Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1853-08-24
RAILROAD MASSACREs.

~.
@s RAILROAD MAssACREs
The recent slaughter by Railroads has occasioned,
and justly, much feeling in the public mind These
accidents, as they are called, but really massacres,
have occurred of late almost if they had been ar
ranged as part of the business of the Roads We
scarcely shake off the feeling of sadness occasioned
by one OF these calamties before we are startled by
another and yet another; indeed, for the last two
weeks the telegraphc items of our Northern exchan
ges have been mostly devoted to accounts of these
collisions and their dreadful results Is there no
remedy for it? The New York Times makes the
following suggestions:
.sOne thing is very certain These accidents are
alt unnecessary. Means have been devised for pre-
venting them and everybody knows precisely how
1t can be done We can call to mind scarcely single
Railroad disaster, which has not been due to causes
wnlcn could easily have been prevented. double
track will render collisions from opposing trains ab
solutely impossible So will timetable nronerlv
prepared and stractly Joo,ced Every Railroad COM
pany has at its command the ways and means of so
organizing its operations as to render accidents up-
on Its road impossible. The one thing needful-
onty thing needful- to compel their use Railway
companies must be required to put and keen in ac-
tive, constant and vgilant operation the means by
winch these accidents shall be prevented. How can
this be done?
Money has done greater wonders than this and
the. love OF money is undoubtedly principle to
which we can successfully appeal We have often
spoken OF it before and the history of the past few
months strengthens our convictions. Wemust make
such laws that every railroad accident will tell upon
the stock Of the Company. Let it be understood
that such a catastrophe yesterday transpired on
the Providence and Worcester road, would subject
the Company to the loss of as much money as would
lay new track the whole length, and we shall
hear much less frennentlv Of their
The Times may be right-the only way to prevent
these accidents may be to draw on the pockets of
the stockholders; but then where there is criminal
negligence reckessness, there ought to be death
punishment Engineers who, from negligence run the
cars off the track, or who deliberately or careless
ly run into each other, thereby causing death or
wounds ought to be visited with the heaviest pun
ishment; and superintendents agents. under whose
directions engineers thus drive to destruction ought
to be brought in also for their share of punishment
We very seldom hear of Railroad accidents in Eu-
rope and this is because Railroadng there has been
brought to perfection. The Roads, in the first place.
are of the best kind; and then they are managed
with iron-like system, which, when accidents do
occur at once fixes the blame on the guilty and
ensures prompt and condign punishment.
ENGLAND AND CUBA.
The Washington Star, speaking of the secret trea-
ty between England and Spain in relation to Cuba
| says:
" The SECRET TREATY BETWEEN BRITAIN AND SPAIN
is, doubtless, the subject of more serious concern
with the Government of the United States, than any
other question before the world Indeed it bids
fair to prove to be the most important matter handled
by the present Administration. England in forcing
leading Spain into the treaty in question, has pro
badly put her in position in which, or later
it will be incumbent the United States to treat hel
as though not Government If this treaty be con
summated, she will stand, though England interfer
ence, just where Russia proposes to place Turkey
Russia says to Turkey that she must acknowledge
the Cars right to interfere to protect portion O
the Sultans ubjects whenever he believes that thu
policy of the Sultan, adopted for the benefit of thu
whole of his subjecta, may not be beneficial to thu
| Greek Church portion. England and France there
ing that in thus infringing Turkeys sovereignty, tn
Car jeoparding the interests of French and English
subjects engaged in commerce with those of the Sultan
In the Cuban case, England, constantly informed
ding every where, being displeased with the policy
| of Spain towards portion of her subjects in Cuba
forces her to make treaty by which the British
Queens agents authorized to interfere in the do
mestc affairs of every hamlet and plantation in the
island, acting protectors to portion of the in
habitants against the officials of the Spanish Govern
ment and against the rest of the inhabitants of tn
island. Now her conduct in this affair, is not only
offensive but dangerous to the interests of certain
States of this conederacy and their citizens and bid
fair to be so treated We shall not be at all surpris
ed to hear shortly that Mr. Soule is instructed to
to Spain that her conduct in submitting to England
dctaton and protectorate over the negroes of Cuba
is likely to compel the Government of the Unitet
States to consider her abdicatng her rights in
to that island"