New-York daily tribune., 1856-03-31
RIGHTS OF CORPORAToRs.

RIGHTS OF COBPORATORs.
We believe it will be admitted by most reflect
ing persons as abstract proposition that man
may be an ofice-holder, or even q Government
contractor, without being public robber. We
are not contendng against the legitimacy OF the
popular presumption in such cases-we do not say
that the chances are not ten to in favor Of ts
correctness-we only insist that the fact, in
given instance, may be adverse to that presump-
ton.
So much, we think, viii by the judiciOus
understood that corporstor can have rights, even
in his capacity of corporator, and that he is often
public benefactor and not beneficiary. Listen to
the appeals made to our City Councils in favor of
compelling our great Railroads to stop their en-
pines mile or two further up the island, ts the
advantage Of small cluster Of Nineteenth Ward
rumsellers and the serious inconvenience and dam
age of the whole travelling public, and you would
imagine, unless otherwise better informed,
that the city had given the Road, them
selves to the stockholders, and plenty of money
wherewith to run them, instead of giving them
only the poor privilege of spending their own
money for the general good in such manner that
seventy five of every hundred dollars thus expended
ia lost to themselves and gained to the community.
These Roads have promoted every laudable interest
in our city except that Of their makers and owners.
And now large share of the community act as
though they would gladly take from those owners
the sorry fraction OF their own property which still
remains to them.
These truths are brought freshly to mind by peru
sal of the "Opinions of the Judges of the Supreme
Court of Pennsylvania in the cases Of the rail-
road companies about Erie, involving forfeiture
of charter. With the general facts in the case
our readers are mainly familiar. Briefly: The
citizens of Erie Pa, obtained charter from their
Legislature and built railroad nineteen miles
east to connect with the Lake-Shore Road in our
State. The Ohio Lake Shore Road was in like
manner built down TO and connected with the
Erie Road, forming continuous line between
New-York and Cleveland or Chicago. But
guage while the roads at either end of 1t were
but four feet ten, necessitstirg general tran
shipment at Erie and at the kew-YOrk State Line.
This, though sport TO Erie, was death to the Rail
road-in fact to the whole Lake Shore Line, which
found its business diminished and its expenses
heavily increased by these wanton breaks. Soon
the stockholders Of the connecting roads bought up
controlling interest in the stock Of the Erie Road
and directed an alteration Of its gauge to bring it
into uniformity with theirs, which was in due time
effected, to the great advantage Of the travel
ing and freighting public, and TO that Of
all the Lake Shore Roads, but to the
deniment (according to the most narrow aud short
sighted notions of local advantage, of the citizens
of Erie. Hereupon, violent excitement was got
up in that borough, famed by demagogues who had
private malice to crafty and political ntrigues to
forward, and the Railroad was complained Of
had never Till now been deemed unwelcome,
and an order was obtained from the Borough
authorities for tearing up its rails and destroy
ing its track, which was forthwith effected,
with q parallel performance at the little village
Of Harbor Greek, seven or eight miles this side.
The Company relaid their track and it was again
destroyed, in defiance Of an Injunction of the
Supreme Court; and 80 for months break OF eight
miles was maintained, across which all passengers
and mails had to be transported, subjectng the lat
ter to delay and risk and exposing the former in
the dead of Winter to wanton peril and suffering.
Finally, ajudgment was obtained that the Com
pany had erred in locating s road in certain streets
Of Erie and in strengthening the highway at Harbor
Creek, and must take up and relocate its track;
which it accordingly has done, at cost OF s4OooO.
But this did not answer any of the ends of its perse-
cutors saye that of annoying the Road, and they
procured an act from the last Legislature repeating
the charter Of the Erie Road, unless it would
change it's track and depot at ruinous cost run
ming all its trains down from the high plateau
south of the Lake, on which it had been
,ocated, With the full assent Of the Erie au-