Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-08-08
Correspondence of The Ohio Statesman !

A trip to Niagara is not much of mar
vel to newspaper readers, for almost every
one who makes it feels called upon to con-
vey his impressions to the public in some
shape; but to one subjected to the perpet-
ual grind of Daily newspaper, whose re-
creation is the pursuit of sensations, whose
business it is to write them up, whose daily
diet is controversy, agitation, and perplex-
ity, and whose pleasure is popularity sup
posed to be the writing down of public
miseries, the journey does not lack the
charm of novelty. The sky never appear
ed so deeply blue, nor the earth so fair, nor
the air so refreshing as they did the MORN
| ing that we found the distance between our
familiar sanctum and one of its fixtures in
creasing at the rate of forty miles an hour.
And, when booked and aboard the splendid
steamer Arctic, the shores of Lake Erie re-
ceded from us, and the first cool, pure and
refreshing breeze from across the waste OF
waters swept back the feverish heat and
smothering dust to the land from which
they came, all thought of items, of sensa-
tions, of paragraphs, of reports, went with
the other dusty recolleetions, leaving i'm
their place feeling of buoyant enjoyment
and novel sense of ease and comfort. The
Arctic seemed aptly named: she was as
cool as refrigerator, and for once during
that day we ceased to wish to be able to
crawl out of the flesh and sit in the shade
in our bones alone. The Captain was the
personification of the cool geptility and
quiet politeness of his professions; the clerks
were civil and accommodating; the walters
were prompt and active. and the bar par
took Of the all pervading quality of cool
ness, for everybody partook of its bever-
ages with 'ice in" The Lake was just
smooth enough to be agreeable. for no case
of sea sickness was observed, and the sky
was as clear as the Lake, except towards
the point we left, where mountainous
black cloud arose, about which the light
ming flashed as if in a frolic, affording us a
splendid display of celestial fireworks with
out charge. ,..-..--
After pleasant voyage of thirteen hours,
having left Cleveland at five o'clock Friday
evening, we reached the thriving and busi-
ness-like city of Buffalo. was stuck with
the marked Improvement and increase in
the business of this city, evidently resulting
from our fratricidal war. The farther you
proceed from the border and the seat of war,
the more evidence of this sort of plethoric
prosperity appears. Buffalo has increased
more than one-third in population within
four years. Its wharfs arc crowded with
boats; its numerous and enormous elevators
have all they can do in the way of transmit
ting and storing grain; its streets are alive
with business; its rich people are rapidly be-
coming richer, and must in truth, add my
belief that its poor are daily becoming poor
er. The local government of Buffalo has
learned the lesson of "Tax, Tax, Tax" so Of
ten reiterated by the press of the ruling po-
litical party. and by applying it to their cor
poration, the local authorities have created
magnificent city, full Of numerous and
lengthy streets paved In a style of excellence
unrivalled in any city in the world, but at
cost fearfully extravagant. The poor are
in effect prohibited from holding property
in the city by the enormous taxes levied by
the city government, which eat up their
substance, and thus there is an unusual ac-
cumulation of the soil in the hands of the
rich. FORESTS and fields have been declared
| in the city limits, and the owners of such
property have often been compelled to sell
out to pay the accumulated taxes. There
are an extraordinary number of palatial
residences and fine yards In the town, show
| ing that those who have gained fortunes
use them to some purpose; on the other
hand there is not in the whole city q
decent hotel, nor one which in any
/ way Cdu Uc COulpdrtu w but HOJclo VI OuT
own unpretending little city. When mem
tion that they of Buffalo are blessed with
a superb quality of lager beer, and that it
is universally used by the people, / have
named all the beauties that need be record
ed of Buffalo, upon which, it may be OBJ
jected, enough has already has been sai'
If any one should question the qualit
the beer, he is referred to Mr.. c. "A. ! Ag-
ner, of this city, or his brother-in-ls G..
N. Kolb, of Buffalo, under whose auspices
our party imbibed the best!
The collective" point of our happy cam
paign was reached when we landed at the
HMont Eagle" at Suspension Bridge. Nj
agara thunders away at the same stipend
ous tune, as grand, though perhaps not al
gloomy as when the world began and the
earth was young. Nature made the Falls Z
grand thing; men make it "a good thing
You have scarcely chance to think of th,
magnificent picture before you, or an op
portunity to drink in its beauty, or admir-
the many colored brilliancy OF It's waters
before you begin to suffer from the pest
(which Ingenious men have established 70
their own pecuniary benefit Ruffianhack
! men pursue the tortured visitor at ever,
step; on the American side they dog yo'