Excerpt from The Most Notable Robbery of Modern Times: Public Honor, Plaintiff: Versus: The State of New York, Defendant: The City of New York, Co-Respondent; Statement of the Case
Part first, To comprise a historical sketch of the main points of the environment of the rapid transit problem in the City of New York, during the first quarter century after initiatory action by State or Municipality.
Part second, To contain a record of the. Personal experience, within the same period, of the author of the first successful transit system in that city.
This plan was adopted in 1890, during which year part first was made ready for publication, and part second mainly prepared as its continuation. But when both were brought to the attention of parties whose opinion was deemed conclusive and the criticism was made by them that part first was incomplete without a more extended notice of the personnel, the animus and the acts of the Municipal Rapid Transit Commission of 1875-6, of which the ex-confederate Military Secretary mentioned elsewhere was the chief manipulator; also, that connected mention Should be made of surface (broadway) railway promotor Jacob Sharpe’s public trial, together with the indictment, trial and conviction of certain boodle Aldermen, as indicative of the methods pursued in respect to the transit interests of the City by its officials at that time. Also special mention of the selection and proceedings of the Second Municipal Transit Commission appointed by Mayor Edson in 1883-4, which reported in favor of traction cables as the motive power for elevated railways as originally advocated by their projector. The further point was made that before part first Should be published as a completed record of the quarter century period proposed for it to cover, the outcome of the researches and recommendations of the Rapid Transit Commission pro vided for in the special law of 1891 Should be added thereto.
Upon due consideration these criticisms were accepted as well founded, and it was decided to conform part first to them, although necessitating a change of nearly its entire make up and a considerable delay in making it ready for such revised publication.
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