Year: 1870

At meeting OF Broadway properly o"ho's'
representing one hundred millions OF sncn


property, on Thursday afternoon last, IN view
| OF a remonstrance to Governor Hoffman against
| the bill turning over Broadway and the public


parks along the line into The hands OF railway


monopoly, The character OF tais atroeious bar


gain and SALE and tho means whereby 1t. was


carried through the Legislature, were pretty


clearly brought to light. Judge Roosevelt,
| chairman OF the meeting, pointed out the
| loose manner in which the bill was drawn, the
deception manifested in it's legal effect, and the
trickery praetised by those who voted for it,
which gave the right to few individuals to
scoop out Broadway from end to end, without
a dollar of compensation being paid to any.
body" Judge Hilton touched upon the ''means
applied" which secured the passage Of this
bill, and among the other speakers was Mr..
A. I. Stewart, who 10 proposing committee
to wait upon the Governor on Wednesday next,
dwelt upon the inevitable and enormous inju-
ries that would follow to our citizens and the
city from the scooping out process proposed.


The bill simply proposes to make an excava-
ton along the whole extent of Broadway, from
the Battery to Union square, to the depth Of
fifteen or twenty feet, more or less, over the
whole space to the house walls on both sides,
and to give this excavation, with the full
use of sidecuts and adjacent public parks, to
the railway monopoly concerned for the pur-
poses Of central stone and cast iron railway
station. At Canal street, where the sewers
from Centre street and all that low region east
of Broadway are on the river level now, the
side walls Of this excavation, which will have
to be waterproof will throw back the drainage
till it rises to the surface out Of the sewers
and flows off that way, or else q canseway ten,
fifteen or twenty feet above the present level
of Broadway at Canal street, will have to be
built, extending from White street to Prince
street or beyond, in order that the drainage
Of that low level of the city on the east side
may be carried into the Hudson river under
this Broadway Arcade. The elevation of this
low section Of Broadway, then, some ten,
fifteen or twenty feet above its present level,
and for the distance suggested, is a part Of
this Arcade scheme, or the drowning out of
the eastern section of the city within the
limits Of the low level indicated.


If there were no other objections to this
contemplated outrage than this, this ought to
be sufficient to kill it with the Governor. The
whole scheme, however, from end to end, in
wolves an unparalleled outrage upon property
holders and a shameful mutilaton Of the city.
We cannot entertain the thought for moment
that the Governor, after oil his late railway
vetoes will sign this Arcade abomination. To
impress upon him, however, the opinions Of the
citizens most directly concerned let strong
committee in their behalf wait upon him next
Wednesday.


Ten days after the adjournment of the
Legislature (omitting Sundays) the question
will be settled, with or without the Governors
signature The State constitution (article
four, section nine) says :-'If any bill shall not
be returned by the Governor within ten days
Sundays excepted) after it shall have been
presented to him the same shall be law, in
like manner as if he had signed it, unless the
Legislature shall by their adjournment prevent
its return, ia which case 1t shall not be
law"


If, then, after the lapse of the legal ten days
since the passage of this bill it shall not be
signed, it will be dead. In other words, be-
fore the expiration of these legal ten days the
bill must be on the records of the Secretary Of
State as one of the acts of the late Legislature
approved by the Governor, or it goes for nothing
but 80 much waste paper. Judging from his
railroad vetoes and his views thereon, we
expect that Governor Hoffman will at least
give this Arcade outrage the go-by and let it
die a natural death. But it is a criminal
which calls for the bowstring Of the execu-
toner, and in response to our citizens COM
mittee with their protest against this bill the
Governor should publicly state his reasons for
Withholding his approval, in order that the
unfaithful members Of the late Legislature
unfaithfnl in the interests of the people-may
not escape proper and effective rebuke, and
in order that the trickery whereby this out
rageous bill was carried through may be
exposed 80 that the people may guard against
the tricksters concerned in the elections for
the next Legislature


For these good purposes it is to be hoped
that the Governor will not be satisfied in
quietly permitting this Arcade bill to be laid in
the tomb of the Capulets, but will avail him
self of the opportunity to vindicate private
rights, municipal rights and the general inte-
rests ofthe people against legislative bargaining
and selling, and against grasping and nnscru-
pulous railway combinations.