The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-11-19
STREET RAILROAD TYRANNY.


The courts have concluded to surrender
all there 10 left Of Hunt street to the street
railroad confederates. This is the only
thoroughfare between the city and
Avondale, and probably more used by
vehicles of all kinds than any other
highway leading out of the city to the
suburbs. The one track placed upon
shat thoroughfare has almost entirely
destroyed 1t for the public use. And now
the courts have come to the conclusion
to let them place another track on the
same street. II this is not an abuse OF
public rights in the city's streets, we
would like to have the judges indicate
some outrage that would be, judicially
considered, an aggression upon the
rights Of the people.
This business Of yielding up the city's
thoroughfares to the monopoly of sor.
did, greedy, and unscrupulous combina-
tion OF corporations has gone far enough.
Public convenience in the matter OF
passenger transit requires no such occu-
ing the matter of one square, or even
two, to reach car, would be no hard
ship to any citizen. Ana yet the rail-
road confederates plead that street
car must 60 directly past every mans.
door to promote the public convenience.
But, are there no other matters Of pub
Lie convenience to be considered beyond
the carrying OF passengers on street
cars? Is there no longer any such thing
as q large city's traffic and Transports
tion to be accommodated by keeping in
proper order the public thoroughfares
originally devoted to that purpose? Are
the innumerable vehicles Of all kinds and
for all purposes to be driven from the
city's highways in order to avoid the
iuconvenienees and downright dangers
placed In the streets by these grinding
corporationsi
Perhaps some judge or some plant
Councilman will reply to all this, that
these railtracks are not ineonvenienees,
and present no hindrance to the other
uses OF the streets. In saying so, those
gentlemen say what everybody else
knows to be otherwise. Those street
railtracks are hindrances to the public
use to the full degree of constituting
public nuisances In both the legal and
the actual acceptation Of the word. But
we may be told that those railroad COR
porations are bound by the terms of
their grants to keep the streets occupied
by their rails in good order. SO it is in-
deed nominated in the bond. But not in
one single instance has this obligation
been observed BY any street railroad
corporation in this city. When the street
becomes so thoroughly demolished that
they can not use it themselves, when
their own track is 30 broken that their
own teams can not pass over them, then
these despotic corporations proceed to
make repairs. But 90 long as their own
cattle can make their way between the
rails, no instance OF repairs is ever
known, though their track may be in
such condition as to render all other
uses OF the street by ordinary vehicles
dangerous II not impossible. These cor
porations are simply seizing the city and
setting the people at defiance.
But there may be day OF reckoning to
come, and that right soon. The people
are muttering curses both loud and deep
upon these defiant invaders or private
and public rights; and they are looking
about for the means to change the order
Of things In Council by changing their
CouuciImen; ana II need be will see to
1t that q Judiciary be elected whose COM
plaisance towards those corporations
shall not outrun the super-serviceable
zeal Of the average Councilmen, who
get no pay for their service, and YET
contriye to grow rich from their serv'
ices.