The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1901-02-01
F. d Lander, Editor.
AGAINST SUNDAY EXCURSIONS.

AdA1NOI . " ~ In GASS 1soANNS'
Perhaps the best work the Country
Editors did at their convention in
Nashville last week, was TO declare
against Sunday railroad excursions.
There is no good reason-not one
why these Sunday excursion trains
should be run. The argument ad'
vanced for "perishable freight"
does not apply to them. They do
not carry the mails. They do not
speed absent ones to the sick at
home. They do not give beautiful
outings or recreation to those con-
fined in factories or shops during the
week. They convey no one from
the crowded city tenement to gar
den or park in the country. They
can lay claim to no other purpose
than to make money for the rail
roads.
They are altogether wrong; wrong
in principle and practice. To begin
with, a useless, wicked Dissertation
of the Sabbath, If Mr.. Smith, a
merchant in Columbia, is forbidden
to keep open his store; and Mr..
Smith in the country is not allowed
to pillow why should Mr.. Smith OF
Louisville, be allowed to run ex-
cursion trains on Sunday? Why
should the head Of corporation be
given more license or greater liberty
than the head of a family? Why
should the corporate rights of a com
pany be more sacred than the per.
sonal rights of the citizen? Why
should railroad officials be given un-
bridled license to desecrate the Sab
bath any more than printers or car
penters or brick-layers or clerks?
II these excursions took working
classes OF people from the sitting
air of crowded quarters in the city
to the sweet and restful atmosphere
of the country-that would be 6
strong argument in their favor. II
1t took the working girls and boy,
from the bleaching rooms of tn,
factory to the wholesome, country
air OF the forest; or If it gave to tn,
pent up prisoners of the city tele
ments a day to smell the swee
meadows of the country, there would
at least be two sides to the ques
ton.
But these excursions have n,
such claims behind them. The,
have no garden or park as their OBJ
jective points. They take tn
negroes from one town to another
simply to get their fare. At thei
objective point they provide no &C
commodation or entertainment il
the least. The poor deluded negroe
(they are generally negroes) wande
aimlessly about all day, with moth
ing to do or see, no hotel or publ
building to welcome them, and re
turn to their humble cabins late a
night, out of pocket, footsore an
weary. It is an imposition upo
their gullibility; it tempts them t
improvidence and extravaganza, nc
good for them or the community
cultivates rowdyism and drunk en-
ness among them; it is hurtful I
them in many ways, helpful to ther
in nothing.
Here in Middle Tennessee thes
Sunday negro excursions have b,
come an abominable nuisance. A
labor disorganiZers they are sui
cess. One Sunday they will overru
town with the negroes from all tn
towns round about. We have see
them so thick in Columbia that yo
couldn't walk the sidewalks in an
comfort, for the smell of them. {
course all the cooks, nurses an
house-girls want that day off.
The next Sunday the "scursior
starts from Columbia or the tow
where it ended before, and anoth
day off is demanded by the colort
help. In fact you never kno
whether your help is coming baC
at all or not. Ii they take a fanC
to the town they are in, you may n
hear from them for a week or
month.
In short, they are altogether inc;
cusable and unjustifiable, and Il
legislature will be asked to NAL
them unlawful, as they are alreaG
immoral.
Senator Erwin, of this county, h
promised to take charge of the b
Ia the Senate, and use his best effor
to bring it to its final passage.
could not be in more capable hand
and if it becomes the law the pr
motors Of 1t may feel proud of the
work.
HERE ls an Englishman official
reported as having died OF {