The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1854-02-09
WHOLE NO 1880

TmE EHiE TB0rBLEs.--A greet deai o.
useless argunsnf. III fseliag and prejudice
might have hssa avoided. In the exciuhg
contest which hss arisen from the proposed
change oG gusge 81 Ede. II the qusstioo had
been once stated With precision and clearly
Understood By the public pui In THE, -
In almost every OsLsr dispute, ,whsrs the Ia
teFssss II one section ere dismsfireaily op.
posits the interests Of an other ssctionsi e
Usually happens that muehtims 10 lost and
great deal Of tii-leeiing sngendsrsd By
IN or the other party usurpihg aprerosa-
live that does not legisimaiely belong TO II.
unsil AZ last. the mind. psFplezed and eOu-
founded with the eadlsss sabliIitiss Of eoa-
troversy, loses sight Of the main question
and never arrives sttrsth. The party that
lis conscious Of the weakness Of lie cause u
Eistsrsstsd IN conssslisg t:sEd then .sgsin,
Il is not uncommon TO see = good cause
mangIed BY sdvoeates, who do not know the
real strength Of il.
We sbouId like to know. for Instance, TO
what purpose, 10 the present case, so mony
oosragss were Psrpeuated BY the citizens of
Etie. 10 prove their right or justify their op.
position 70 the proposed change ofgaage.--
Admitting that Shs Railroad company had
violated the charter under which this road
was fret bulk. that does not justify the eiti-
Ems Of Erie in opposing the company By
Jones, violating the law Ofthe land, and Plac-
ita~ . h..-ia. .-.fo.e H. er.,.iin0 and corn.
msrcial interests Of the whole Western
country. Il was thIs opposition to law and
order that We deprecated from the begin
ming, and Il is this which we condemn now.
And notwithstanding we favor the proposed
change, we are not willing TO array our
selves against the Acknowledged and Just
rights Of the citizens Of Erie, and whenever
they can prove. before a court OF justice,
that the railroad company is violating the
letter and spirit Of its charter, then, bot not
till then, can We sosSeientiously array our
selves against the projected change Of gauge
and, in fact. against the interests Of the
whole west.
, The following article. which was sent 70
us for publication, Is from the United States
Gazette, and as we are willing TO hear both
sides Of this question, we freely give Il
/ place in our eoIumns:-
ave present our readers on another page
{ with 4 report Of the proceedings OF the pub
/ lie meeting held at the Exchange on SatuF-
, day afternoon last, 10 relation to the Erie
| troubles. A large number ofOur citizens
q were present, and heard with much safis-
. faction the explanations Of the difficulty
d made by the Mayor Of Erie and Mr.. Lowry.
: in Sindicntion Of the action OF the people Of
sksis so<a- TO Tefresh. .Fecotlection on s0mo
. OF the important facts Of the controversy
;, which has excited 90 much feeling, and been
= the subject OF 90 much wilful misrepfesen-
: tatioa, we restate below particulars referred
;, to in our previous articles respecting the
$ matter.
The New Fork gauges beiag all Of either
. feet 81 inches or feet, and the gauge
. from Erie to Chicago, Cincinnati, and all
: other Foiats West being 4 feet 10 inches.
1 there must be break somewhere. Where
d ought the break to be! We answer at Erie.
D where the necessity arises. That Is the
D point where the diversity is first met. The
l. gauge law, repealed at the last session, au-
, thorited the New York companies to bring
) either or both Of their gauges into Pennsyl-
q vania, until they meet the feet 10 inch
; gauge. But they voluBtarily broke their
) gauge at Baffalo and at Dunkirk. Their OBJ
= ject was to promote the prosperity Of those
e points, and to prevent any competition by
d Pennsylvania railroads for q share Of the
y Lake trade.
' But even il Eris, in the nature Of ihings.
e was not the proper place, was il asking too
!. much BY Peansylvania that the necessary
9 break should be within her BORDERS. when
: these foreign corporations were requesting
: free transit over her soil at the very mo-
= ment she was laying special tonnage upon
9 her own trade passing over her own rail-
4 roads between PhiladeiphiA and Pittsburgh
e The town OF Erie was laid out, aud the
r lots 10 I sold by the Commonwealth. She
! also laid out the streets. and gave vested
e right in theE to the purchasers Of the lots.
4 She made them common highways forever,
o and gave exclusive legislative control over
o them u the councils Of the corporation.
!. When the Erie and Northeast Company
i. was under Pennsylvania management, AMI
d IFS policy was in consonanee with what they
u Acnsidersd TO be their interests, the coun-
It oils permitted the use Of the streets for the
/" purposes Of the railroad. Bot when, after
% the repeal of the kaene law the New York
b ers brought up sufficient stock to give them
y a control, and when the whole policy Of tbs
e Company WIS changed. Is they conceived
!. 10 their injury, they exercised their reserved
., power and resumed the grant. This they
at had an undoAbred right TO do.
Il They directed their Mayors, under the
=. sanction Of law, to prevent the relsying OF
Ii the track, IL il was once taken up FOR the
purpose OF change. That officer discharged
at bis duty in an orderly manner, with the
IN municipal powers, which be. BY virtue OF his
be olIice, possessed. For the details Of these
,g transactions, we refer to the very clear
ey statement made by Mayor King himself, IN
the reported proceedings Ofths msetingre-
ferred to ,sboye."
he THs NkBaAsxA BILL--Douglas viii Ind
= more opposition to bic bisl thanlhs anticipat-
c ed and from quarters not expected. His
liz bold stroke for the Presidency will Proge
IN futile. In conclusion Of an article, In oP-
ca DositiOnto the measure, :he Louisville (ky.)
Courier says:
ct S.As for Htephen A. Douglas, he must be
TO President Of the United States, or the
le Union must be rent asunder. In this mat
q tar. however, he will find that he has taken
= al = L. l.fnk ke,fill lrfrrn n