Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-11-29
IT WILL PASS THIS TIME.

The State Herald feels authorized to
say now that the general assembly of
Alabama now in session will not reach
it's final adjournment without placing
upon the statute books of Alabama a
law prohibiting the running of freight
trains in this state on the Sabbath day.
The reasons why we feel so confident
that such a law will be enacted are
many.
The members of this legislature are
fresh from the people, and they are I'M
der no obligations whatever to the rail-
road corporations of the state. They are
men who know their duty, and dare do
1t.
The people of this state are opposed
to the present system which permits the
corporation to drag it's employees from
the bosom of their families and alters
Of their churches on the Sabbath day
and require them to violate the script
ural INDUCTION to labor six days and keep
the seventh holy, all for the single and
sole purpose of stacking up in the Golfers
of such corporations more dollars. The
people know that there is no good rea-
son why freight trains should run on
Sunday. The people have sent the men
who now compose the law-making body
of Alabama to the legislature to rep
resent them, and not to represent the
corporations. For one time the corpora
ton lobbyists are not running the Ala
bama legislature For one time body OF
men have been sent to Montgomery, who
will not permit the occupants of the cloak
rooms to direct their votes. For one
time, thank Almighty God, the railroad
lobbyist is not the biggest man around
about the state capitol and does not carry
in his vest pocket the votes of enough
men Of they may be called mem, to de-
feat the passage of any law, regardless
of its merits, that does not meet the ap-
prevail of the corporation magnate.
For many years there has been an
overwhelming public sentiment in Ala
bama against the operation OF freight
trains ON the Sabbath. The ministers
of the gospel have spoken against II
without exception from their pulpits.
Pious and religious people everywhere
have condemned 1t. The men who, In or
der to hold their positions and earn
support for their families, have been
forced to work from January to Janu-
airy every day, just as though every day
was Monday, have protested against II.
Patriotic and honest legislators have at
tempted to suppress 1t, but all to no
avail. AS soon as bill looking to the
prohibition of the operation of freight
trains on the Sabbath found Its way into
the legislature the railroad lobyist was
on hand and the first effort was to cause
It's death in the committee. If 1t survived
the attack there it always went down
under the votes controlled from the cloak
rooms, the votes that the corporation
Lobbyist used to wear about in his vest
pocket, but hasn't got this time.
To operate freight trains on Sunday
it Is wrong, 1t is an outrage, it is dis
grace, it is black spot on Alabama and.
should and will be removed by the pres
ent general assembly. Ninety-nine per-
cent. of the people Of the state are OPP
posed to the system and demand that
a law be passed that will prevent the
railroad corporations from Decorating
the Sabbath day and forcing men to be
away from their church and their fani-
lies, on the day of all days on which they
should be with them, and for no other
reason on earth than that the corpora
ton may pile up in its Golfers more dol
Iarc