Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-01-30
NOSE THE UPPER sERTHs.
a esform which All Travellers on Sleep
in.r Cars WIN Endorse.

CLOSE THE UPPER SERTHS. i
A Reform Which All Travellers on Sleep
in. Cars win Endorse.
Other States will soon be urged to
follow the example Of Minnesota in
compelling the sleeping car companies
to close the upper berths of their cars
when they are not occupied. This is
matter which. has long been a peculiar
aeeravation to travellers. On the aver
age the upper berths in sleeping cars
arc not occupied half the time, but 1t
has been the invariable rule, until the
Minnesota Supreme Court recently
made the State an exception, for the
car porter to fnsten down the cover OF
the box which holds the lower berth
passenger, unless lie is willing to pay
double price for his accommodations.
The fortunate traveller in g car which III
the course of the night enters the State
of Minnesota now enjoys grudgingly
piyen ventilation and comfort Us soon
as the line is crossed.
The reform in Minnesota was accom-
plished by an order of the State Board
of Railroad Commissioners. The rail-
road or sleeping car companies rebelled,
but the Supreme Court sustained the
Board, and the new rule is strictly en-
forced. There is, of course, only one
opinion about the matter ON the part of
the travelling public, while the position
Of the railroad companies is but weakly
defended. The sleeping car companies
say, in general terms, that man has
no right to more than he has paid for.
They admit that the real reason for
shutting in the lower berth passenger is
to induce such as ere able to do so to
pay double rates in order to secure
the comfort which more air and room
will yield. If everybody got the priv
ilege free, subject only to the possible
crowding of the car by upper berth pas
sengers, the sale of entire sections to
single passengers would practically
cease and an appreciable source of in
come would be cut off. There is small
profit, almost none ut all, the sleeping
car owners say, in running cars with
only the lower berths occupied and paid
for. They are compelled, however, to
run sleeping cars on many lines where
upper berths are never occupied. To
compel company to give section to
every purchaser of lower berth on
such line would result in dead loss
in operation. The sleeping car people
admit, however, that very small pro-
portion of travellers buy whole section
in order to secure more room and air.
The traveller who is shut into box
6x2x4 when he may just as we'll enjoy
the comfort Of free circulation of al,
above him, by no means sees the matte,
in the same light as do the railroad com
panies. He is needlessly deprived o
physical comfort for q purpose that i.
neither more nor less than polite
blackmail. 1t does not cost the railroad
company cent to give him the fresl
air which he Graves. To say that h,
shall not have it is precisely the sam,
as it would be for the railroad compan.
to decree that he shall not occupy q full
double seat in day coach when no on
calls for the second halfo it. It woul,
be more deiensible for a railroad CON
pany to require the payment of tw
fares for the use of double seat in tn
day time, when a car is not full, than
is to deprive passenger OF Dir ant
space which are not in use on o sleep
ing car. In the former case, the pas
senger gets just as much air and almos
as much ease in occupying single sea
rs he does in filling double one. Blu
in the sleeping car he is deprived nee6
less!y of distinct element Of comic,
and safety Us we'll.
If the Commercial Travellers Associs
ton and other organizations of travelin
men should agitate the matter tho
oughly and petition State Boards {
Railroad Commissioners, Legislature
if necessary, the reform adopted b
Minnesota might soon be extended owe
, the railroad systems of the whol
country,-Nelv lori Sun.