September 1, 1888





Record  and   Guide.





1061









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Vol. XLII.





SEPTEMBER 1, 1888.





No. 1,068





Now Ready—The Index to the Conveyances and Projected
Buildings published in The Record and G-tjide during the first six
months of the current year. The Index is printed on extra heavy
paper, and, as usual, includes New York and Kings Counties, and
is the most exhaustive ever pxdilished. The labor and expense
connected with the work has become so formidable that a charge of
Iifty cents is made for this issue, as announced in these columns on
January 21si last. Subscribers requiring copies should send in their
orders at once.

The business of the country seems to be in good whape. AU the
reports go to show tliat there will be a large demainl for goods this
coming fall. That manufacturing is prosperous is shown by the
phenomenal consumption of coal, both hard and soft. Wliile there
has been no advance in the price of iron and steel, the protiuction
and consumption of all the metals is large and growing. It is
reported that the demand for agricultural implements was never
so large. Securities in Wall street continue strong, to the surprise
of a. great many of the leaders who have been lookin.g in vain for a
serious set-back. With a large coru cro]> every one concedes that
the counti'y will enter on a new period of prosperity. Europe will
want all our surplus cereals, and at the highest prices recorded for
four years. A prosperous farming community means a new stim¬
ulus to manufacturing.    Altogether the outlook is very reassuring.





Wall sti-eet is full of gossip about the corn crop. One would sup¬
pose that every "bull" aud "bear" and business man were farmers,
so learnedly do they discuss the crops—^especially the corn crop.
Venturesome operators are purchasing securities likely to be bene¬
fited by a large harvest of this cereal, but conservative people pre¬
fer to wait. As a matter of fact the corn crop is late ; its plautuig
was delayed because of wet weatlier ; the summer has been cool,
but there has been no lack of rain except in a few isolated sec¬
tions. The promise of the crop is simply enormous, but it will take
all of September without a frost to realize the present estimates,
which run as higii as two billion five hundred million bushels. The
largest previous crop we have had was in 1856^about one billion
nine hundred million. On the doctrine of averages September ought
to be a hot, dry mouth, but a black frost almost any time during
that thirty days would see almost a panic in stocks in Wall street.
Should corn turn out as well as expected, every business interest in
the country will profit by it; stocks will boom, railroad building will
be resumed aud real estate here in New York will be very greatly
benefited.





The Republican State ticket and platform are both very good.
Warner Miller made a very good representative of the State of
New York in the United States Senate, and there was no justifica¬
tion for electing Fi-auk Hiscock in his place. He was an abler and
fairer-minded man than Ms successor, but then the latter was a
lawyer and the man he supplanted was a manufactm-er, which
probably accounts for the change. If Secretary Whitney should be
selected as the Democratic standard bearer there will not be much
choice between the two candidates as far as personal character and
ability go. Real estate people will be gratified by the nomination
of Colonel Cruger for Lieutenant-Governor. He comes of one of
the historic Dutch families of New York, and he was a member of
the first Board of Directors of the Real Estate Exchange. His
nomination was a victory over the "boys," for in the County
Republican Committee he antagonized the corrupt Republican
machine-gang led by O'Brien. This fact ought to gain liim votes
among the independent citizens of all parties.





Notwithstanding the carpings of the Mugwumps the Republican
State platform is generally a good one. It contains some dema-
goguery about " trusts " and prison labor, but it favors the taxa-
!tion of the saloons and the Austrahan voting reform. These two
matters are -vital and quite ii-respective of party. It is to be liojicd
that a legislature will be (chosen which will give us election ret'oi'Hi





and will put some of the burdens of taxation upon the liquor sellers.
It is too bad that real estate should be taxed so heavily, and that
the saloon owners, whose business helps to increase the public
burdens, should contribute nothing to the city treasury.





The bonds have been placed by a Scottish bauk to complete the
tunnel between this city and the Jersey shore. It will be a great
thing for th-'s island when the freight and jjassonger cars can come
direct to the depots on the east bank of the Hudson. Tbis will
create a heavy demand for real estate in sections which now rule
cheap in the market. Everything seems to conspire to make land
on Manhattan Island tlie most valuable for commei-cial purposes of
any on earth. Of course there are isolated spots in the old city of
London which would be worth more than any real estate in New
York: but it seems as if one were justified iu claiming that in the
year 1900 tbe average value of land on this islaud will be higher
than any corresponding area in the capitals of the Old World. The
tunnels and bridges in contemplation will have a gi'eat deal to do
with this enhancement of the values of our real estate.





The Herald is very anxious that a certain gentleman, of a German
name, who is a friend of Mr. Bennett's, should be made Mayor of
New York. Hence it suggests Mr. Abrara Hewitt for Governor, so
as to get him out of the way. But Mr. Hewitt would prefer to be
Mayor of New York a second term, and a great many of our citi¬
zens want him re-elected in consequence of the many unp^irtant
appointments to be made during the coming two years. The .bjec-
tion to any other candidate is that he would be forced to give
pledges parceling out the offices to the County Democracy or Tam¬
many HaU politicians. Mayor Hewitt, if chosen to succeed himself,
would be entirely uncommitted. By all odds Mr. Hewitt has been
the best Mayor New York has ever had. He has made enemies—
unnecessary ones—but we think that tlu-ee-fourths of our voters
would prefer him to any one else who could be mentioned.





Many street pavements are now being torn up by steam and gas
companies ; travel aud traffic on lower Broadway has been impeded
dui'ing the past week by workmen tearing up the streets. Why
should not this work be confined to the night time 'i An electric
light is quite as good as daylight for this out-of-door work. Mayor
Hewitt should confer with Commissioner Newton and have this
matter attended to. Third avenue has been torn up to a gi-eat
extent by a gas company ; numerous cross streets are in the same
condition. Tliis is causiug malaria and increasing the sick list in
the city. The time must surely come when in all the great avenues,
running uorth and south, there wiU be a sewer system hke that in
Paris, which will include provision for gas, water and other pipes.
Tliis would put a stop, for all time, to the tearing up of our pavements.





One of the most disgusting signs of the times is the appeals to the
workingmen in the daily papers to vote for this or that candidate
or party. When anything vital affects the laboring classes, the
newspapers generally antagonize their interests, rarely doing them
simple justice. Yet here is the World, Herald aud Times tiying to
create a prejudice against Mr. Ben Harrison by alleging that he
said a doUar a day was enough pay for a laborer. Then there are
protectionist papers appealing for the workingman's vote on the
ground that free trade would reduce wages. These appeals are
pure demagoguery. It would be a bad sign if the workingmen
were to respond to calls on their cupidity. We have always be¬
lieved in ti'eating the working class hberally, but questions as to
more or less wages should be left out of politics.





In " Sir Oracle's" contribution to our columns this week he voices
the old objection to our quadrennial Presidential contests. He
tliinks the country would be better off if our chief magistrates were
elected for seven years, for then we would save some of the inter¬
ference with business which, it is supposed, characterizes years in
wliich there is a Presidential contest. StiU, is there not another
side to this question ? Do not the American people generaUy pay
too much attention to business ? Is it not a wholesome distraction
when they are forced to discuss public measures a.nd the merits of
candidates for high office V Indeed, oue misfortune of our politics
is that it deals only with home affairs. Our public discussions
would be vastly more elevating aud educative -H'ere we to take our
part in the councils of great nations. We ought to be debating the
larger ciuestions of international politics. However, this will come
in time. Commercially we have our relations with about all parts
of the earth, save alone Africa, and the time cannot be far distant
when we will have vital political interests on other continents than
our own. But, m tbe meantime, let us continue our four yeai-
Presidential contests, and try and be interested in something besides
making monev.

According to intimations from several quarters it loqks as though
David Bennett Hill has been induced to withdrav^' frqm the caitvass
for Governor of this State,    He cpnld certainly f;oTn|pand i\\f, npm: