The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-09
The Railroad Presidents and Sab
bath Observance.
Editor OF The Tlmes- Dispatch:

ne rallrOnuS or Virginia have Mt
the Sunday laws OF the Stute shall 30
virtually broken down and nnnullcd, 80
lar as the railroads are concerned. They
r r,nve peeh moving steadily towards that
1sss ~, Tor many, years. The present
,aW on the statute books OF the State Is
very broad, and is framed to carry out
me me ihen that the Sabbath may be used
I9r ueeds of necessity and mercy. It
allo@s the transportation of the mail OF
passengers and their baggage, OF live
Stock, OF perishable articles and the run
n ,,,ns, OF wrecking trains. There are
lnalis and passHengers should be carried
on Sunday. but as there may BIO times
Mnen mercy orenecessity might seem to
pose >, tss use q trains for such pI,
for 81 such cases. The law provides, In
addition. that II 1t should be necessary
20 transport live stock or perishable arr
ficles on a Sunday to an extent not suf-
ficient to make q whole train load. such
train load may be made ZIP with cars
loaded with ordinary freight
mis- provision was added to meet every
possible case which might arise, which
could properly claim to conre under the
head OF deed of necessity or of mercy.
| But this provision has been SO abused
| that the. spirit Of tho Sunday law has
been violated whenever the interests Of
the railroads have seemed to demand IL.
| Any one who lives on the line OF the
great railroads has been. able to see
tIuln HlteT tram moving on with
80 cars of coal and only or box cars
| In the entire train. There has been no at
tempt to keep the law in spirit. and often
Times the trains have not even had the
lone box car to bring them within, the
limit of the law. and the railroads have
been fined frequently.
RMS persistent evasion OF the law has
stirred public sentiment In many quarters,
Conference committee was appointed
to confer with other denominations to
arrange for concerted action on this sub
| lect. commission has been appointed.
| present week and perfect Its plan.
But on last Friday, February End,
there was a hearing before the CoAmit-
tee on Roads Of the House of Delegates.
Sunday was brought forward by bill
| introduced by Mr.. SuBene Ould. OF Camp
bell. prohibiting the running of any
freight train on Sunday. This bill was
presented by the undersigned was offered
in its stead. This substitute leaves the
present law exactly as 1t Is. but adds a
| line or SO which would make the law
read as follows:
Provided. that If it should be necessary
to transport live stock or perIshable ar
ticles on a Sunday to an exten. not suf-
ticient to make whole train load such
train TOAD may be made up with cars
loaded With ordinary freight. but only
| one such mixed train can lie run from
any terminal division on any given Sun
a any, dn aThe QUOTED %t,e words show the
allow any number of trains, composed
entirely of perishable goods to be run on
Sunday, but would allow only one train
| composed of perishable goods and ordi-
nary freight TO be run from any ter
minal division. This would provide for
all live stock and perishable -s5oods. and
| II would absolutely insure thai the rail-
| roads could not evsde the purpose of tile
| law. but would be obliged to keep the law
| or to violate 1t outright The writer ex-
| planned before the committee the purpose
| of the amendment and the effect that 1t
would have. +f
| This amendment was met by the frank
| open statement that the railroads gould
not carry out their plans. IL this amend
rrent was adopted; that this amendment
would require them to keep the law in
! spirit as well as in letter, or to openly
| violate 1t and subject themselves to the
| penalty OF the law, and they. could not
| afford TO do either.
The presidents of both OF the great
/, coal-carrying roads. Messrs. johnson and
| Stevens. declared that 1t was necessary
!, for them to run coal trains on Sunday In
! pers and their customers; that they had
| more business than they could handle
| in SIX days in the week. and that they
| We're obliged to have all seven days at
! certain seasons of the year. They stated
that. a refusal. to give them this right
| would divert through business from the
West to the Northern lines. which were
not hampered by such Sunday laws.
| the demand made upon them, and that
| this amendment would cripple their OPP
erations seriously. They virtually ad-
r1iitted that they had been eyading the
The issue then really is: Shall the
| present law on our STATUTE books be II
| dead letteh, shall 1t. be repealed. or shall
! it be enforced? Shall the law be re-
4 ca fGa .ce,1 rrtn do
| as much coal as miners on their line can
| dig out, or as much as they can sell?
! Shall the law be repealed so that some
through business from the West may not
| be sent by the Northern railroads? The
| demand of the presidents was in effect
| that as they had their tracks laid their
! rolling stock purchased, their-capital In
| vested. 1t was a great hardship that they
| days. II they had business enough to keep
them busy seven days.
| There is nothing new In this reasoning.
4 has no special application to railroads.
| same excuse. Every factory is closed by
| the Sunday law. The plant is there
4 ready for work, the capital is Invested.
there is a greater demand for shoes and
| cotton goods than the factory can fill.
! II is behind six months with It's orders.
These things arc necessity, as much so
as coal; But the law says they must not
one day In which they. can give more time
| ana thought to moral and spiritual cul-
| ture. Because 1t Is better for less money
10 be made on the capital invested than
1 Cor the best interests of humanity to be
! tramplcd under foot in the mad rush for
/ gold. What IL the answer. to the plea
| Of those. gentlemen? Build more rail-
| roads Increase your double trackage.
Z Let the Northern lines have some of the
| business. Let the coal operators along
1 Your line. know, that you can carry only
\ 20 much business and let them seek other
4 outlets or restrict their products. These
i ARE thn methods In other lines OF business.
| already we have another railroad press
Ing from the coal fields to the sea- The
Efnat Underwater Railroad Will soon be
i finished. Did the other railroads rejoice
& ~ its coming? Did they shout, for JOY
| DGenlse they thought that by adding At
| isast - per cent. more carrying capacity
/ 4, you'd meet tho necessities OF the peo-
pic Without Sunday work? 1t is gener-
! ally understood thnt not only was there
no fe1oirlpg. hut there was strong opposl-
Ton from the other roads. and all posi-
l. Ia, fo ~. l,1npl.