The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1900-08-18
THE CAEAPNE.SS OF HU
NAN LIFE.

NAN LIFE.
We do not believe in the eccen.
trio philosophy of Eugene v.
Debs, but no one ever uttered a
greater truth than did this brilliant
labor leader when he said that hu-
man life in this country was fast
becoming to be cheaper than
money or some other commodity.
The alarming increase in railway
accidents shows that Mr.. Debs is
justified in his assertion. Surely
there is something wrong. There
is gross negligence or reckless
carlessness somewhere.
In Mondays Times-Democrat
are printed the accounts of four
wrecks with their usual horrible de-
tails and long death lists.
At SIatington, Pa, a train ran
into an omnibus and fifteen persons
were killed and several others were
seriously injured.
Near Denison, Texas, train was
ditched and a baggage-man was
seriously wounded.
Not far from Wheeling, w. Va,
a train jumped off the track and
the engineer was killed and the fire.
man add one brakeman were badly
hurt.
Nearer home, only about fifty
miles from Lafayette, a Southern
Pacific passenger train was thrown
from a bridge into a creek, instantly
killing boy and wounding a num-
Der of people and causing a world
of anxiety and uneasiness to a much
greater number of persons.
The question that presents itself
is: who is responsible for this loss
of human life?
When a private citizen takes the
answer to the courts Of the country
and the question of his guilt or in
nocence must be clearly established.
Not SO when a railroad corporation
kills one or more citizens. Some
times an inquest is held in'a pur-
functory manner, but as no one can
show any criminal intent on the
part of the trainmen the investiga.
ton IS brought to an abrupt end.
OF course no one will for a mo-
ment hold the trainmen guilty of
murder because they merely hap
pen to be on the train when an ac-
cident occurs, but we believe that
in nearly all the cases where loss of
life results from wrecks, collisions,
ETC., rigid and honest investiga-
ton would fasten not the guilt, but
the responsibility upon the railroad
corporations.
Whose fault is 1t that the bridge
at Lacasine was crushed under the
weight of the train and men, women
and children were made to go
through SO terrible an ordeal and
the poor boy, Fred Chatter, was
killed and his body mutilated and
buried beneath the debris Of the
wreck9 This question is yet unan-
swered and judging from the past
It is safe to say that it will remain
unanswered.
kailroa accidents are becoming
altogether too frequent. This
slaughter of human beings can not
be tolerated. No doubt if railroad
companies were made to pay dearly
for these dreadful wrecks they
would soon realize that human life
is not a thing to be trifled with.
They should be made to take
every Precaution, SO that man
when he boards train with his wife
and children should be able to
enjoy reasonable immunity from
the danger Of wrecks, collisions and
their concomitants.
In the nature of things travelling
on trains is accompanied by Ger
tain risk which can not be guarded
against by any kind of diligence.
but this fact should not absolve
railway companies from blame in
all cases.
There should be, there must be,
there is way to prevent the fire.