The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-10-12
Williams and Kenosha Elevation.

ted Governor on the Democratic ticket
is Chunk artist the suggestion has
not the dignity that should attach to a
nan who is even seeking so exalted a
position in the gift of the people of a
great state. However, after listening in
rapture to the picture he painted of
Kenosha elevation plans we are led to
wonder if Mr.. Williams is a prophet
Of evil or if he is just seeking to ride
into office by plain misleading of the
people. His speech was evidently
planned with the idea of catching the
votes of some forty or fifty people who
were opposed to track elevation in Ke-
nosha and with the further aim of
spreading discomfort among others with
a view of "queering" the whole eleva-
tion plans here. When he got through
with his oratorieal flights one might
have thought that the railroad commits
sion had ordered Kenosha to vacate
Main street, Durkee and Prairie av-
enues to the railway company and take
slice off of Milwaukee avenue for use
as car yards. One might have thought
that the Northwestern Railway company
was planning to grab the city hall as a
central station with a further view of
using the postoffice for storage of
freight.
Mr.. Williams also proclaimed in loud
tones that the city was going to be
forced to pay for the changing of side
tracks. No mention of such payments
have been made in any order handed
down by the commission relating to ele-
walton. Mr.. Williams just guesses that
later on after the first order is handed
down the commission will take this Sec
ond crack at Kenosha. It is intimated
that Mr.. Williams was connected with
the appearances before the commission
on behalf of the city of Eau Claire
and this city did not secure nearly as
favorable an order for elevation as Ke-
nosha. Can it be that Kenosha was
better represented before the commits
sion?
Of course Mr.. Williams was making
an appeal to Kenosha people on what
he considered the most vulnerable spot.
Probably some one had told him that
the people of Kenosha were up in arms
and champing on the bits against eleva-
tion. He was strong in his declaration
that the city should not pay cent of
the cost of elevation. He saw no value
to the city of the elevation of grade
crossings, he did not figrue that it
was worth continental farthing to Ke-
nosha people to be able to make better
time going to Chicago and Milwaukee.
There was nothing of the "Safety
First" argument in the address of the
embryo near-Governor. The plan for
elevation in Kenosha has been studi-
ously misrepresented ever since Former
Mayor Head made the first agreement
with the railway company for elevation
of the tracks. The misrepresentation
has been on the part of interested peo-
pie. There has been no defender Of
the elevation plan. The men who have
seen in it something of real value to Ke-
nosha have not expressed themselves
but they have allowed the council to
drift along and represent the sentiment
of small minority. Mr.. Williams came
as the apostle Of this minority and his
statements were the same kind of bunk
that have been used in Kenosha before
in fighting elevation. The elevation is
going to be completed some time. In
order to complete it the city will have
to vacate certain ends of streets in or
der to permit the company to build the
walls necessary for elevation. The
Railroad commission has no desire to
force the city to give away any Of the
public property which is valuable to the
people. 1t is not the desire Of any
one who has urged the elevation Of
tracks that the cost of it to any large
expense should be paid by the city. In
fact the city should not be forced to pay
five cents in cash toward the cost of ele-
vation This does not mean that the
city should not take steps to make, ele-
walton possible. The Northwestern
Railway company owes much to Ke-
nosha. It has intimated that it is will
ing to pay it IS bill at least in part with
elevation of tracks. The company is
not in the place to be defended. 1t is
of course looking for as favorable order
as possible but there are certain people
who think that the company should
have a chance to spend It's money in
Kenosha under reasonable conditions.
Preaching the dictrine of discomfort by
anticipating troubles is not going to help
bit in solving the elevation problem
in Kenosha. There are property owners
who will probably be paid just what
the courts declare their damages to be.
There is no real reason to stand in the
way of progress and demand that the
damages be named before a court has
a right to pass on them. The trouble
with Mr.. Williams in his discussion of
the Kenosha elevation case was that he
was just as ignorant Of the plan for
Kenosha as lot Of the people who are