The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-03-20

The objection urged TO the 18th section, tina
the land has been already located, Is certainl,
one possessing little If any FORCE BY this CLAUSE
the commissioners can have no chance to spe
cu'ate, and all scheming ia avoided We arr
aware Il sounds very well 70 say that q public
park should be located nearer the centre Of the
city; that poor man cannot afford to 20 or .
miles to enjoy the luxury of an hour In the
countFy, aud so forth. That argument would
have had some force TES years ago: II has none
now. The question Al present is: win the CHI
Gems Of Chicago vote for park commencing Al
Fifty first street, or, BY delaying the matter foI
a couple Of yeats, till the property now offered
has been sub-diyided or doubled in value. be
compelled to vote for a park commencing a
mile further south, All regrets are now un.
svailing. No matter what should have been
done; the ia Ct remains, there is not an acre Of
available land SOUTH Of the vicinity now pro
posed to locate the park. which can be secured
for that purpose.
! Again Il must be evident to every Observ-
er that the tide Of settlement--so to speak-has
+ years past been setting in that direction,
and il requires no fertile imagination to foresee
that in comparatively short time, the most
thiekly populated part Of Chicago, viii be To-
Gated in the vicinity Of the proposed park. So
much then for the mole-hill, which some would
iegn magnify into a mountain.
Section Provides that three commissioners
ar assessors, freeholders, shall be appointed BY
the Judge Of the Circuit Court, whose duty 1t
shall be % assess upon the property DIRECTLY
INTERESTED, TAX PRoPoRTIoSATE WITH the BEN.
EFIrs AccRUNG TO sucH PROPERTY BY THIS LocA.
TON OF SAID PARK.
We desire to refer more particularly to this
provision, as we understand an effort is being
made IN certain quarters to create the impress.
sion that no discrimination Is intended to be
made IL taxation between the property in the
immediate vicinity Of the park aud that situated
at the extreme end of the South Division,
while the act expressly provides that
'The said assessors shall proceed to assess
the amount 80 ascertained upon property in the
towns Of South Chicago, Hyde Park, aud Lake,
in Cook county, deemed benefited by reason OF
the improvement occasion BY the location Of
said park, as near as may be in proportion 10
the benefits resulting thereto"
And further, that
"Ssid Circuit Court shall have power TO re-
wise, correct, amend, or confirm said assessment
m whole Or IN part, and may make OF order
new assessment 10 whole or in part, and the
same rptSn and poufirfn t,prr FLA nct,a.
Thus giving to any sggrieved parties the pri.
vilege Of an appeal 10 disinterested tribunal.
Another, and important fact TO be taken into
consideration in guiding the action of our ci,i-
zens on this question is, that it is specially s:'pu-
lated that the $500, 600 agreed 10 be paid BY
The Illinois Central Railroad Company for The
Lake front, shall be equally distributed among
the three divisions Of the city, in proportion u
taxable property in each, the same to be
applied exclusively for park purposes, while
section l6 provides that
Gan moneys belonging or to belong TO any
park fund nov in existence or hereafter &c be
created. and all bonds, and the proceeds from
sales thereof now authorized or hereafter 70 be
authorized 70 be Issued BY the city Of Chicago
for park purposes ia or to which the South
Division Of the city Of Chicago may nov az
shall hereafter be entitled to a distributive
share, shall be devoted sud applied to the pur-
chase or maintenance and Improvement of tic
park contemplated and created BY tins act, IN
der the direction and control Of the commission.
ers provided tlr rs this act"
By which TIE cost Of the proposed park vii
BE lessencd 70 eur tax payers over half
million Of dollars certainly an advantage not
TO pc moderated.
We have somewhat hurriedly and briefly re.
lerred 10 few and only few, Of the office
tons raised BY its opponents, anil the advant.-
Ecs which ts location must confer We have
! hovH thut if action l. delayed for couple o.
years longer, the property now offered viii &c
virtually out OF our reach, by doubling, if not
trebling in value that the property is faxed &C
cording TO the advantages conferred, and also
that authority is vested in the Circuit Court 10
correct, Or amend, or set aside said assessment,
and further that the money to be received from
the Illinois Central Railroad Company will be
used 70 ad ia its purchase.
As 10 the question Of taxation, il must be
se'feyidenl to the intelligent reader, that il is
a sheer impossibility to establish such an enter
prise as the one contemplated, without resort
q that measure. But when it il taken into
consideration that The burden viii fall princi-
pally On those whose property Is directly bene-
fitted, and consequently well able to bear ii, the
objection can have little force with working
men. Let our chronic growlers ask the proper
ty holders Of New York Baltimore, or Phila.
delphia, whether they have ever regretted the
pittance paid for the location Of the Central,
Druid Hill, Or Fairmont Parks Or the mechan-
les Of those cities who have enjoyed their beau
ties and advantages, now their wives and little
ones would vote, provided the same opportuni-
lies afforded them as will shortly be afford
ed to the working men of Chicago.