The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-10-26
Elevation and Politics.

ing of human lves-the saving of peo-
pie from being crippled and making
the streets and highways safe was a
matter of political discussion. In fact
we had been of the idea that most poll
ticians just naturally fell into the sup
port of all such movements. Just at
present a studied effort is being made
to ALLEVIATE votes from Gov. Philip in
Kenosha by the use of track elevation
F.! for political purposes.
It will be recalled that the same band
of politicians attempted to use the ele-
walton question in the city election. A
number of people who are rather busy
as politicians have. discovered that it
I is mighty easy to infame and excite a
small body of people in Kenosha by
telling them that the city is going to
"rob' them by elevating the railway
tracks. 1t stuck pretty well in the
former campaign and now that another
campaign is on the old DOGGY is right
back on the job.
Gov. Philip has nothing to dc with
/ track elevation in Kenosha and the
/ open and frank statement that he has
| made in regard to the laws being used
/ in this particular political backfre have
lscattered the last possible particle of
doubt which the original statements
might have raised in the mind of any
thinking man.
| The side track law passed by the last
/ legislature and by the unfair Democra-
| cy blamed to the governor is held up
as the one real danger to Kenosha.
Under it Kenosha people are being told
that the railways are planning a raid
on the city treasury and that this raid
| is to be extended to take private prop
erty and force payments from the city
SO large as to bankrupt it.
! Now let IS get this elevation matter
clear. The purpose of elevating tracks
is not to allow the railway companies
to make greater speed, although this
is to be one of the results. The real
purpose is to safeguard the tracks of
the railway companies at the grade
crossings. To any one familiar with
legislative history it is known that the
Railroad Commission asked the legis-
lature to pass law in 1901 which gave
the commission the right to assess ben
efts and damages against municipali-
ties in case there should be track ele-
walton or track depression in Wiscon-
Nsin cities. Gov. Philip was not in
public life when this law was passed.
The law was passed by the unanimous
vote of the legislature and among the
men who voted for it were many Of the
most prominent Progressive Democrats
and Republicans in the state. In the
list was none other than Paul 0. Hust-
ing, the present patron saint of Demo
cracy in Wisconsin, Lieut.. Gov. Tom
Morris, Senator Spencer Marsh and a
! lot of others.
Not one of the Democratic leaders
raised voice against the passage of
the law. 1t was considered "Safety
First = measure and the most feasible
way of sridding cities and the country
towns of dangerous grade crossings
1t was figured as the proper thing to do
to get away from the annual grade
crossing slaughter. At that time the
member of the assembly from Kenosha
county voted with the majority for the
passage of the bill.
Democrats and Socialists have been
referring to this statute as a hurtful
law in favor Of the railways. Senator
Robert M. LaFollette who was cover
nor at the time gave his approval to
the law without question. But our
friends, the Democracy, in their zeal to
defeat the governor and secure votes
In Kenosha county are raising great
hub-bub about an amendment passed
by the last Legislature providing where
actual" benefits accrued to a city
from the changing of a side track such
benefits "might" be charged against
the city, the railway company and the
industrial company benefited.
Not since the passage of the law has
single such assessment been made.
1t is unlikely that any such assessment
will ever be made, but the idea that it
might be possible has been made a
bogey-man by the Democracy People
are urged to use their common sense in
accepting such arguments They go to
show that Democracy is at last re-
sort to find something by which they
can appeal to the people of Kenosha
for support against the administration.
We believe in the good sense of the
people of Kenosha and believing in it
we feel certain that no such arguments
will lead them from their loyal support
to the governor at the coming election.