The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-12-18

| terminal station ordered the viii &
people cut OF the reclining chair coach
| into the Gay coach, ana The reel ming
chair coach was given over to the
negroes. This was what occurred,
and the American does not attempt to
dispute these facts.
The only defense the Anne rican offers
for the Railroad is that it claims the
white people were given more com
Portable coach than they were occupy
ing.
Let us examine the facts: II
the American statement is true, why
was 1t that the white passengers who
were moved became so enraged over
the changer If they were given a
better coacn than they had. it does
seem that they would have been satis
fed. On the contrary, 1t Is stated by
one OF the passengers who happens to
live in Columbia, that criticism. harsh
and bitter, was general among the
passengers against tn railroad because
of the change The American Itself
admits that the whites were put into
a day coach. And 1t doesn make any
difference whether 1T was au old time
coach or bran new one. 1t may have
been, as the American says, lone OF
the two new day coaches which has
just been put into operation between
Chicago and Nashville. 1t may have
been. as the American says, = the most
ana luxurious day coach
ever operated anywhere in the South,
not only the seats being elegant and
but there being such
other appointments as electric lights
with Individual light ar each seat,
electric fans, dou sashed windows,
etc. But what In the world would !
a passenger on train at three o clock !
in the morning, when the only thought |
and desire is for sleep, care whether /
there was an individual electric
light at his seat, or whether there |
was IAN electric fan, with the
below the freezing point
n whether the window by his siue had
4 "doule sash, or single one1 All
he passenger wants is to get the most
,omfor able seat he can for sleep it.
ioesn make any difference whether
he seat Is hinged with gold, bordered
With silver ana studded with diamonds;
md the fact re mains, thas the seats
n that day coach were UPRIGHT
Ind ENJOYABLE, and for person
VINO desires to place himself Ill re-
'lining position, totally unfit and In
To say nat that coach
would be far more comfortable ard
tor passenger on y tram
It three O'Clock in III. morning than o
ecllnlng chair. which is the next
hing to Pullman for sleeping pur
,oJes, is simply idiotic No person
Who has ever ridden In reclining
hair coach ard coach consisting of
Upright, lmmovable seats, would make
uch ridiculous statement.
But as a further proof that the :
whites were given the worst of 1t, let
axe the statement of one of the rail y
DAD s own representatives. one of the
fficIals of the train AS he was pass
ny through the coaches after the tram
eft Nashville he was asked by one of
he white passengers why they had
cen forced to give up the reclining
hairs to the negroes; ana the train
tficial replied II don know 1t was
he order of the depot MASTER think
lyself that It's not right This
rain official knew that some one had
numbered, and he said So He didn t
~ ~ ITO oub VI " NY say Ing, why,
his seat you are now in has got an
Individual electric light right here by
GU; ana there is an electric fan; and {
ou've actually got double sashed {
'indow there by your side Why, /
on We got no kick comingl" No, he ,
idn't say 1t. That was left to be I
lscovered by the Nashville American, ,
hose chief purpose of existence IS to l
efend the l., IL N. Railroad, IN
1t does, and by whom II Is c
wned, body aud soul.
The American shows Its own ignor-
ace OF the whole matter by saying:
This reclining chair car alluded to Is
lie one designed for negroes. It's ,
)t worth while to say anything In
gard to this statement more than to
y II Is wholly untrue. About three
ats on each side In one end of the
II, IL cut off by curtains and the cut
| department is USED by negroes. /,
lt all the rest of the coach, which Is Z
,out three fourths, is used by white {
7.