The Portland daily press., 1865-08-10
Thursday Morning, August 10, 1866.
RIGHTS ON RAILWAYS.

Here is paragraph which is wandering
round among our exchanges, originating we
know not where. We publish it as containing
some sound advice to womankind, and som
useful hints to railway companies:
"In the Buffalo Police Court, it was held
last week that ladies are legally entitled to no
more privileges in public conveyance than gen
temen, and that when the latter pay for seats
they have a right to occupy them, so long as
they couduct themselves in a proper manner
conductor was accordingly fined S. fol
ejecting man from car because he refused
to give bis seat to woman"
This is interesting to everybody at this time
OF much travelling, and win be, more or less,
at all seasons in country covered with rail-
ways. Perhaps the decision of the Buffalo
Police Court carries with it no great weight of
authority, but, as it happens to be strictly in
accordance with the law of contracts and
with the principle of common sense, it is quite
as respectable as if it came from the Supreme
Court of the United States A contract to be
carried by railway company implies bench
to sit upon during the jouIney--not benches
for women and children, but benches for men.
The woman above mentioned had right to a
seat, but she had no right to that of another
passenger. Now this is what ladies, especially
in America, find it hard to understand. They
make in this matter no appeal to the civility
or courtesy of the passenger ousted, who may
be an invalid or much more weary than they
are, but with sect upp in every line of their
lovely faces, they wait for obedience to the ST
lent but imperious mandate, and then plump
down without one word of thanks There
are, it is true, privileged women-those who
carry infants in their arms, and those who are
old-to whom the coveted place will be in
stanty offered by every gentleman. 1t is, in
na1 Il oe1,o, -
passengers for whom no places have been pro-
vided; but the ticket Office is miles away, and
there can be no redress then and there for the
swindle. But it does not by any means follow
4 because a passenger pleases to insist upon his
simple rights, that he is to be bullied by the
conductor, and much less does it follow that
he is to be elected from the car because his
ideas of politeness may differ from those OF
the officer in charge of the train. American
gentlemen have been soured, and made, per-
haps, forgetful of what was due to themselves,
by the persistent incivility, in theatres, in lee
ture rooms, in railway carriages, in all public
places of congregation, of under-bred women,
who insolently demand that which they can
rightly ask only as kindness Most men
submit to imposition rather than appear un-
civil, and in nine cases out of ten they re-
ceive no thanks for their courtesy. Now and
then, some old gentleman who does not care
to cut knightly figure, resolutely refuses to
bulge, and is pronounced beast for his pains
But what, after ALL is his offense? He has
hired place, and that place he pleases to
keep. Why not visit little indignation upon
those who leased places and then neglected
wiifully to provide them In the name OF
many millions of legs which have ached in
the past, and of many more millions which
are destined to ache in the future, we protest
that the true remedy for the evil viii be found,
not in bullying those who will not submit tc
to be swindled, but in providing a suffi-
cient number of seats to accommodate COM
iortably all who may buy tickets. If a lady
buys ticket, and then is not properly provid-
ed ior, let her bring her action against the COM
pany. Let her, if necessary, leave the train,
hire conveyance, or stop at some hotel, and
send her bill to the company. She would
have law on her side, and one or two cases,
resolutely followed up, would astonishingly in
crease the number of cars on some of our
railways. sl snae