, 1869-04-15

Addtua TRIBUNE COMPANY,
Calessa. n.
THURSDAY. APRIL Is. 1863.
THE LAKE FRONT BILL
Governor Palmer has returned the Lake
Front bill u the Legislature with his objoc-
tiona, which nrc printed in full elsewhere,
and which wc think oven tho friends Of tho
bill must ndrnit ART for tho most part well
taken and we'll fortified. Considering tho
heat and animosity cngendercd by the ras-
saec of the bill, ii mukt bo admitted also
lint the Governor has dealt with the subjec.
in calm and dignifed hut sufi-
cienty determined manner. His first
objection relates to the price to
he paid by tho three railroad oom-
pa1sicA for tho three blocks Of land
bounded ly Randolph and Monroo s,rceta>
To this branch Of Tie question be tlevotes
tho larger Share Of his veto message.
Willie we agree with his conclusions in this
matter nnA whilc We nnintain that tho
proper way TO sell the land is to have it first
valued l'y an impartial commission, we ARC
unable to ntTre with the Governor that
the Legislature has tho igh. or tho power
10 direct the city ~ sell it for any price, at
any time. OF to anybody. In other
words, wo hold, na a legal
proposition, that the Lake Front
bill, il passed, would not convey
The title TO the ground in Fort Dearborn
Addihou--that thcrallruads would got moth
ing in that part pf the city hy virtue Of the
bill. antl that they would still be required TO
comc 10 tho City Council and pay what the
property il worth, OF Mt loast what tho
Council should choose TO exact for it. Tho
Governor grounds his objection TO this por-
tion Of the bill upon the i.}ea that it would,
if passed, be cfTcctual in transferring tho
title If the property 10 tho raitrua.ls for tho
sum Of Ssoo,Nn. He holds TINT tho prop
crty Of municipal e.r1osation IN at tho
disposal Of the stAto, Opposed to this viow
ih tho following citation from kents Conn.,
nentarieE, Vol II, p. 3l7:
"lr1bIc ct'rTorauons arc sach - arc c.catel ,y
thc government I"I political purposes, ~ counties,
snnt,iinatr legislative rowcrA 10 be exercised FIR
tocal ruEpcE.cs connected With the public gnn<l,
md ,s'eh ,+H1. arc subject to the con.Ecl u the
hold private property 1or Municipal uses. and such
property ts Invested with the accaty Of other pt.-
rate HeftA N corporate franchises attached 10
public corporations legal Estates coupled with
m interest," d'.t dse 1nutxtea o. 1strat Jrrertu''
No might multiply authorisica upon this
point, but il il not essential to tho mntter
under consideration. Ne aBroc fully with
the conclusion Of tho Governor that it ia
unwiso and unjust for the Lcgisl,turo 10
assume 10 dispoAe Of this property for n
h1ed sum without first asoertnining its
vnlpc, but NC hold, ns We held whilo tho
bill vaa pending, that tho Law would havc
been imperative even il passed and ap-
proved, 70 far III it purports to convey
title 10 anything in Fort Dearborn Addi-
ton.
The Governor indulees in some sarcasm
in his reference To tho preamble Of the
first section Of tho hill. 1t is vo1y olsar
that all that r'gmarole might aR well
have been omitted. II adils nothing 10 the
legal force Of the measure, and tends only
to cast suspicion upon it.
As regards tho "outaida ha1bor" tho Gov
crnor holds that it ought to be subject, in
express ter,ms, to State and municipal taxa
ticn; that the t'ill ol,ght 10 require that the
work he commenced within a specified ti1ne,
md 10 prosecuted at n certain rate Of pro
grcss; md that there ought to he, in tho
interests Of commerce, limitation upon
the ne: profits 10 hc derived from it. He
intitnatcs that lill onbodsing these pro-
-iai,na and providing for valuation Of tho
three blocks, would meet la;a approval.
The taxation clause and tho Pr'rision ro-
q,iring the construction Of an outside har-
bor within a certain time, arc two points
which wc Insisted upon while tho bill waa
peuding. Tho rropTcsy and wisdom Of
those provisions will no longer be doubtcd.
We cannot agree with tho Governor, how
ever, in prcferring limitation upou the
net profit. M a,cttcr measure for tho intnr-
osts Of commerce than tho clause which rc-
serves to Tho State tho right
to rrgulnte tho ratsa Of
wharfage aud docingo. II would be vcsy
easy 10 nrrangc the business no that there
should be no net profits at ALL Tho ratcs
OF wharfage and dockago arc tangible
entity which the State can tako hold Of at
any time, but whcn it undertakes 10 rcgu-
lAto '4not profits" it VIII get into deeper
water than the outside ha1bor will ever bc
built in,
II is stated in onr Springfield dispatches
that the friends Of the bill intend to pass it
over the Govarnoria rcto, and then pass n
supplemental bill, entnlyins the rrovizions
which he indicates in his veto tnessagc to DO