Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-07-07
Sunday Railway Trains.

The Roilway Age, whose editor is ,
religious man and a member of tho
Presbyterian Church, has recently issued
a circular to railroad managers inonirs
ing how far it is necessary to dispqp a1l,
trains on Sunday. The investigator
was suggested by an order from the
President of the Louisville, New ALBANY
& Chicago Railway, forbidding the run.
ming of any trains on Sunday, excent
those carrying the United States mails,
The questions asked by the Railway .Aos
were as follows: "Do you consiaerit
practicable to abandon the running Of /
railway trains on Sunday? If not, IS il
practicable to diminish the number Of
trains now run? # practicable, is il
desirable to prohibit all Sunday work
on railways? Has your company taken
any action toward diminution of Sun. |
day labor: What is the present prac. |
tice on your road in respect to Sunday
labor? What, approximately, would
be the net annual loss to your company
from stopping all work on that day?
Would the public as a whole be benve-
fitted or injured by a strict observance Of
the Sabbath by railways as day of rest?
An early reply IN regard to this subject
will, we are sure, be of much general
interest and profit" Answers were re-
ceived from the managers of three rail
way lines, and published. The Presi>
dent of the Wisconsin Central saws a
large part of Sunday railroad work is
done under the pressure of what is con-
sidered a necessity. There are cases
when to abandon the running of trains
on that day would cause suffering to
man and beast which would not be iusti-
fable. The Wisconsin Central runs no
excursion. trains on Sunday, and no
labsr is done on that day that can be
done on another. The President of the
Illinois Central Road declares that
ga rest of one day in seven is necessary
to the physical and moral welfare of the
employees, aside from any religious
question" He thinks that trains 1eav-
ing Chicago Saturday afternoon and
evening, and which are kept in motion
all day Sunday, might be abandoned.
The General Manager of the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy Road Y that
company aims to have as little work
done on Sunday as practicable. For.
convenience to trans-continental pas
sengers, to- avoid delay to through
mails, and to guard against loss
of perishable property, a few trains are
run on Sunday. The President
of the Michigan Central Road also takes
strong ground against Sunday labor.
The editor of the Raalvay 1ge SAYS:
Probably there is no man, officer or
employee, who does not often wish that
on the general day of the worlds rest
it might be possible for every one con-
nected with the railways to rest also;
that the iron steeds might for one day
in a week stand quiet in their stalls;
that the weary wheels of cars might
stop their noisy revolutions, and that
the rails might cease to vibrate with the
clangor of worldly traffic and grow cool
under the breezes of the Sabbath morn
ing. But the railway has become a dis
turber of old ways, and its management
has introduced new habits and created
new necessities. How far shall this
tremendous innovator be allowed to 90
in subverting Christian customs and be-
liefs? how far shall it be allowed to de-
stroy peace and invade the happiness
of the homer" The public is respon-
sible for Sunday railway travel. There
is no doubt that perhaps one train each
Sunday should be run; but that the
amount of traffic done on that day is
much greater than is necessary, we
have no doubt.-N. ". Christian Adv0.
cnfe