November 4—11, 1882





The Record and Guide.





55





THE RECORD AND GUIDE.

191   Broadway, N. Y.





KOVEMBER 4—11, 1883.





PRICE OF RECORD AND GUIDE.

Per Annum,              .              _             .              _             -        |5,0C

With Supplement,             ....                6.0G

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. WHAT MAT BE FOUND INSIDE.
■Charles Bradlaugh explains to our readers the injustice done him
by the British Parliament in excluding him from the seat to which
he was three times elected. "Sir Oracle," in the Prophetic Depart¬
ment, predicts that Jay Gould's star is setting, and tells why he
thinks so. The inside facts connected with the Nickel Plate road
sale are given for the flrst time in these columns. The fatal blow
dealt by Jay Qould at the New York Associated Press, and of which
the New York public has been kept in ignorance till now, is also
commented upon. Our special departments are full of interest, par-
ticidarly that devoted to real estate. Building, it seems, is far more
active this year than last, while the official transfers show very large
sales of realty. " Fort Sherman," corner of Broadway and Wall
street, is criticised by an able writer, and some of the facts are given
of the new street to be built under the pavement of Broadway,
VanderbiWs great railroad schemes are also dwelt upon.





Mutual Union into the field as the competitor at aU important
points for the business of the Western Union. It is understood
that the action of the Mutual IJnion in breaking away from Jay
Gould has been prompted by the large interest connected with the
New York Associated Press, and the capitalists who are about to
lay a new cable between this country and Europe. So two
monopolies have conspired in spite of themselves to give the country
a better and cheaper telegraph service, as well as to establish free
trade in news. W. H. Vanderbilt, D, O. Mills and Trenor W.
Park, have, it is understood, become associated with Mutual Union.
But we still adhere to the opinion that the telegraph service of
the country should be in the hands of the government. It is
intolerable that our business and family secrets should be at the
mercy of Jay Gould or any other speculative operator. No country
on earth would tolerate the present state of things except, alone,
the United States.





The Great Press Monopoly Ended.

Thanks to Jay Gotild and his telegraph system, the destruction
'of the New York Assqci^.ted Press monopoly has been accomplished
■during the past week. For the last thirty-five years the news of
the world has been collected by seven New York journals and sold
to the newspapers throughout the country. This service has not
been satisfrctory of late years to the Western newspapers, many of
which are abler papers than any published in Npw York,
and far more enterpiising. Last week the New York
Associated Press was notified that its news was not
required by any newspaper publisher west and south of
the AUeghanies. The press of the West and South, it seems,
ihave made a a agreement with Jay Gould by which the New York
Associated Press has lost its monopoly for ever. The interior
•papers get their European, as well as their Washington news,
ithrough the facilities afforded the Western Union Telegraph Com-
3)any and the Atlantic cables in the Gould interest.

Of course the monopoly died hard.    The New York papers offered
:to bind themselves for ten years, and to permit no liberty of action
•among its members, if the Western Union Telegraph Company
■would deal with them exclusively, and leave the Western and other
newspapers out in the cold.   This Jay Gould and his associates
refused to do, as they had already promised the Western press that
there should be a free field and no favor to any one organization.
The New York press then begged for a truce of two weeks, which was
granted, so that arrangements could be made by which the several
associations could collect the news from all parts of the country.
In the meantime, it is understood, that the Western Union is fur¬
nishing, free of cost, the news of the Western Associated Press to
the newspapers on the California coast and in the Southwest.   This
is done with the hope of increasing telegraph business, as the news
sent by the New York Associated Press to the outlying States has
been poor in quality and scant in quantity.   Jay Gould and his
associates! argue very justly that it will be a great benefit to the
telegraph system to allow free competition in news; the Western
press permits its members to use the telegraph freely, while the
New York association limited special telegrams to certain desig¬
nated points.     Not a word has been said about all this in any
•of the New York papers, and the readers of The Record and
Guide will be the first to hear of this exceedingly important matter.
One good turn deserves another.   The Western Union monopoly
breaks down the Associated Press monopoly, and now comes the.





Suggestions for Citizen

Next Tuesday th \ people of this State will elect a Governor; his
name may be Charles J. Folger, but those who are wise in such
matters are of opinion that Grover Cleveland will have the most
votes. In either event, however, the State will be sure of an excel¬
lent Governor for three years to come.

On the same day the people of the Empire State will choose an
Assembly, that is, one-half the Legislature, the Senate holding over
from last year. It may be that a Democratic Assembly will be
chosen, but of this there is some doubt. One thing, however, is
quite certain; it will be a body composed of very inferior delegates,
and the votes of its members will be in the market for sale. The
Governor, whoever he may be, is sure to achieve popularity, if he
vetoes nine-tenths of the laws that will be passed by the Legislature
which will commence its sittings at Albany next January.

On the 7th of November, New York city will elect a Mayor, his
name may be Edson or Campbell, but this much is assured, that the
executive who takes his seat in the City Hall next year will be an
honest and able man. He will do his best to serve the metropolis
and leave a good record behind him.

On that same 7th of November, New York will also choose a
Board of Aldermen, which will be a disgrace to it. The majority
will be composed of fellows eager to sell their votes. They will
confirm no nomination of tie Mayor unless they are paid therefor
in money or patronage.

The above predictions are based upon the experience of the last
half a century in this State. Our Governors have nearly always
been men of mark and character; our Legislatures are always corrupt.
During the last half century New York has had but three reaUy dis¬
honest or incompetent Mayors, while the present generation of voters
cannot recall a single Board of Aldermen that was not a corrupt and
incompetent body.

The moral is obvious; let us increase the responsibility and au¬
thority of our Governors and Mayors, and limit the power of state
and local legislative bodies. The only political object worth working
for is to have local home rule in the form of responsible executives.
Its good effects are seen in Brooklyn, in the administration of Mayor
Low. It is perfectly idle to elect good mayors and then have them
hampered in the appointing power ;fcy thievish Boards of Aldermen.
The Record and Guide insists that it does not make the slightest
difference, except to politicians, which ticket succeeds in the com¬
ing election. If there is no change in the confirming power of the
Board of Aldermen over the Mayor's nominations, there can be no
reform in our local administration, no matter who is chosen.





Charles Bradlaugh, member of Parliament from Northamp¬
ton, makes a statement in our columns as to his relations
with the British Parliament. Americans have known, in a
general way, that Mr. Bradlaugh has been repeatedly elected to the
House of Commons, and that his fellow-members have refused to
admit him to his seat. But why, is a conundrum that we on this
side of the Atlantic cmiiot solve nor does Mr. Bradlaugh's
presentation of the case throw any light upon the mystery. He
was, it seems, regularly elected under the law ; there was and is no
contestant to his seat; he has complied with every possible require¬
ment, yet a House of Commons which contains a large Liberal ma¬
jority has so far refused to give him his seat. But he has precisely
the same right to sit in Parliament as has Sir Stafford Northcote,
John Bright, or Premier Gladstone himself. It is the theory of all
representative governments that the constituencies are to be the
sole judges of the qualifications of their representatives. That
battle was fought by John Wilkes one hundre<i years since, and it
was supposed to have been settled for all time, so far as the British
Parliament was concerned. The issue presented in Mr. Bradlaugh's
case is a singular one, and is full of interest to the citizens of every
nation which has a representative government.   If a body which