The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-12-23
SLEEPING CARS.
Relief Measures Proposed for
Present lneOmycnicnccs.
BILLS PENDING IN CONGRESS
Witch Their Authors, senator r.,iigrrw
Nnd Representative NnEcr, Relieve wit
4 Provide Comfort for rnSsrngrr.-SomS
OF The Advantage, Proposed.

A WASHINGTON special In the rhilndcl.
phia Ledger says; Where In the Indi.
yidunl who has no, undergone the OK
aspCratlns experience Of preparing for
n nights rest In u sleeping ear" With
nearly disIocatcd neck, half uprIgS,
half rccumbcnt. struggling patiently or
impaticn,ly, according to the tempcru-
ment, to remove such garments aS might
be considered desirable to- dispense with
FOR the night, Notwithstanding the total
inadcQuucy OF accommodation for the
same, and then the Eymnnstics nrCcS-
sRry 10 don the garment provided nS
more suitable to the occasion than the
day coStumc-all this intcrspcrSrd with
frequent pyrotcchniC displays produced
by unexpected encounters With the up
per berth, which, by the way, IL inSa-
rlably made 10 resemble wood. but iH
really built OF adamunt or whatever Is
the hardest substance known to man.
N According to the COndcsC"ndlnE state.
mcnts OF that magnificent Representa-
tive OF memorable railroad nutuCralS,
ordinarily known as the nnrtCr--wh0,
when approached Surrcptltinusly, Il half
dollar deposited IN his always open
hand. accompanied by the whispered
suggestion that he forget TO let down
that obnoxious upper berth. invariably
replies. with scOruful smile. Cant do
It. SIR" or "ma'am." ns the CASE may
be: "thcm's the orders OF the company"
even when the upper berth iS not sold
this condition OF affairs has hitherto"
4 been uralterable However, Il prospect
OF relief for II long suffering public IL
lowering round aud promises to mate
rialiEc through The efforts W MIR, Pet
tigrcw, the boiling senator from South
Dakota. and Mr., Baker. the New llamp-
shire representative. who Is somewhat
given to difficult problems Of finance,
In the FIRST place. they prOnos" To- Pat
sleeping cars under III" control Of tn"
Interstate commerce commission. Here
+ Is the section which they have drafted
TO accomplish IhnJ:
''Thc Jurisdiction and authority h"rC-
totore conferred by statute upon tn"
Interstate commerce. commission FOR
the regulation NJ Interstate railways
be. and hereby are. extended and con-
1 ferred 10 include the regulation Ui.pas-
senEer cars lmOwn rs sleeping or pal
ace cars and ali cars which ar" intend
cIi and used rOg stepping PURPOSES
whether said cars ur" owned and OPP
Grated by the company using them.
upon any railway or system Of railways
engaged In int"r-statr commerce.
Having thus placed the commission
in control OF the subject matter, PET
tiErew and Baker propose that the con-
troll shall be dtscr,s.tIy exercised The
Interstate commerce commission is d.
rected TO examine into tho cost OF con-
structinE and operating such cars. the
charges that are Uadr for their u.s."
and 10 fix a reasonable charge for the
use OF seats. hSEths and sections
The authors al this proposed leciSia =
ton realize. however. that such an TX
animation will require time. possibly
years OF Il. and they are DESTROYS thar
the present generation shall receive
some benefit from their arduous labor:
20 they have agreed that until such
examination is made by said commits
sion and charges fixed. 1T shall be I'M
lawful fer any person having control
of such cars TO charge FOR the use uf
the upper berth In any section OF said
cars more than two-thlrds OF the price
charged for the lower berth"
And Rcformers PcttiErew and Baker
do not stop here, but propose Ia CllnCh
their corrective legislation with ;his
Z provision. which millions OF travellers;
have long and vainly wished wrT,, on
the statute books: II, shall b.. unlawful
when only the lower berth in any sec
ton Is sold to let The upper berth drop
or in any way prepare Il for use rs n
sleeping place
Realizing tina: companies may geek
to avoid these restrictions. and that III
conditioned vortcrs may Haunt defiance.
In the sleepy eyes Of II tired people. Son
ator Pctti:rew and Representative" Ia =
knr have made this provision: II mora
than twO-thirdG al the lower berth r:ic.
IL charged I1r the upper one. or II the
unGccupIeG upper one Is Dropped. 10 tho
Inconvenience az the passenger below.
then that shall bc y InIsGemcau0r pun
tshable by lin" Of not less than ON.
hundred nor morn than Tive hundred
dollars FOR each s"parnt" Of'rnFo. uio-
half OF which shall - 20 TIE iufO"r:.--' '
Mr.. GOOdy, oC Massachusetts. is In
tpreFicd IN tho same subIaCt. IN, IN n
= different uilus" IL il. Tn" :lrst section
OF tho bill Introduced by him VIII give
, Il fair idea Of its character and pur-
pose:
AN common carriers engaged In in
tCr-stat" commerce Ivy railroad and
running night s"rric" shall nCrnnImo-
date the poor class OF passengers With
sleeping tcriha 4" good and rs cheap aR
the hirsh9 ayniiGbl" IN common cars
under tn" Eradetrr~t patent, issued
February &c. 1885. The price ~ = nights
rest shall not h" over - cents per pas
scnceF, 90 that tn" WORKING cIngs Of
people shall he recognized properly on
night trains. and have tho privilege Of
lying down by paying FOR simple. ecu-
nonicai accommodations at an aUDru-
priat" price. and not BE- compelled to
rntrDnl2r the high cost sl"oping cars
unless they wish To-"