The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-07-27
Rehearing-o Opportunity for Union.

The Wisconsin Railroad Commission
has ordered rehearing on the petition
of the city of Kenosha for an order Tor
the elevation of the tracks of the Chi
eago and North Western Railway Com
pany and it is an open secret that men
who have been closely allied with the
movement to make Kenosha safer
city do not regard the rehearing as the
best possible solution. They are just
bit regretful that the order which was
handed down some time ago was not
made permanent following slight
amendments. These men hope that at
the rehearing none of the interests OF
the city will be prejudiced and that out
of it all will come an order which will
be just as satisfactory to the city and
just as acceptable to the railway COM
pany.
The railway company chafed not a
little on the conditions of the order
which has been practically vacated by
the order for rehearing. The COM
pany's engineers and attorneys insisted
that in making this order the commits
sion had laid too much of the burden
of the cost of elevation ON the shoulders
of the company.
Men who are wise in the elevation Of
tracks openly declare that the order
was better than Kenosha could expect
"a lot better than Milwaukee could
get.
The question that now arises is, what
is to be contained in the next orders
The North Western Railway Company
undoubtedly wants to elevate its tracks
through Kenosha. It has heard the call
for speed and greater speed and it
knows that the limit has been reached
in endangering lives by grade crossings.
The only way that the company may
meet the demand for more speed is by
elevation. However the company is
not willing to pay too great price to
meet the demand for speed The COM
pany is going to insist that railway
is benefit to Kenosha, that speed in
reaching Chicago and Milwaukee from
Kenosha is benefit to Kenosha and
that it is going to be worth more than
can be expressed in dollars and cents
| for Kenosha people to feel free to use
the streets of their beautiful city with
out endangering their lives. The COM
pany is going to claim that it is worth
something to be able to send the boys
and girls to school with the knowledge
thaS they will cross no dangerous grade
crossings.
The rehearing opens the entire qnes-
ton of elevation again and the battle
must be fought from the start again.
The people of Kenosha must unite on
a common policy to battle the trained
officials of the railway company. The
people must get together and decide
what is fair for all the people of the
city and then stick to this demand with
the understanding that an elevation or
der issued under such conditions will be
enforced without further contest on the
part of the city. Experience has shown
that it is not going to be possible to
get an elevation order which will meet
the demands of every individual prop
erty owner. Some people are going to
be forced to sacrifice their views in
order that the best interests of the
people of the city may be served. These
people are not to be left without com
pensation, but the spirit of fairness
must prevail in settling the amount
that is to be paid to them.
Members of the Common Council
must enlarge their vision and get away
from the narrow sectional arguments
which have been SO prominent in the
discussion Of the problem in the past
and reach the point where they will
legislate for the whole city. A united
city with well worked out plan for
elevation to which all the members of
the council will be pledged to support
will be the greatest asset of the city
IN getting from the Railroad Commits
sion an order that is just as favorable
as the one which has been vacated on
account of technical errors.
IF the people of Kenosha are going to
divide on this question, it is pretty
certain that either the elevation of the
tracks will be delayed indefinitely or
that the courts and commissions will
finally take a hand and Kenosha people
will get much less than has already
been offered to them.
With the rapid growth Of Kenosha.
the question of elevation becomes one
Of its greatest problems. It is one that
admits Of intelligent solution but such
solution can not be reached SO long
as petty chickering's are allowed to die
tate the action Of the men who are
officially in control of the city.