Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-02-02
1srl1ttpltt Gltrn,tirlr.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY ,, 1855.
RAILROAD ACCIDENTS.


Columbus Dispatch.
The railroads appear to be in desperate
straits in the way of shutting response
bility for the numerous and horrible ac-
cidents that have occurred during the
past year. They have evidently been
somewhat affected by the expressions of
public indignation which these frightful
casualties have called forth. Having
failed to suppress the news of these af-
fairs, to cover up and conceal from the
public the revolving details and the ac-
tual eliminating facts; and having fail
ed, also, to show that these accidents
were not due to negligence and care
lessness and to penuriOusness in the
matter of road bed construction and re-
pair, they now retreat to the last deS-
perate resort Divine interference.
Mr.. Appleton Morgan, railway law
yer of ability and distinction, has led this
retreat. Mr.. Morgan argues that some
railroad accidents proceed from causes
so far beyond human control that they
may properly be called "acts of God"
The implication, of course, is that the
public should not hold railroads respOn-
sible for accidents of this character.
The editor of The Popular Science
Monthly takes Mr.. Morgan and the rail
roads severely to task for this pusillan-
imous attempt to shuttle responsibility,
and rakes this "act of God" sOphistry
over the Goals in very lively style.
How are We to tell, he asks, when the
responsibility of the railroad ends and
Gods accountability begins? How are
we to know when to blame human neg
ligence OF indifference, and when to
bow to Divine will? Mr.. Morgan fails
to draw any such line of distinction as
will be of any practical service in doubt
full cases. And how few, how very few
are the cases that are not doubtful, if
the element of Divine interference is to
be admitted into the problem?
Such shutting of responsibility will
not do. God never interferes. His laws
are immutable 1t is man that inter
feres.
To save money he puts down poor
rail where he ought to put down good
one. The rail breaks, a car plunges
down an embankment, and human lives
are lost.
To save money he leaves a culvert ex-
posed to prairie fire. The bridge is
burned, a train is plunged into ravine,
stove and oil lamp set the cars on fire,
and human lives are again lost.
To save money, he hires but few men
when he ought to hire many. The men
are Overworked. They fall asleep in
charge of switches and while carrying
signal flags. Derailments and collisions
occur, and again human lives are lost.
Are these ''acts of God" or acts of
man? Did the Almighty interfere with
human laws or did man interfere with
Divine laws? If God interfered, of
course he is responsible, not man. If
man interfered, then he is responsible,
and not God.
The railroad companies are directly re-
spOnsible for nine-tenths of the acci-
dents on their roads, and indirectly re-
Sponsible for the rest. Rather than take
time to fabricate excuses and invent
subterfuges, let them devote their time
10 DeUterlnS Gnelr rodu-DtuS, StGIlHS Ilu
of their inefficient employees, and look
ing after the lives of those who have en-
trusted themselves to their care. AS
long as they fail to do this, they must and
will be held responsible for accidents.
And as long, also, as they employ
men because of the influence of relatives,
or because they are graduates of such
and such an institution, and not be-
cause of their experience or knowledge of
railroading, so long must and will they
be held responsible for accidents. Those
who know how far this nepotism and
this fayoritiSm are carried on railroads
may well wonder why the number of ac
cidents is not greater. For the maiOri-
ty of these relatives and favOrites who
are given high and responsible positions
are as inefficient and incapable as they
are conceited, and, knowing very little
of anything, know less about railrOading
than anything else.
Let the railroads clear their offices
and lines of this class of employees be-
fore they seek to shuttle off responsible
ity for accidents.