The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-02-04
THE PEOPLE TRIUMPHANT.
IMPORTANT DECISIONS BY JUDGE BAKER

Yesterday forenoon, Judge D.. Baker
rendered decisions 10 the two important
cases which have been tried before him, and
to"hlch the City Of Cairo and the ST. Louis
and Cairo, and Wabash. ST, Louis and
Pacific railroad companies We're parties,
and nc decided both 10 favor Of the city.
In the case first named, 10 which the
81. Louis and Cairo railroad company
asked for dissolution of the Injunction
granted against the company under its old
utle and enJOiDiug said company IRON
crossing several public streets in the city,
the court made the injunction perpetual as
10 the new company aud enjoined said
company from ever crossing New Leyee
street Washington avenue aud all that part
OF Cross levee east Of the ives, line of new
evee street"
La the second case, in which the Wabash,
ST. Louis and Pacific company asked that
the city council Of Cairo be euioned from
passing al ordinance declaring the Com.
mercial avenue tracks of SAID company
nuisance aud ordering the removal OF such
tracks, the court refused 10 grant the in.
junction and the city council of Cairo is
left at liberty to do as ii may choose in the
matter.
These decisions are in conformity with
decisions rendered by courts IN all parts Of
the country, high and low, in cases to
which the people aud corporations
were parties, aud they will be applauded
By the people Of Cairo generally. 1t must
not be understood, however, aud we do not
wish to infinite that the courts were
guided by anything but the law aud the
facts in the cases decided; but their de.
cisions prove coucusveIy to our mind, that
ia all these cases the people were in
the right and the corporations were
Systematically in the wrong; that the
people have rights which even railroad
corporations must respect; that railroad
company may not unceremoniously aud
Internationally appropriate public
thoroughfares against the will of the PEG.
Piles representatives., aud may not shackle
such representatives with legal chains TO
prevent them from compelling such com.
panias to observe strictly the conditions
upon which they are permitted to exist -
in short, that the people are the masters
aud the railroad corporations are their
servants.
What the next step 10 these two cases
will be IS, Of course, not yet known If
the st. Louis and Cairo company is true to
its record, it will, with the promptnsss
born of the very unreasonable notion that
1t HAS right to appropriate a public high.
way against the popular will, Immediately
tle an appeal to n higher court aud will
continue the hopeless aud expensive strug.
gle to gain by blind force aud without con-
dition what it might have had year ago,
for less thap this fight has cost it,
good sense and spirit of fairness.
But we will not be premature in this.
It may be, after, that the developments
and final results Of the fight have given the
correct view ofthe matters at
issue, and that it will accept the situation,
manifest what good judgment and concilia.
tory spirit it can, and take what the people,
through their chosen representatives, may
choose to give.
And as for the Wabash company, 1t will
probably see the necessity of conforming
with all the conditions upon which it holds
Its right-of.way on Commercial avenue and
with all lawful ordinances passed by the
council The officials of the company here
are, of course, powerless to prosecute imme.
diately any extensive changes that may be
necessary to enable them to give strict
obedience to every requirement; but they
must and, from personal acquaintace with
then we know they will use every endeavor
TO have such change made as soon as prac-
ticable.
In this connection it is not out of
order to refer In word
to tho labors of Corporation Counsellor
Gilbert snd associates, who labored hard
and constantly to guard the citys interests
and to whose efforts to bring forward every
law and tact that might lend strength to
the city's side the result 10, Of course. very
largely duo.