upward. One-twelfth of the total as
| sessed value of the United States exists in
New York, the real estate assessments
alone amounting to more than 81, 900, 000,0 900.
Still, when the Dutch bought the Island of
Manhattan of the Indians they paid for it
only $24 worth of glass beads and buttons.
1t was the biggest real estate deal on
record. Twenty-four dollars then-worth
billions now. Think what the Indians lost
A BIG THING TO BE MAYOR.
1t is big thing to be mayor of a city
like this. The office carries almost as much
responsibility as that of the President of
the United States. There are, ! believe,
about four thousand policemen now in this
city, and there will be seven thousand in
the new New York. There will be, all told.
an army OF city officials greater by that
which Xenophon led on his retreat to the
sea than the army of the United States, and
1913 900, 900 a year. The property interests Of
such a city are enormous The business
carried on is of every kind. There is more
manufacturing done here than in any other
town in the United States. The shipping
interests are so great that three thousand
ships come from foreign countries to these
wharves every year. and two-ffths of all
the products we ship to foreign countries
are sent here to be loaded. The banking in
terests are the greatest on this hemisphere.
The New York clearing house does BUSH
ness of twenty-five billions annually, while
the stocks represented in Wall street affect
every country town in the United states.
There are in the Greater New York 100000
dwelling houses and business houses, which
the mayor must see are in sanitary condi-
ton The streets which have to be looked
after would make a line longer than the
distance between New York and Chicago,
and the mileage of the surface railways
would make five tracks from New York to
Washington I don't know the extent or
the sewerage of the Greater New York. but
four years ago New York proper had more
than four hundred miles of such works, ana
the bill signed by Governor Black VIII
largely increase this number. All of these
things have to be looked after In every
part Of the vast city there are men schem-
ing to get money out of it's treasury or TO
evade its laws. All sorts OF axes are
brought to the City Hall to be ground, and
the mayor has to be a. very smart man II
he keeps the wheel turning in the right d.
rection and uses it solely for the good OF the
people
I believe that Mayor Strong does this.
He has no ak of his own to grind, and he
Of oil he cif
brought civil-service rules into what was
one of the most corrupt spoils cities Of the
world. and he has really worked wonders In
reforming the government and the police.
T spent this morning in his office and l was
struck with the free American way in which
he does things. Whatever there may be
about the other departments of New York
there is no red tape about the city nall.
You walk in and take your seat and when
your turn comes step up to the mayor
desk and state your case. When / arrived
at the office this morning it was $780, Mr.
Strong had already been there half hour
and ne was still engaged in answering his
mail He had received at this delivery one
hundred letters and more than half OF these
were already disposed Of. He went over
the letters rapidly. directing his secretary
how they should be answered, and later on
the secretary took the mail and dictated
the proper answers TO a stenographer.
After this delegations began to come in.
The mayor heard the spokesman of each
party and in many cases decided the dis
putes without leaving his seat
A LOOK AT MAYOR STRONG.
1t was between two such delegations that
I was introduced by Mr. John Sleicher,
formerly the editor Of Frank Leslie, and
now one Of the city officials Said Mr.
Sleicher: Mr.. Mayor, here is a newspaper
man who wants 10 look you in the eye"
THAT is an easy thing to do replies
the mayor as he turns his face to me and
a. pair of shrewd, honest blue eyes look
into mine. | study his face as we chat and
am more and more surprised at his vigor
and strength as he goes on. The mayor Of
New York Is by no means an old man, and
still he is more than three score years and
ten His eyes are bright and full Of life.
His complexion is rosy and his face almost
free from wrinkles. The thick thatch upon
his head and chin contains but few gray
strands and his voice is as strong as that
of a man Of forty. AS he chats / think of
the enormous amount of work he does and
resolve to get at the secret Of his vitality.
I ask him as TO his habits. He replies that
he has no habits TO speak Of that he lives
simply. works hard. and thrives upon it
In reply To my questions he answers that
he does not drink much, although his
All, fs,,t 10. 10