The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-02
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF TEH LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT ToPIos-ooNPILED EVERY
DAY FOR THB EVENING TELBGRAPE.
RUFFIANISM ON RAILS.

~ T.
1t is getting to be q serious question
whether the cars of some of our city passen-
ger lines are not, ut certain hours of the
night, the most dangerous places to which q
respectable citizen can resort. The murder
GUS attack upon Mr.. Putnam, last Wednesday
evening, occurred in a respectable part of the
city, and at time when the streets ought to
be comparatively safe. Yet it was q long
while before any assistance was rendered to
the dying man, and we may almost
say it was by mere accident that the muir
derer was arrested. Foster, at any rate,
went home without molestation, and,
If he had not been recognized by one
who knew him, he would probably have
escaped SCOT free. The common complaint
that the police are never at hand when they
are wanted is unfair. The beats are long,
and though the mon be never so watchful and
jealous, murder may easily be committed
without their knowledge, The alarming fact
suggested by the Patnam homicide is that
street-cars afford such safe and convenient
field of operations for the robber, the bruiser,
and the tipsy rous, unless drivers and con-
duotors can be made to take some other view
of their duties than now, seems to be ac-
cepted.
II is hard to read the newspaper accounts
of this tragedy without indignation at the
brutal indifference of the conductor who
could hurry away and leave q dying man
senseless i'll the road, and a much stronger
feeling toward the driver, who is now in Jail
on suspicion of completely in the outrage.
We shall not PREJUDICE these two men. There
may be extenuation of the conduct of the
one, and the circumstances which throw sus-
picion upon the other may be incorrectly re-
ported. But the case has called out great
number of communications from passengers
who have experienced the dangers of the city
cars, and there is no doubt that on several of
the roads robberiss and assaults, winked at
by the drivers and conductors, are compare
lively common There are certain lines which
the pot-house politicians and strikers are
understood to use for the benefit of their
friends, and on which ruffan who has rem
dered good service to the party at primary
meetings and on days Of election is always
sure of a situation. And men who know
something Of the dark side of city life have
often noticed that pinps and pickpockets on
these roads are generally on terms of conf
dental intimacy with the oompanys en-
ployes. The writer of these lines saw a gang
of thieves make an attempt upon a gentle
mans pocket on front car-platform, but,
being foiled they jumped off and escaped.
The conductor then came forward and laugh
ingly remarked to the driver that 'they
didn't do it as well as usual tonight" In re-
ply to a question, he admitted that the same
gang ''-EoIked his car" every night. ''De
you mean to say that you let them do it?"
''Well, it's none of my business. I'd only
get myself into trouble if I said any
thing sentiment in which the driver
heartily concurred. On the same line we saw
tipsy brute fall headlong three times into
lady's lap and the conductor, when asked to
put him out plumply refused. We suppose
that was ''none of his business either. There
is at least one line on which men in the most
offensive stage of drunkenness have full
license to annoy other passengers and tsrrify
women; on which respectable ladies are
hardly safe from insult at any time, aud if in
suited will get no protection from the con-
ductor. We do not mean the line on which
Mr.. Putnam was killed; but it seems, from
the events of Wednesday evening, that the
regulations of that road also give drunken
men the right to do pretty much as they
please in the cars, provided they have paid
five cents and are acquainted with the driver
1t has been proposed to remedy these dis
orders by giving railroad hands the power to
make arrests, holding the companies respon-
sible for whatever abuse they may make of
their authority. That plan would probably
aggravate the evil in a city like New York.
Conductors have already the right to expel
from their cars anybody who is dangerous to
the other passengers, or who offends against
decenoy by intoxicstion, profanity, and 30 on.
What we want is order from the compa-
MES that this right shall be rigidly exercised.
Conductors must understand that their duties
are not confined to making time, packing
passengers, and collecting fares. They are
bound to protect their passengers in person
and property. They are not to laugh while
pockets are picked, nor to look on while
women are abused by drunksrds, nor to let
the frieDds of the driver chase young ladies
from one corner of the Car to another, and
then dash out the brains of any gentleman
who interferes to protect them. Here is g
fha FL -. a., &C Ia.i
week which surely can be learned without
much trouble. While the horror of thai
assassination is still fresh, we wish few oi
the directors of city car companies would
spend a day and night in travelling over
their lines and seeing for themselves the
rampant rufianism for which they are re
sponsible