New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-23
TANNANY EARTHQUAKES.

The devotion Of Tammany &c the peoples IN
terests when left to its own devices Is auIll-
rably illustrated by the action of Borough FreSl
dent Ahearn and Corporation Counsel Delahy
with reference to the Steinway tunnel graz
When q few days ago, the City CluD made
noise about the affair and entered protest
which it would be found most inconven1ent TO
ignore on the eve of an election, Mayor McClel-
Ian forced the suspension of work In 42d-st
pending test of the validity Of the tranchlse'
That is what the administration does when out
side agencies are alive TO keep 1t IN orueI' or'
rather bring 1t to order How it deals with the
same problems when 1t has Tree manu- IL
shown by the history Of Controller Grouts cor
respondence with the Corporation Counsel ana
the Borough President
On july Is last the Controller wrote to Bor-
ough President Ahearn asking him to withhold
nermission to excavate for a tunnel IN 42d-st.
In that letter the probable invalid1ty OF the
Steinwav tunnel franchise, so far as operations
on the site in question went, was clearly pointed
out and the need Of protecting the Guys IN
terests in view of the expected litigation urged
So for more than two months before ne was
brought to book by the City Club Mr.. Ahealn
knew what was involved In allowing the tunnel
work to be begun On August 16 Mr.. Grout wrote
to CORPORATION Counsel Delany calling his at
tention to the impending sacrifice of the citys
interests and urging his cooperation to prevent
a corpora ton from grabbing valuable privileges
under cover of an invalid franchise. The tun-
mel company was seeking to establish rights IN
perpetuity for a plainly inadequate compensa-
ton to a route which by It's charter it had no
right TO enter upon under an alleged grant
from the city which the Controller pretty clearly
showed was mere waste paper. It might be
thought that the Corporation Counsel would
hasten to prevent the company from securing
the advantage of actual possession pending the
litigation which he was warned would be under
taken But he did nothing Of the kind. The
interests of the tunnel company seemed to take
precedence over the interests of the city and the
desires of its officials over the pleas of Con
troller Grout 1t was month later that the
Mayor. under the pressure of public opinion,
was induced to interfere.
Does any intelligent person suppose for an
instant that the Mayor would have interfered
if the City Club had not taken up the matter!
Tammany is always resentfuI Of the criticisms
and suggestions of voluntary organizations of
citizens to promote the public welfare. 1t re
CARDS them as impudent interlopePs who inter
fere with what is its business. But if such as
sociations were not always the watch it is
hard 10 say where the footing of the city SToud
STOP Mr. Ahearn and Mr.. DeIany would let
the franchise grabbers have their own way
Pelham Bay Park would be disfgured with
racetrack and the gas monopoly would be in
undisturbed enjoyment of Mr.. Oakley's wastefu
contracts. If TammanY sought to cooperate
with workers for good government its mistakes
when left to itself might in q measure be ex-
cused but it shows by its habitual attitude that
It does not want light and does not want help
II wants to be left to work in darkness and be-
tray the cfty's interests. and when it is free it