New-York tribune., 1907-07-14
TRYING TO "HOLD Up" NEW YORK.

TRYING TO "HOLD Up" NEW YORK
1t is long time since anything more extrava-
eanty humorous, farcical, and altogether pro
pOsterously absurd has appeared in type than
the story which The Tribune told Yesterday Of
the claim for more than half million dollars
from this city on account of alleged prospective
damages To n Miracle Spring and other pos
sessions of a man up in the woods back of
PPekSkill by the construction of the Catskil
aqueduct. If truth is stranger than icton. it
is also funner: for no dumping Frog of Gala
veras" nor Mulberry Sellers was ever quite so
mIrth provoking this Plain Tale from the
Hills of Putnam County. Get-aS is the
with the greatest masterpiece of hum0r in
fiction well in real life-there is serious
and even a pathetic side 10 it. For it reveals
the difficulties. serious though ridiculous which
this city must contend with in its great work
of getting n water supply. and ii shows the folly
of which human nature can he capable and the
disappointment which men may bring upon
themselves in seeking 10 despoil others.
1t is, of course simply inconceiyahle that
this attempt 10 hold up" New York can he
even measurabIy successful. Indeed. il scents
already To be abandoned ut the first shock of
exposure. There is. it is true, story of man
in Panama who got S3OO.OCO from the French
Canal Company for hit of swamp which he
confessed was not worth $500. simply on the
ground that Divine Providence had made him
the owner Of the land. and ii would he mpious
not 10 improve the opportunity which the Al
mighty had placed before him of getting all he
could But that was under Columbian law.
Such pleas. or the even less creditable pleas put
forward for the would-be CrPsuS of Cat Hill.
don't go" here Nevertheless. We suppose there
will be some litigation over it. and the city will
he put 10 some bother. expense and delay in dis
posing Of this and other claims" We shall not
be surprised if some Napoleon of Finance" mp
AShokan way reckonS that the land which the
city takes from him is worth a thousand dollars
now. but that if its value put out at com
FOUND interest II would in so many centuries
amount to so many million dollars and that
therefore the city should pay him those millions
prospective damages" We feared at
the outset that there would he lots of such
trouble
But it certainly is not the fault of the city
of its Board Of Water Supply. for these have
done all in their power not only 10 guard them
selves against such annoyance but also to
save land owners from loss from wildcat claim
schemes and from disappointment. -Four
months ago we made It known in these col
rmns. and it was widely advertised in all
effective ways throughout the region concerned.
that the city authorities were ready and eager
to deal directly with the owners Of lands needed
for the waterwOrks and TO pay them fair prices
in ready cash II urged that landowners
should. for their good, thus deal directly
with the city, instead of selling themselves to
claim agents, for it certain that the claim
agents could get no more from the city than
the owners could. and so the owners would
simply lose the agents commissions, besides
suffering needless delay in settlement. Ii is
a pity that many have been deluded into
rejecting that advice. and that some have been
still worse deluded into imagining ii possible 10
get extravagant prices from the city. There is
have hitherto said no reason why the
city should get should expect TO get land
at less than II is worth. and there is no reason
why people should get more from the city than
they would be content to accept from private
purchasers Our city authorities, thanks to the
diligence of the Board of Water Supply, know
pretty well what every piece of land up there
is worth, what It Is assessed at and at what
price IT was last sold. And If n farm was sold
last year for 5000 and is now assessed for
and is paying taxes on s., 800, they will scarcely
be bullied. wheedled otherwise constrained
to pay 100000 for it-nOt even in view Of
the prospective value Of a gold mine which some
future generation may discover a few miles
underground