New-York tribune., 1909-02-14
A FEoEssARY Nuisance.

When a municipality feels that It has out
grown the swaddltng clothes of infancy, and
ought by rights 10 enter upon the larger career
of a metropolis, It's longings are likely to take
form In desire for subway. There is some
thing about the very word which inspires awe
In the benighted villagers who know not the
perils In the way Of germs and microbes which
lie In wait for the underground traveller. It is
not so much question OF the volume Of travel
to be handled, of the economic need Of such an
institution. as It Is the desire for subway for
the subway's sake
New York's success in boring hole from one
end OF Manhattan Island 30 the other without
dropping all the structures bordering on the
line OF operations into 1t has encouraged others
to hope for equally fortunate results. Boston
had already seized the opportunity to create a
fairly straight line between two points-some-
thing its streets have never been able to ac-
complish-and emerged from the ordeal tri-
umphant Philadelphia and Chicago have ex-
perimented TO q limited extent among the foun-
dations of their skyscrepers without disastrous
results, and this has inspired In other municipal
hearts longing for hole In the ground.
ST Louis had the matter under advisement,
and the only hitch in the proceedings seemed
70 be that they didn't need the subway and that
II wouldn't pay II installed. AS It is a little
difficult to take them out and remove them to
other parts OF the country when found unproft-
able in the place where originally constructed.
owing to the lack OF facilities for TRANSPORTING
subways either wholly or IN part, and as they
cannot advantageously be cut up and used for
subceuars St Louis decided 20 postpone its
subway era indefinitely. One authority said the
city might be ready for such an institution In a
hundred years, but by that time some better
means OF shifting the population to and from
the business centre may be discovered.
manding, tn the name OF the people of the CITY
q subway. II foresees that within q few hun
dred years this most favored OF all cities will ba
the metropolis OF the universe, provided people
are not scared away by fear of insufficient
transportation facilities. Already the streets of
this Southwestern metropolis are so congested
that It Is impossible for all the people TO find
room In them at once. Part Of them must he
put under ground In order TO be kept ont of
the way; and as the climate OF Los Angeles IS
so healthful that people refuse TO be put under
in the usual way. they must be chased into
subway. There are disadvantages about living
In the vicinity OF the fountain of eternal youth.
but by getting started early and preparing for
the Inevitable future the energetic residents
hope to accommodates all comers.
In the achievement OF her ambition New York
wishes her sister city IN the land OF the setting
sun unlimited success. She VIII find, however.
that the subway is a source OF much woe.
The getting OF It requires mass meetings AMI
counter meetings charges and counter charges.
appropriations and reappropriations. When It
comes and the package Is opened half the people
VIII find 1t too hot and the other half too cold.
Some VIII complain because all the stations
are not local, and come VIII feel equally hurt
because trains are not run from end TO end
without stop. There win be fears at first that
II viii. not pay dividends, and when it begins
to show profit It VIII be asserted that It pays