New-York tribune., 1905-03-03
pALDERMANIC REASONS" !"
rROITTS VIEW OF HOLD-UP
rIittle Tim" Willing, oh, Yest if
Action Is "Wdnted.


=. N Tunnels and Bridges Of the Board of
f.,.s-n,en. said yesterday that the comm Stee
- take action on the franchise applics- ->on
: ne New-York Connecting Railway If the
80 most interested wanted action
:. ,,isz- Of the fact that President Mellen of
>,svv-gaven and Vice President Rea Of
= pennsylvania the joint owners OF the New
-, connecting road. have been trying for the
- .rbt months TO get Mr.. Sullivan to take
=, o.-ioa. the aIderman's announcement yes
-s-say was mysInymg-
- hof5-uu OF the franchise has left Messrs
,-rsr and Rea with just one inference 1t is
= ,,o--nIirnentary TO the aldermen to state
-. .5st inference is. The Pennsylvania in
-..+s have decided that not one red cent shall
90 for the connecting road franchise, for
o,5inary legal expenses" anything else
extraordinary.
.4tar giving the relatives and friends of
.-..les F Murphy the gigantic contract for
:. terminal excavation. the attitude Of the
.I5s-rnen. absolutely controlled by Charles F.
,rurnbv and certain subordinates OF his in the
hard. has disgusted the company.
IRE terminal contract IN Manhattan was given
b he Murphy-GafTney company partly because
,hs streets Of the borough had 10 be more or
less torn up and il WIS assumed that the work
,ould be done with greater celerity by a COM
navy that stands in with the head Of Tam
many Hail than by any one else
That accounts for the good luck" OF the
Murphy company IN getting the terminal con-
erect The Pennsylvania people refuse TO go
sry further. They viii not be shaken down"
II any one inside or outside the Board Of Al
6e-rnen. Il the hold-up continues for the next
zen days q bill viii be sent TO Albany by
civic organizations interested IN having great
sen.i-pubuc Improvement completed. and the
chances are that the aldermen before the ad-
5ou-umeat Of the legislature viii find themselves
shorn os The power 10 hold up franchises.
The executive committee Of the Transportation
Reform League Of Brooklyn viii hold a meeting
this afternoon in the Eagle Building, at 4:30
O'Clock, 70 consider the hoId-up and the feasi-
hugty q appealing TO the courts for a manda-
nus against the aldermen. President Swan
Etrom sad last night that the business inter
ssts q Brooklyn were fully alive 10 the fact
fhst mslign Influences We're at work against a
Frojec; OF vital Importance to Brooklyn.
Il Is absurd for Mr.. Sullivan to say that only
the engineer OF the connecting company wants
The franchise granted" said Mr.. Swanstrom.
The Pennsylvania officials have been trying in
gentlenaEly way for months TO get the COM
.ittee 70 90 something with the franchise. and
they have not been able 70 do anything. I don't
believe that the company is going TO make any
further fight for the franchise Its officials are
1oi disposed TO stand and deliver at the de-
maud of any one.
Unless this link is built Brooklyn will not
reap any substantial benefit on account of the
expenditures the city has made in taking steam
cars Of Auautic-ave. That cost the city about
S-5aOo0. The city paid about as much more
for helping 10 depress the Long Island COM
F--r KS in Of he
These changes and Improvements Will be of little
account 10 Brooklyn people unless the connect
hg line Is built so that freight and passenger
Traffic can get TO Manhattan, The Bronx and 10
Hev-ERglsnd points easily"
Theodore Miller. president Of the Brooklyn
Trust Company, IS the treasurer Of the Trans
portstion Reform League, and William c. Red
fed IS its vice-president. The object of the
organization is 10 push transportation interests
aimed 10 benefit Brooklyn Its 1000 members
are pledged 10 vote and work against officials
who show disposition 10 obstruct improve
ments desired by Brooklyn people as a whole.
Through its efforts Borough President Littleton
appointed his Committee Of Twenty-Five, and the
State Railroad Commissioners have done what
they could DO to regulate traffic in the borough.
Edward NJ Shepard. counsel TO the PennsyI-
vania Railroad. said:
a
means z great deal 10 the business interests OF
Brooklyn and Queens. Our cause is so mani
testify just that we do not feel that il needs any
special advocacy"
Alderman Sullivan says that the company can
have q hearing II II wants II, but that he has
had no request from any one for a hearing
and that hs does not expect to call the commit
tee together until there IS z demand for it. Mr.
Sullivan says that he has received petitions
against the proposed route, but, stated in
TIE Tribune yesterday, there is nothing file
with Tie City Clerk showing that any one op-
poses The road. The place for petitions if any
have been sent TO the committee, is at he City
Hal. in the custody OF the City Clerk. AT
the only puolic hearing on the franchise no one
appeared against X.
All this talk OF a hold-up is nonsense" said
Alderman Sullivan yesterday. Whenever the
Pennsylvania people want anything Of the
Board Of Aldermen il is kind Of queer that they
cal always get a lot OF professional reformers
% get up movements in their favor and say
hard things about the Board Of Aldermen. We,
! should think although l am only one Of the
Committee. are ready 70 report at any time
When Controller Grout's attention was called
70 The hOld-Up, he said
7 suppose the franchise is held in committee
for aI6eruanic reasons The hold-up is only
snother argument in favor Of the abolition Of
sAe Board Of Aldermen"