New-York tribune., 1902-12-10
TIE v4yoB,S STRoyG ARGUMENT.


Mayor Lows special message TO the Board
| of Aldermen urging approval of the Pennsyl-
vania tunnel franchise is timely and forcible.
| Indeed. we doubt if the Mayor has ever COM
posed an official statement of higher quality.
If all the opponents of the project were desirous
to act in conformity with reason, and would
give this document the consideration which 1t
| deserves the franchise would be granted by
/ unanimous vote. Unhappily. some members
| are beyond the reach of such an argument as
the Mayor presents. There Is no injustice In
saving So for they themselves admit II. They
declare frankly that they are controlled by the
representatives Of organized labor, because they
suppose that the representatives of organized
labor can give or withhold hereafter votes
which they expect to need. Therefore they are
not affected when the supporters Of the scheme
show that the work of constructing the tunnel
would employ host of laboring men at good
wages. that the use of the tunnel after its COM
pIetion would be peculiarly beneficial to labor
ing men and their families, and that the whole
body of citizens would derive various great ad-
vantages not only in direct consequence of the
increased transportation facilities, but from
other DEVELOPMENTS sure to follow. The OBJ
structionists close their ears TO these assrr-
ances and hear only the pleas and threats Of
those who assume to know what organized
labor wants.
Mayor Low is fully justified in saying that of
all the objections originally made to the fran
chise the only ones left relate TO the hours OF
work and the rate of wages. 1t should be
frankly admitted that hostile criticism led long
ago to several concessions which are probably
worth having, though there is reason to think
that the city would have made a good enough
bargain if the franchise had been awarded
without them; but nothing is now heard about
the need of other changes which were insisted
on at first, One stout assertion was that the
city was asked to make enormous sacrifices
Total silence now on that subject among the
aldermanic obiectors is virtual acknowledge
ment of the fact that the city will not have to
give up anything which is of the slightest value
at present or would become valuable in the
future If the city kept it. Another early asser-
ton was that the Pennsylvania company was
scheming to block all competitive underground
enterprises; but the stipulations make nonsense
of such talk and 1t is heard no longer. So too
has vanished the spectre Of a rival port at Mon
tauk Point. At the outset reasonable hostility
to the usual sort of perpetual franchises found
frequent expression. But reflection has shown,
in the first place, that the company could not
be expected TO spend S50,000,000 under the pro-
visions of franchise of which it might be arbt
trarily deprived, ana, IN Ine second place, tHdt
a franchise which is not granted in perpetuity
on terms fixed In advance but is renewable at
stated intervals on such terms the city may
approve is not likely to be misused to the dis
advantage Of the public. The foes of the
scheme have dropped all these contentious and
clamor for only two things-for an eight hour
day which would amount to nothing, inasmuch
as tunnel diggers cannot work even eight hours
daily. and for consent to the prevailing rate of
wages, which would be of no legal effect under
the decisions of the courts Most of those who
make them, we have no doubt, are aware that
these demands are foolish but the consdera-
ton Of votes to be given or withheld prevents
their saying so and acting accordingly.
If the Mayors plain, complete and convinc-
ing statement were addressed to such minds
alone it would do no good. But we believe that
some opponents of the franchise still open
to reason and susceptible to the influence of
public opinion. If that is the case the message
can scarcely fail TO prove effective, for the vote
will not be taken until next week, and during
the interval the pressure in favor Of the grant
is certain to increase The opposition knows
this and fears the delay, with good reason. If
the various agencies which have thus far led
the fight for the tunnel with intelligence and
energy make full Of the time that is left
they are likely 10 win.