, 1881-01-30

nfnsn[f to seize and carry OIL anoLAe1AliaaIss,:(
,ronerty. without an oath Us to thA val1dley r
If his debt, and without bond or other SC.
,lrity for the property select ana carried oh'
THE 1AKE-FRonr BlL1-EDhuADs' oP-
POSITION.
The Lake-F1ont bill is arrested in the SEN
ate by no less person than Senator ho-
munds of Vermont. The ground Of op]ec-
tion is almost as surprising as is the AUTHOR
The limited States prior to 1889 owned a
tract of land Isl acres} in this city, which
,,yos divided up into lots and sold by the Sec
retary of War. and the proceeds were palo
into the Treasury. The lots were solu Ut u
time when real estate was booming ana tne
prices obtained were good. Two fragments
of blocks fronting OH Michigan avenue. WILL
the rear ends obscured by the waters o1 tne
lake. were set apart from sale and dedlcated'
as the adjoining blocks had been, to PUBIC
uses,-the view of the lake not to be inter-
rupted by buildings. So the land mas re-
malned FROM that time to the present.
Up to the date Of the lire IN 1911
Michigan avenue was choice residence
location, its value being enhanced because OF
the unobstructed view of the lake,-these two
blocks being the north end of the vacant
ground or park. The fire changed the whole
character Of the neigllborl'ood. The ad)oln-
ing land is no longer choice or desirable Tor
residence property, and tile only part OF uao
burned city which has not been feDnl1t anu
improved is that In the nelghborhood Ut these
two blocks, which, forty years ago, were ded-
icated to public purposes. The manu- OF
restoration and improvement, which has oom"
pleted its work everywhere else. has not
touched this locality. where the ruins OF the
fire and the debris remain Disagreement
and m evidence Of desolation, as conspicuous
as they were on the morning after the lire,
more than nine years ago.
Change. which is inevitable In all cfles'
had been accelerated BY the fire. What was
considered advisable forty years ago IS not
deemed so now. The owners Of the ada
cent property, who ten yenrs. ago appealed
successfully to the Courts to prevent any
buildings being erected on. those blocks, as
uroyidcd when that land had been set apart,
now unite in a memorial asking that the use
be changed from one public purpose 10
another. and to the one which they resisted
in 1870.
The Ctr government, which In 1870 had
sunitel with the property-owners in resisting
any change III the uses of that property, now
ask permission to have that change made.
The United States, however, being the
original donor Of these two BLOCKS. has
technical, reversionary right to the property
in case the original purpose to which 1t was
set apart be abandoned. Being no longer
needed or desirable as park or as
an outlook, the City Of Chicago ard
the owners Of all the property having an
easement now ask that Congress shall waive
this remote, contingent, reyersionary claim,
and give its consent to the use Of this prop
erty with other lots, III which the United
States have no interest) for other public
services.
Mr. Edmunds objects on the ground that
the United States have a technical title,
and must be paid for it. The people or this
city are familiar with what are, known as
dover Claims by venerable widows. These
claims have arisen IN cases where forty or
fifty years ago lots and blocks and tracts OF
muny acres were sold and paid Tor at their
full value ut that time, and when III tllUse
DAYS Of primitive good faith the conyeyances
we're not scrutinized very closely as to form
| ality, Later, and after the land>had attained
| large values, the widows Of the original
| erantors have put III Claims that In the
| deeds there we're informali:iesl In the ackno"i-
t edgments by the Wives and on proof OF th1s
have demanded DOVER
| The claim set up BY the United States In
this case is about as technical. and IS eqnita-
| Bile, and as stale as the worst Of those made
| in the dover cases. The United States llav'
ing large tract uf land to sell, offered, rs an
| lnduceinent to purchasers, to set aside two
blocks then nearly covered with water. and
| which PROBABLY would not have sold for S5C
| each. to remain unoccupied, affOrding an un'
broken view to the lake. The Government
got, in the increased prices obtained for the
rest of the property, tenfold the value o1
these water-coyered lots, and now, after the
lapse of forty years, comes in the shape OF s
venerable widow asking dover in proper t.
whose value has by the lapse Of time greatly
increased.
The uses for which It is desired to obtafr
this land at this time are public uses. In tht
first place, Congress Is asked to complete tht
original dedication Of these two blocks b,
| RlFuE us EeluDtH 4EfClSiUtAl4 C1ttllII w &4At
City of Chicago, representing an entire com
munity larger in point of numbers than tn
population Of Aeverai Of the States. 1t is tru'
the City Of Chicago proposes to transfer tn
use OF this property with other) fDr anothe
public use. The direct money consideration
Is, however, the least in importance. Th
price to be paid direct Is as nothing compared
with the other public benefits. The entir
district Of the CITY now lying in ruins vii
in case this transfer be made be improved
by costly and numerous warehouses, all o
which becoming taxable will be perpetua
source of revenue. The ground itself vii
be improved by costly buildings, whlcI
will also be taxable. One large distric
in the centre OF the city now a
unslghtly mass Of ruins will b
improved in keeping with other parts. i
large district now unavailable for any pull
; pose will be occupied BY business buildings
The now useless blocks of ground will b
applied to a great public purpose,-that Is, a
enlargement Of railroad facilities absolutel
needed for the business traffic of the city
In this last improvement Chicago alone /