wm
 

mms^m
 

■jay»T*wi»rat!g*;a»tot;?ft
 

02
 

The   Record   and   Guide.
 

January 15, 1887
 

exceed those of tho present year.    But the comparisona we give are
interesting to all who own or deal in New York real estate.
 

City and National Politics.

It is well understood that some 12,000 Republicans voted for Mr.
Hewitt at the last election instead of Mr. Roosevelt, so as to make
certain that Henry George would not be chosen. The Emning
Post led in this matter, and among the 13,000 were not only
conservative property-holders but the "boys" who run the
Republican machine. Ifc was stated over and over again that the
election of Mr. Hewitt would be a lelp toward " saving society "
from the anarchical followers of Henry George. The following
dispatch from Washington, which appeared in the Herald last
week, tells a somewhat different story :

From the day that ex-Congressman Abram S. Hewitt was elected Mayor
on the united County Democracy and Tammany Hall tickets there has been
a quiet and well-meaning effort on the part of the leaders of these factions
to secure a plan whereby there would be an equitable distribution of
federal patronage by the administration in connection with the New York
Post-offlce, Navy Yard and Collector's Office. Mayor Hewitt sanctioned
this idea, prominent politicians of the two factions were consulted, and the
practical result of all this was the advice the Herald gave last year as to
the desirability of Democratic unity of sentiment and harmony of feeling
being secured because the barriers to these ends had ceased by the death of
John Kelly and Hubert O. Thompson, the respective bosses of the two
factions. During the week Police Justice Maurice J. Power, Police Com¬
missioner John R. Voorhis, James A. McCartney, Port Surveyor Hans S.
Beattie and Richard A. Cunningham, of the County Democracy, went to
Washington, where they lunched with President Cleveland, and, at the
request of Secretaries Manning and Whitney, had conferences with all the
members of the Cabinet. One of the members of this visiting delegation
authorizes the statement that the conferences were "lemarkably satis¬
factory, relating as they did to the distribution of federal patronage on an
equitable basis between the Tammany Hall and the County Democracy
factions, and would at least secure a united local Democracy iu the elections
this year."

It would seem from this statement that the nomination and
election of Mr. Hewitt was not so much with a view to "saving
society," as it was to securing offices for the leaders in the two
Democratic factione. This is all right, of course, from their point
of view ; but the Evening Post and the Republicans must realize
that they have been made cats'-paws of to pull the chestnuts out of
the fire for the benefit of the shrewd Democratic manipulatora of
the two machines. It is to be seen whether Mayor Hewitt was
really a party to this understanding. His appointments will econ
tell the story.
 

Lawyer Lauterbach, of the Third avenue road, states that he
and his friends are about to recuseitate the underground project for
which a charter was given in 1868. We do not think this scheme
will ever be carried out, and we sincerely hope it will not: be.
"Never go underground until you can't help yourself " is a good
motto to follow. No tunnel travel would bo tolerated in a city
that has had the advantages of an elevated road. Whatever else
can be said about the Manhattan Railway there ia jio question at
all as to its comfort compared with, say, the Metropolitan Under¬
ground Railway of London. The only scheme of that kind at all
tolerable is the proposed Arcade road, which aims at the construc¬
tion of a new street under Broadway. But that splendid project
seems to be in abeyance owing to the opposition of the property-
holders who would be most benefited by theimprovement. Still
New York wants additional rapid transit. We should have a line
of steam cars on the river fronts. Elm street should be widened
and a new elevated road constructed over it to run from the Brook¬
lyn Bridge to the Harlem River. Then, if possible, the Central
road should be permitted to operate cars from the Forty-second
street depot through Fourth avenue and down to the Battery. If
the Broadway property-holders will not permit an Arcade road to
be built, then should an elevated road be constructed on
our great thoroughfare. Ifc might be made ornamental and need
not necessarily be a nuisance, and it would certainly be a very
great convenience to our citizens. A new company should operate
these new means of communication. Ifc would be monstrous to
make them a present to the Manhattan Company.

If the Senate assents to the creation of an agricultural and
labor department in the Cabinet, the next step will be a transporta¬
tion department. Then will come one on education, one on manu¬
facturing and mining, and still another on commerce. These
would all prove useful to the coming great industrial Republic. Our
administration should represent the vital interests of the country
Then the War and Navy Departments might be consolidated
with advantage into a department of national defence with two
bureaus. The business of the United States is work—not war.
Then we have no navy, and our army is only an apology for one ;
hence the absurdity of a Secretary of War an J a Secretary of the
Navyrin .the Cabinet, of a-.peaceful nation. Nor should there be
any Attorney-General.   A lafwyer should be employed to give his
 

opinion on the legal aspects of matters before the Cabinet, bufc the
Attorney-General, as a member of the President's Council, is not
needed.
 

Our Prophetic Department.

CmzEN~I notice, Sir Oracle, that the newspapers seem afraid
to comment on the Dr. McGlynn episode. I hear a great deal about
it in private circles, but in the religious as well as the secular press,
while they give the mere news as to what Dr. McGlynn may
or may not do, there is a careful avoidance of any expression of
opinion.

Sin Oracle—The embarrassment of the secular editors is quite
natural. Then the organs of the Protestant denominations are " in
a hole" on this subject. They would,like to take the side of
Father McGlynn as against the mother Church, but to do so effec¬
tually would involve an indorsement of the theories of Henry
George, which would be exceedingly distasteful to the great middle
class, which are the financial backers of the leading Protestant
sects.

Citizen—You take ifc for granted then that the poorer working
class are not frequenters of the Protestant churches, while the
Roman Catholic Church has a very large number of members who
are of that class ?

Sir O.—It must, I think, be admitted in a general way that in
the large centres of population throughout the country the princi¬
pal supporters of the Protestant churches are the well-to-do classes.
There are quite a number of poor people who are Methodists or
Baptists, and there is a sprinkling of workingmen who adhere to
the other denominations. But it is safe ro assert that the bulk of
the hardworking poor do not go to church or sustain the various
organizations. An exception, however, must be made to the
Roman Cafcholic Church, the body of whose membership is
undoubtedly composed of the laboring classes.

Citizen—In view of this fact, must there not be a widespread
sympathy for Father McGlynn, particularly among the Irish
Catholics ?

Sir O.—I judge that the rich and well-to-do Catholics are in
hearty accord with Archbishop Corrigan and Monsignor Preston.
They look upon the Henry.George teachings as being anarchical.
Then it is an undeniable fact that the Church has always been on
the side of property. Time was when it owned a large portion of
the soil in Europe. Pious Catholics in the middle ages, when dying,
surrendered their possessions to the Church, which never sold the
land bequeathed to it. Being a perpetual corporation it became the
greatest corporate land owner of Europe, and, had there been no
Reformation, there is no telling how large its possessions might
have become. It is to the credit of the Church of the Middle Ages
that it was never a harsh landlord, while the monasteries always
cared for the poor in the immediate neighborhood. Almshouses
were unknown until after the Church was despoiled of its landed
possessions. Indeed, the monasteries and nunneries were commu¬
nistic institutions, and were generous to the poor, the needy and
the sick.

Citizen—Of course we know that during the last three hundred
years the Church has been stripped of its landed possessions in all
countries except this. Henry VIII. led the way in confiscating
Church property, and his example has been followed by ail the
Protestant and many of the Catholic nations since then. Italy is
only just now disposing of the real estate of the Church.

Sir O,—This fact of ownership explains the position of the
Church on the land question. It has insisted on the rights of
property from the time of Henry VIII. until the present, and Father
McGlynn, in favoring Henry George's scheme for the nationaliza¬
tion of the land, was practically indorsing the position of the
nations which confiscated the landed property belonging to the
Church.

Citizen—Still, if it be true that the great majority of the Roman
Catholics belong to the poorer working class and thatmaiay of them
are Irish or of Irish descent, is it not probable that, despite the
traditions  of  the Church, they sympathize ardently with  Dr
McGlynn ?

Sir O.—Evidently Henry George seems to think so. His article
on the subject in his new paper, the Standard, was very bold and
very able. It was intiehded to set the rich and poor Catholics by
the ears. His object was undoubtedly to force his friend, iihe
priest, to take a position which might create a split in the Catholic
churches of America.    But I hardly think he will succeed.

Citizen—Yet is ic not true that the position of Dr. McGlynn and
Henry George is similar to that held by the Irish Land League?
Did-not the Roman authorities finally permit the Irish priests to
have their own way in siding with the people on the land question?
Archbishop Walsh sympathizes with the Irish radicals on this
vital question. Can the Papal authorities at Rome afford to punish
Dr. McGlynn for advocating views which have the approval of the
bulk.of-the Irish Catholics at home and abroad? -                 .      .

Sir 0?^1 should judge that the Roman Pontiff and his advisers