The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1919-07-17
opportnnitx Knocks Again.

with the carnage of the grade cross
ing and chance to be the first of the
smaller cities Of Wisconsin to secure
track elevation. The Railroad Com
mission of the state has handed down
decision ordering the separation Of
the grades 1t is an order which is
admittedly fair to the city and if the
burden Of track elevation has been
shifted in any way it has been shifted
to the shoulders Of the railway COM
pany.
The City Attorney holds that the COM
mission has been fair'' The people
of Kenosha have no right to expect
anything else. The Northwestern rail
way company has declared that it will
make an effort to carry out this order
to the fullest extent and II must be the
dut. yof the officials of the city to see
to it that Kenosha does not stand in
the way Of her own advancement. The
city may not have been to blame for
grade crossing accidents in the past but
if the city fails to avail herself Of the
order that has been issued the blood
of the victims of the grade crossing in
the future must stain the records of
every man in official position.
The commission in its order has
brushed away q lot Of objections which
have been made to elevation in the
past. 1t has provided for the opening
of streets to take the place Of streets
closed by the elevation Of the tracks
and it has demanded that these streets
be provided at the cost Of the railway
company 1t has placed no heavy bur
den on the city.
True the order provides that the city
must bear the damages claimed by the
property owners whose property adj
joins the tracks. This does not mean
that the city is to be called to pay the
claims of these people but rather the
these people are entitled to. There is
no use fighting this matter out be-
fore the council or between aldermen.
If property owners have claims to make
in connection with the proposed sep
aration of grades let them file their
claims in the courts where claims are
decided and when the courts have rem
dered an opinion let the city pay. The
people of Kenosha do lot want to dam
age the property of any man for the
public good without paying him just
damages. If he or she is the right kind
of citizen he is going to be willing
to accept such damages without a
quibble.
The people Of the city do not pro
pose to pay fancied damages or senti-
mental damages and the sooner the
people know it the easier it is going to
be to pave the way for elevation. 9th
er cities have elevated tracks and with
out bankrupting city treasures and
there is no reason why Kenosha can not
do the same thing Kenosha has been
battling against the grade crossing evil
ever since the days she put on the airs
Of a city. In her fight for better con-
ditions she has sacrificed the lives of
hundreds of people. Damages paid by
the city will never bring back these
lives but they will prevent other lives
from being sacrificed to the grade
crossing murder traps.
The time has come for Kenosha to
decide that as city it is going to
have progressive arrangements of its
rail tracks and the sooner this fact
is made known the sooner the people
will quit pickering. Let it be under
stood that if this mater is to be fought
out the place to fight it out is in the
courts and that when the court has de-
cided that the city will pay and the
property owner will accept.
The order Of the commission has
been issued after years Of study Of the
problem of Kenosha and its grade
crossings. 1T is possible that one or
two crossings have not been taken care
of but the commission in its wisdom
has decided on the needs of Kenosha
and the people of the city should ac-
cept its dictates. few people may
be Inconvenience by a great number
of people will be protected and benefit
ed. The call now is for men to serve
the city rather than to serve little sec
tional quarrels Elevation means
much to the city at present and more to
the future of Kenosha. It must not
be lost. If this order of the commits.
sion fails to bring elevation it may be
a decade before the matter can be tax.
en- up again and other and more progress
sive cities will jump into the way of
Kenosha's plans. The Railway com
rany is ready to spend its money in
Kenosha If Kenosha refuses to co
operate in the spending that same
money will go to some other city and
Kenosha will be left to struggle along
with railway tracks of a forgotten
era in the onward rush of the nation
We must not fail.
Co.. T-oIo,,I o,.cL+ ~, fraa 1,.A r17l