Omaha daily bee., 1885-02-10
~HAOKMAN's PARADISE,
The Park to he Established at Mag.
ara Falls 10y the state.

The Albany correspondent of the New
York Telegram writes: 1t is several
years since the popular cry, preserve
Niagara Falls, brought the legislature of
the state to a full realization of the Inn
%portance Of saving this ssupendous phe-
nomenon which nature has given the state
from the desecrating hand Of man. The
first practical legislation looking toward !
the accomplishment of this purpose was
not enacted until last winter, when a bill
was passed creating a commission of the
Niagara reservation, which Governor
Cleveland promptly signed. The commits
sioners under that act appointed by Gov
ernor Cleveland-Congressmsn William
A.. Dorsheimer, ex Comptroller Andrew
III. Green, Senator j. Hampton Robb,
MIR. sherman s. Rogers, of Buffalo, aud
President Martin b Anderson, of Ro.
chester Cniversity-meet in New York
tomorrow to prepare their report, which
Will probably be submitted to the legisla.
ture early next week, and with it a bill
for the appropriation OF 81, 433 429 90 to
purchase the lands for the proposed state
reservation. During the summer the
commission has selected the grounds me-.
cessary for the reservation.
H LANDS TO BE RESERVED.
The report will show that the lands fin.
ally chosen will amount in all to about
one hundred and eighteen acres in the
immediate vicinity of the Falls. They
include all of Goat Island, the Three Sis
ters, Bath Island, the island from which
Terrapin Tower formerly looked over the
brink of the Falls, and the
series of small islands connected
with one another and with Goat
leland by small iron or rustic bridges.
On the American shore a strip of land
running from Prospect Park on the edge
of the cataract up to the new suspension
bridge, and a narrow verge of territory
running from Prospect Park up the river
past Cataract house and the edge of the
town up to Port Day. The land thus in
Guided contains the wood pulp mill on
Goat Island and the score or more of un-
slightly buildings which now mar and de.
face the beauty of the natural scenery.
After the land had been selected the COM
mission secured the appointment of three
commissioners to appraise the ualue of
the property thus conference.-the, Mat
thew Hale, OF Albany; Mr.. Luther r.
Marsh, of New York; and Mr.. Pascal P.
Pratt, of Buffalo. these gentlemen,
the report will indicate, care
fully appraised the value of thege psrate
pieces of land desired by the state and
fixed their aggregate valuation at 81,
420. so, and this appraisal has been cen
tirmed by the supreme court. Under it's
| rin ~ Of nro,t,r,,k I,-,al. IT. -L-L- H.
enabled to secure the lands at a fair
price-much less than they could be
bought by private parties, and, indeed,
a fourth less than the exorbitant prices
at first demanded By the owners, who
claimed that the land, buildings and
privileges appraised were worth more
than $4,000, 600. 1t was this extrava.
CANT claim upon which opposition to the
commission bill was based last winter,
and which the commissioners and the
courts have decided to be without founda.
ton in ~justice.
VISITORS TO BE PROTECTED FROM ExToR-
T1oN.s
The commissioners were given unlimi-
ted powers in the matter of the selection
of the land, but as a glance at the man of
the vicinity will prove, have res ricted
themselves closely to the best and simplest
means of accomplishing the desired result
to make the sight of the falls as free to
the people of this state and of the world
as is the air itself. At present the visitor
to Niagara, from the time he falls into
the hackman's hands until he pays bis
toll on the bridges, is subjected to a series
of eXhOrbitant charges which swell the in
come of private enterprise. 1t Ia a literal
fact that on the American side
one can have access to no point
from which the falls are visible
without paying generously for the priv
ilege. Yankee ''enterprise," In brief,
has converted natures grandest phenom-
enon into a ''psep show" The landg to
be purchased cover all points of view,
and by the purchase the state simply re-
gains what carelessness voted away in
the Legislatures following the war of
1872. The state RECEIVERS its own land.
1t has never conceded that it parted
with the water privileges of the banks,
and claims for the value of these, made
by property owners, were rejected by
the appraisers, on the ground that the
state had never relinquished such priv
ileges, and could not, therefore, be
charged for them now. In its broad
eat aspect the purchase of the land for
the reservation Is not an expenditure of
the peoples money but an investment Of
it In real estate, from which there is no
possibility of loss. The amount CT the
original claims made by property owners
indicates that should the state ever find
it necessary to part With the reservation
private enterprise would be rrady to step
in and purchase it at a big advance over
the states Investment, These 118 acres
would be rs easily marketable in New
York city, where capital is always form,
ing syndtcates to acquire monopoly privI-
leges, as would lis government BONDS.
Suing for IL towers PrcsesCntS.
VINCENNES, Ind, February 3.-A nov
el suit was brought before 'Suuirs Jones