Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1854-01-06
The Erie Trouble---the Law Of Expedi-

The Erie Trouble-.-the Law Of Expedi-
ency.
The conduct of the people of Erie is denounced
everywhere except in Erie County, and by none
more violently than by those who know but little
of the origin of the difficulty. Perhaps synopsis
of that origin will not be uniuteresting.
Application was made few years ago, to the
Legislature of Pennsylvania for Railroad Char
ter across the State, through Erie County. to con-
nee: Buffalo with Cleveland To this the citizens
of Erie objected They anticipated the extension
of the New York and Erie Road from Dunkirk to
Erie. They also expected Road from Pittsbnrg,
and another from Cleveland Buffalo was a large,
central mart, from which avenues of trade and ira
vel were radiating in all directions Cleveland
was fast becoming the same. Bat the Harbor at
Erie is infinitely better than at either of the other
places, it is just midway between them, and the
citizens could not see why the same facilities could
not be created there, and the same centralitv OBJ
tained so that these avenues should Yadiate from
that place, instead of passing through it. Charles
NJ Reed owned farms all along on the table lands
between the Lake and the south line OF hills, from
the New York to the Ohio State Lines. So that
it was not possible to get line for Road, with
out crossing his lands and he refused the right of
way. And he and other influential men of the
City and County succeeded in defeating the grant
of the Charter applied for.
The next season Charter was granted to the
Erie and North East Company, for Road to the
New York State Line, on the broad guage track
This was done with a view of meeting the extern
sion of the N. Y. & f. Road from Dunkirk Ca
ptaSts of Erie Immediately took hold CT this
Road and built it.
A charter was also granted for a road from Erie
to the Ohio State Line to connect with the Road
from Cleveland to Conncautt.
The Bulfaonans seeing that if the broad guagc
Road was extended from DunkirK to Erie, with
its spacious Harbor, open some two or three weeks
earlier every spring, with narrow track from
there West it would inevitably cut off vast
amount of their business, they Immediately OBJ
tanned Charter fora narrow track Road from their
place to North East, and built it.
The interests of Dunkrk were sufficiently strong
to prevent the extension of the n Y. & i. Road
to Northeast, and only the narrow track Road
was built
Thus was the object of the Ericans thwarted and
they, as a natural consequence, have felt very
about it since and till last winter they have been
able to prevent an act granting the +. & n. L.
Road the privilege of altering its guage.
The consequence has been break of guage at
Eric, and again at North East, only nineteen miles
distant.
Last winter the Legislature granted the L. & n.
Z. Company leave TO alter their guagc and it is
in pursuance of this permission thar it has tried to
do it, 1t would have been done before, but the
Orleans owned controlling interest in the stock.
This has finally been sufficiently bought out by
the New York ami Ohio interests, and the work
of alteration commenced.
Last summer, in view of the prospect of an
attempt to alter the guage, the City passed an or
dinance authorizing the removal of bridges and
other distractions from all the highways and
streets of the City. And the attempt to enforce
this Ordinance, has caused all the trouble
This loss of life, destruction of property and nu-
merous acts of brutal violence and outrage have
all grown out of o5cdtencc to Lc, The citizens of
Erie do net feel TO blame Ting haze done nothing
but entoIcc solemn lar. Yet life has been taken,
great wrongs have been DONE and the question
should come home to us, Hhat is Mcgreat cause Of
this terrible cell!
1t is because our laws are made upon E2pcden-
cy and not upon Principle. No ia,c should be made
tth cioateS the natural right ofa single citizen. Fol
low this position and the tyranny of government
would be diminished. -
Our neighhoraof Milwaukee in one breath de-
nounce the Ereans without stint and in the next
urge the enforcement of the Ordinance compelling
the measurement Of wood before sale The Press
of Erie dcnounces the Railroad Companies and
the people East and West, by whom they feel ira
duccd in one breath severely possible, and
dinance, The Press of the Nation in one breath
talks glowingly over the conduct of Capt Ingra-
ham in he Koszta Affair, and abuses Austria with
out stint, and in tie next urges the enforcement of
the Fugitive Slave Act. The parallel is perfect
throughout The Wood Ordinance affects only
small, and, comparatively insignificant right, and
does but little injury the Street Ordinance of
Erie violates larger rights, and great evil has grown
out of it while the Fugitive Slave Act destroys
all the rights of man, and is the sum of all villain
les. But the Principle throughout is the same.
This truth should be considered and acted up
on by all law-maKing authorities. Enact no law
not based upon the DEMOCRATIC PRISc1PLE-D
Mrs Bunner and the Standard
The last GAINESVILLE Standard announces that
John e. Punner formerly of the Racine td3oc0fo