The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1893-07-06
THE RAILROAD QUESTION.

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THE RAILROAD QUESTION.
Mr.. EDITOR undersigned regards
with establishment the opposition Of the
city council and few private citizens to
vacating the short stubs or ends OF the
streets bounded on both sides, by the
property on the lake shore now owned by
the Chicago & Northwestern Railway
Company.
Ifthose streets extended to and through
city territory, east of and contiguous to
the railroad property, there might be
reasonably serious objections to closing
them, but, as they unquestionably termi-
nate at the original lake shore line, as
shown by the city plat, and consequently
do not average over one hundred feet IN
length, the utter folly of keeping them
open should be clearly obvious to every
reasonable mind and the same statement
would apply with equal force, even If
said streets extended over the accretlons
that have taken place, to the present wa
ter's edge, for the reason that, as the rail-
road company owns all the property bor-
dering on said streets, the keeping of
them open could De or no possible puDIic
benefit, and of real benefit only to the
railroad company.
1t is assumed by some Of the oppon-
ents to the vacation of said streets that,
If they extend to the lake, and will SO ex-
tend over future accretions, it would be
very pleasant just for the purpose of 60
ing to and coming back from the lake to
keep one or two, at least, of said streets
open, not realizing, evidently, that such
a course would be just as fatal to the con-
templated operations Of the railroad CON-
pany as if all of the streets were kept
open.
Complaint is made that hitherto, by
reason of discrimination in transporta-
tlon facilities and rates Of freight, and
the consequent diversion of the trade
that formerly came. and but for the rail-
road would have continued to come to
US, the railroad milwaukee Lake Shore
Il Western has been detrimental rather
than advantageous to the city. There
may be some grounds for the charge, for
such is the usual experience of all places
with only one railroad.
Bad faith with the city is also charged
to the railroad company for removing its
shops from here to Kaukauna, because
promises are claimed to have been made
tina. they should remain here permanent
ly.
But was the railroad company prImar-
lily wholly responsible for such removal?
1t Is just possible that if all the facts
and circumstances relating to such re-
moval were known, 1t would be found
that the railroad company, as a body cor
porate, was not wholly to blame for that
act. Said company is further blamed for
the discontinuance of the L. & p. NJ.
line of boats between this city and Lud-
lngton, Michigan, but it should be re-
membered that when said line was es
tablished the NJ. L. S. & w. consisted of
only single line from Milwaukee 10
Lake Superior with no branches or con-
nections of any Importance either east or
west, and that IL order to Inaugurate said
beat line the company had to make con-
nections with other roads. both east AMI
west SO as to secure sufficient freight to
keep the boat line in operation, the re-
salt OF all of which was, that none of the
lines involved found the arrangement
either satisfactory or profitable and there
fore discontinued it. So much in par
tai extenuation of the charges against
the Lake Shore company.
The fact is that the advent of rail
road to town nearly always gives rise
to very extravagant expectations by the
Inhabitants thereof, who generally seem
TO fail to realize that the members of rail-
road corporations are human beings. not
less selfish than the average of mankind.
and that they build roads for the profit ex-
pected from their investments, the same
as other people engage in various kinds
OF business, and not for the benefit of the
places reached by their roads, which lat
ter benefit is and should, as a rule, be
derivable, through the efforts OF the peo-
pie. from the improved facilities offered
by the road for increasing the business
of such places.
2'ne writer very well remembers see.
ing, not long after the completion of the
Lake Shore road through to Milwaukee.
in the Sheboysan papers to the
effect that the people OF that city,had dis
covered and fully realized that the city
was simply way station, that in and of