Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-07-24
THE NARROW GUAGE.

1t is strange that even in this age a
railroad incorporation or monopoly OF
any description with almost unlimited
wealth at its command, is allowed to
defy the courts of the United States
and ignore decisions given by them i'll
favor of the people rs against these
concerns. Such decision, however,
was openly defied last Sunday in the
case of the people of Fargo VS.. the F.
Il p. NJ. When the Port Huron d North
Western railroad was constructed about
nine years ago, the people of Fargo
and vicinity subscribed about $4,000
rs Il bonus, besides granting a right of
way through their property to the
company that contemplated building
the road. These inducements were Of
fered by the people that they might
secure better shipping facilities, and
at the same time enhance the value of
their property. Everything passed
along satisfactorily to both the people
and the company until the p. ii. a n.
w. was bought up by the +. & p. NJ,
and the former converted into broad
guage road. At this time new line
was surveyed from this village to Port
Huron, passing about four miles south
of Fargo. When this section of the
road was completed the +. & p. VI.
wished to abandon the Fargo division,
claiming they were losing $500 week
by running trains over that line, but Il
decision of the courts compelled them
to continue running on that sec
ton of their purchase, whereupon the
company limited the trains TO one II
day, and finally concluded to run an
accommodation when business de-
manded it or the notion suited them.
This state of affairs did not exactly
please the Fargoites, and they were
about to enter another suit against the
f. d p. NJ, to endeavor to get better
railway service, when the company
thought they would bring matters to Il
finale, and last Sunday morning put
gang Of men at work tearing up the
rails between here and Zion. This step
was taken on Sunday that there would
be no danger of an injunction being
served on them to Illustrate their little
scheme. The track was all taken up
and the rails, bolts, ETC., ready for
shipment Monday morning before the
thoroughly aroused people living along
this division could take action to pre-
vent this scheme. These people are
now wondering whether the law ma
chine of this country is run by Uncle
Sam or the Flint q Pere Marquette
railroad. One thing is certain, if il is
the latter, these people should at least
receive justice 10y having their bonuses
paid back in full and get fair damages,
or else, if Uncle Sam is still at his
post, he should compel this concern
to relay that section of the road and
insist that it should keep its faith with
those who helped build it. What
would have been the result if the peo-
pie had decided after it had been COM
pleted, that the road was ofno benefitto
them, and, to get the worth of their mo-
ney, had taken the law into their hands
and started to tear up the road, burn
the depots they had built, and under
taken to destroy other property in
which they had about SO 900 interest?
Simply that they would have been
considered mob, their actions riot,
the governor would be asked to call
out the militia, and probably number
of these people shot down. But where
the difference would have been be-
tween this and the action of the
F. q p. NJ. railroad last Sunday
we fail to see. By the order of this
company, about $4,000 worth of prop
erty which these people had virtually
bought and paid for was destroyed or
taken out of the county. But still
there was no effort made to stop this
outrage on the people-becduSe IL 1cdS
iSunday. There is not another in
stance on record where such an in
fringement on the American peoples
rights has been allowed for the simple
reason that the deed was committed
on Sunday. If the Sabbath is to be set
aside as day on which such acts are
to be perpetrated, then the sooner the
law is changed the better; and if there
is such thing as justice in this coun-
try these people are entitled to it and
should receive it.
E.rDNo n Evinnd