New-York tribune., 1906-12-19
CROSSING THE BRIDGE.

Governor-elect Hughes is an investigator who
! investigates. We believe that characteristic
was passed upon in the recent elections and
/ was established in his favor by a large ma
| tority. The voters had before them then only
his record in the insurance case. He had not
crossed the brdge-crossed the bridge in
the rush hours. We take it that only man
of an extremely inQuring turn OF mind would
cross the bridge in the rush hours, unless OF
course he lived In Brooklyn and that the
cross he bore to make up for the delights of
existence in that charming and relatively mex
pensive borough. With his investigating turn
Of mind Mr. Hughes would have no second
hand account Of the experiences of the home
ward bound Brooklynite. He would not con-
tent himself with the reports written more in
sorrow than in anger, from time TO time in the
newspapers of the horrors of transit to Brook
lyn.
Only personal investigation free from the
rhetoric of trampled feet, torn clothing and
ruffied dignity, would satisfy the truth seek
ing mind of the Governor-elect He wanted TO
know how il felt to be lump of coal in ten
tons dumped down chute He wanted TO
realize the experiences of a single grain of
wheat in cargo running from an elevator into
n boats hold He wanted TO come into belit-
Ting contact with militant democracy, hungry
and homeward bound. He wanted to know
what our traction companies were doing TO coun-
teract the elevating effects of the standard
works on etiquette He wanted 10 see the prac-
teal application of that rule of local travel:
Every man for himself, and the devil take
the one under your feet" He violated estab-
lished wisdom and crossed the bridge before he
came TO 1t, for he is not yet Governor; he
crossed a bridge he need never have come TO,
if it had not been for his inquiring turn of
mind Being an investigator who investigates,
he must needs see for himself. and so he went
10 Brooklyn. There should be fellow feeling
between him and Brooklyn Like unto one
of US though he sits in the Governors chair,
Brooklyn will say of him; 'he has crossed the
bridge in the rush hours And during his
term as Governor he will hardly forget what
it is like TO go through the chute which loads
and unloads Brooklyn.
We hope it will not be all in vain. We should
be sorry TO think of any ones crossing the
bridge In the rush hours in vain. Brooklyn
ties do not cross it in vain, for here is Man
haitian at one end to repay their travel and
their travail when bound hither, and there is
Brooklyn. dear old Brooklyn, at the other end,
TO reward them returning. We hope that the
Governors one trip will be even more fruit
full than their daily crossing, that his knowl-
edge Of the chute will lead to Improvement Of
the chute But we do not know just what he
can do The bridge is an old problem ana
about as hard as the problem of evil, to
which IL bears more than a superficial reSem-
blance. The city outgrows its facilities before
It has them. The bridge, before il was com
pleted. was an adequate highway between the
TWO cities. The present subway was outgrown
before it was in operation, and we have not
vet advertised for bids for additional subways
1t Will take several years TO build them, and
they will be Inadequate before a car Is run
Ming The bridge is the acutest case of this
municipal habit IT is q monument to myopla
Foresight-what's the use of recognizing its
existence, even IN the secondary role which
the proverb assigns TO It?
Well never mind! The Governor-eect has
crossed the bridge. This is a more critical time
than once existed. We do not take things for
granted quite as readily as we used to. This
IS going to be a more critical administration
II IS not going TO take things for granted, either
The investigator is already investigating.