The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-01
AGAINST CHEAP EXCURSIONS.
NEGRO PREACHERS OF SOUTH
CAROLINA SPEAK PLAINLY.


Set of Resolutions Adopted Upon the
"ExcursiOn Craze" - Drunkenness
RiOting and Open immortality Pre-
vaiI-The Injurious Effects OF
These Excursions, Both Morally
and Financially, Well Set Forth by
the Ministers.
Columbia, S. c., May 31.-The South
Carolina Colored Ministerial Union has
issued an address to the people and
adopted resolutions against the Eek
cursion craze" prevailing among the
negroes. In the address remarkable
statements are made by the preach
ers.
The excursion trains are run by
churches or societies, but tickets are
sold to all who viii buy. The cars
are generally packed. The trains run
in the night, going and returning.
Whiskey flows freely, the lights are
extinguished and the conditions be-
come. the preachers say, indescribable
ION almost all these excursions there
is such a mingling of sexes of all ages
and SatgeS N life that the most dis
graceful results are inevitable. 1t is
too frequently the case that the pur-
chase of a ticket for these excursions
is equivalent to the purchase of a free
love license with a guarantee of pro-
lection by the excursion management.
Such conduct is encouraged. 1t could
not be attempted in any other public
place without the participants being
severely punished by law.
T,-erfr, faA aCTDp &c
always on board as a necessary ad-
junct, and as a result profanity and
vulgarity, both in language and con-
duct, are freely INDUCED in by both
men and women, and even by the boys
and girls. And we are not exaggerat-
ing the facts when We declare that the
conduct of many of the men and wo-
men when they are away from home
on the excursion is intentionally bad,
too bad to be put in print, and we defy
any advocate of the popular negro eX-
cursion to deny it. Wen prove that
every such church, society or private
party that gets up an excursion is a
promoter of immortality
added to the above evils are the
financial sacrifices that are always
made by our people to go on the ex-
cursion.' The weekday excursions
take thousands of poor wage-earners
away from their work and often cause
them to lose their jobs and go without
employment for months. AS a race we
are accused everywhere of this very
thing, and it is always urged in Justi-
fication of capitalists for refusing to
give US regular and remunerative en-
ployment that the foot of an excursion
whistle will cause thousands to
violate the most binding labor
contracts. Would to God it were not
true. The loss of a days work, the
preparation of a lunch basket and the
cost for the ticket and incidentals are
important items of expenses. Then, too,
the ma iority of those who go on eXcur-
sions borrow the money to pay their
way. To do this they mortgage their
household goods to money-lending Shy
locks, who exact from them 100 to 500
per cent. as interest. We have known
a woman to pick out 1000 pounds of
cotton in October for the loan of 81 in
July TO go on the excursion, she hav-
ing signed papers pay to the Shylock
81 by picking cotton in October at 20
cents per hundred pounds. Here is a
pretty little sum in interest for an ex
cursio IN girl to work out"
1t was resolved that the preachers
should deliver sermons against excur-
sions. and should hold mass meeting
of protest in all sections. If negroes
stop going on excursions it will mate
rally reduce railroad earnings here
abouts during the summer months.