, 1881-03-06

| cienG 10 give the Library hOlne where
would not BIZ exposed to danger, and tha
would be amply .coulnlodfous for al
time to come. Once established ii
such quarters, it would grow rapidly and ex
tend Its usefulness more universally than i
can now in its present cralnped, dirty, ant
lnconvenient quarters. II a celebration or
pageant is needed. it eau readily be had witt
any degree OF splendor and pomp in connec
ton with the laying Of the cornerstone
Those who have been canvassing the, feast
bility Of a celebration should give this mat
| ter serious consideration. II there are any
| objections. to it, let them be stated; if not
| why should not ilmedia1e action be taken
The way to do thing is to do it.
|
THE LAKEFRoNT AND THE RAILROADS.
We find in n New York paper letter
signed by a person calling himself "Counse
| for more than LOO members Of the Chicago
Board OF Trade'' who protest against the
| passage Of the Senate bill granting to the
City Of Chicago the right to sell and to quit
cluinl two blocks Of ground the technical
title to which is in the United States. In
this letter the following statement is made:
The objacuons which these members Of the
Board OF Trade urge against tho bill are TINT II
Is designed to give valuable public property to
the hailrond Company for Il grossly Inadequate
price; tftat it Is cuvcrty intended to tnc!itato
the enforcement 1T claims which tho Company
has been nursing for uenrly twelve years to the
entire lake harDor Of Ch!cngo TO Q distance OF
one mile out from shore; that IL gives indirect
but substantial ntd to tho conversion of Il mere
right Of way ulong the lake-shore which the
Company enjoys on sutrcranco into claim OF
ownership Of the soil itself, thus putting it into
H.
etruct communication between the city and its
ha1bor; and thAt all these grants, ravors. and
tion forever exempt from n1unicipa! taxation.
Congress not to pass Il bill which will deprive Il
commercial. community of rho common use OF
It's own harbor, nor deprive the City Treasury
Forever OF tho revenues deriyable from the con-
troll and enhancement Of the hardor BY the
municipality.
These allegations and others Of similar
purport undoubtedly contributed to the pre-
vention Of Il vote on the bill III the House.
If aIr. George r. Davis and some other nlenl-
bcrs had not opposed the bill it would have
been taken up by suspension Of the rules and
passed. It now goes over until next winter.
The statements in question, made by IN at
torney representing respectable and in
telligent citizens, betray such IN extraV:
agant want OF knowledge of the facts, and
rs perhaps one-half our population have
come to this city since this case was one Of
general notoricty, we arc induced to believe
that a statement of the actual facts may not
only bB news to the public Of 1851. but will
better enable all to understand the effect Of
the postponemcnt of the bill which failed to
pass Congress at the late session.
Ali that land lying east Of Michigan ave
nue, south of Randolph street, and north of
Madison street, being the two blocks occu-
pied by the baseball clubs, was part Of Frac-
tional Section 10, and formed part Of Fort
Dearborn Reservation, and was the property
of the United States. When the United
States sold the land III the reservation these
two blocks, then largely covered with water,
were set apart for public uses and forever to
remain open. The purchasers Of the adjoin-
ing blocks and land bought with this case
,nent or use attached thereto.
All the land east OF Michigan avenue,
south Of Madison street, and north Of Park
TOW was part OF Fractional Section 15, and
was Included In tho lands given by Congress
to this State to aid in the construction Of the
Illinois s. Michigan Canal This land was
also partially submerged by tile lake, and
was reserved from sale by the State for pub
lie purposes. The two pieces connected, ex-
tending from Randolph street to Park row,
have been ever since called and knownas 4
public park,-Lake-FrontP Park.
In the meantime, under the charter and by
the ordinances Of the city the Illinois CEN
trail Railroad Company obtained 4 right OF
way along the lalsc-shore across these two
fractional sections to tlle sites and for the
uses now held by them. The fee to that part
OF Sec. Is, and the fee to the land under the
waters Of the lake out to the navigable depth,
vested absolutely in the State Of Illinois.
In 1860 the Legislature of Illinois, by an
act which passed over the veto Of the Gov
crnor, made a wholesale disposition of all
this property in Sec. Is, from Randolph
street to Park row, including the riparian
rights or property of the State to the land
then under water in front Of Fractional Sec
lions 10 and is. That disposition was as fol-
lows:
I. Ccding all the right and title Of the State
III and to the land III Sec. Is north OF Park
row and south Of Monroe street, extending
400 feet east Of the west line of Michigan
avenue, to the City OF Chicago III fec, with
full power to sell and convey oil of said tract,
leaving said avenue ninety feet in width;
lie sale Of such land to be upon such terms !
Is the Common Council by 4 vote Of three |
.ourths OF its members might provide.
2. The proceeds OF such sale to be park
:und, to be divided among the several divis-
ons Of the city.
8. The third section Of the law provided as
ollows:
Tho right Of the Illinois Central Company un- /
Ter tho grant from the Suite In its charter, which
mid Erzlnt constitutes Il part Of the considera-
ion for which tho snid Company pays to the
tate ut least + per cent OF its gross earnings,
nd unter and by virtue Of its appropriation, |
occupancy, use, and CONTROL und the Riparian
incident to Such grant. appropriation, |
use, md control In and to the lands.
or otherwise, lying east OF the suid
inc running parallel with md 403 feet east Of
he west line Of Michigan avenue, in Fractional
sections l0 and Is. is hereby confirmed, md All the
light u1d title Of tho State Of Illinois in and to
ho submerged lands constituting the bed TT
Iake Michigan and lying east OF tho Trucks and
reAkw0ter Of tho Illinois Central Rlflrond Com
ANY for the distance Of one mile. and between
he south line OF the South Pier extended cast
'urdly and Il line extended eastward from the
outh line OF Lot -, south of and near to the
clubhouse and ntlchine.shnp Of said Com
any, In the South Division Of tho City OF CHI