New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-02
EXPLAIN TOO LATE 3?
VAL Fight INTERIOR
ough Bills To-day.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TR1BUNE.I

Albany. May 1.-Considerable comment was
aroused In the legislative circle to-day by the
announcement Of the marlborough people that
thelr measures were for the Steinway tunnel
mas been charged In The Tribune. The main
comment was that had the corporation asked
Win the same frankness for the privileges at
the outset Of the legislative OF these bills,
as now, less opposition might have been engen-
dered. not on the basis OF grab" but Of the
sneak features OF the bills. The question Of CIV
ing the Interborough valuable perpetual fran
chises without reference to the Rapid Transit
Commission or observance OF the charter provis-
ions on the subject of franchises would have been
sufficient to the strongest protest. but the
fact that no information was presented as to
the purpose OF the measures until their object
was revealed by investigation is responsible for
their having acquired the name of sneak bills.
A dozen ~AssenbIynen declared their intention
OF attacking these bills tomorrow. Among
them are Messrs. Wainwright, Fuller Prentice.
Agnew and Stanley Ex-senator John Ford, in
discussing this question, said tonight:
Yes, I read Mr.. Belmonts plea, published this
morning. I believe 1 the first to discover
that the mysterious Goodsell grab" bills were
designed to revive and make operative the old
Steinway tunnel franchise. At the time there
was no hint either from the bills themselves or
from their sponsor that this was their purpose
Indeed, our, charge that they had aught to do
denied, but by constant digging and research
their purpose was made plain. Then at last Mr.
Belmont, his subterranean plotting having been
laid bare, comes out with an assumption of In
tured innocence and Confesses to what the
people had already learned for themselves but
in spite Of the determined efforts of his paid
attorneys and other faithful representatives to
misead the public to the real purpose Of the
bills Such secret and underhand methods are
not necessary in behalf of honest legislation, and
the fact that they had been here resorted to
tablishes the iniquitous character of the
measures.
Mr.. Belmont's plea amounts to more than
this: He has franchise property OF utterly no
value to him. and he wants to exchange 1t,
through legislative enactments, for city prop
erty worth millions, without either going to the
Rapid Transit Commission the boards Of
Aldermen and Estimate and Apportionment To
apply to either OF these local authorities would
mean that reasonable price would be fixed for
the public property which he desires, and un-
doubtedly regulations Of fares and Of the service
would also be prescribed but he has got so
strongly In the habit of getting tens OF millions
Of the City's money without any adequate return
that he has come to look upon the city's fran
chi5es his own private preserve.
Everybody wants quick comfortable and cheap
transit connection between Queens and Manhat-
tan, but Incidentally the people interested
in getting for the city treasury something like
what the grant Is worth when franchise rights
conferred on a private corporation.