The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-01-11
PROTECTION FOR THE
LIVES OF PASSENGERS
New Orleans States.


Representative Morrell, of Pennsyl-
/ vania. has introduced a resolution in
the house for the appointment of
congressional committee to investl-
gate the recent railway horrors and
| devise such measures as will afford
| greater security to those who are COM
PEELED to travel on railroad trains In
view of the fact that the country is
/ aroused to the necessity of action
along the lines suggested there is lit
| tie reason to think there will be any
| opposition in the house to the adop-
| ton of the resolution. A few days
ago the Washington Post published
! tables of statistics showing that for
every two persons injured in rail-
road travel in Great Britain there are
| 100 passengers slaughtered in the
United States. In the year 1865 the
people killed and crippled on the rail-
roads in this country numbered ST.
600, but appalling as was the record
il was beaten by that of the year
1906, and the year 1907 has apparent
ly started out to distance both of the
two years Immediately preceding It
| Our Washington contemporary calcu-
lateS that if the railroads had been
as careful of the safety of the men,
women and children they carried last
year as they were of the cattle, sheep
and hogs, the casualties would have
been reduced at least 80 per cent,
and it adds:
If the American people were half
as insistent in preventing railroads
from lyilIinO fhoir fbou
are insistent on preventing them from
robbing their shippers, casualties
would be reduced 80 per cent. Here
were the president, the congress. the
press, the entire layout that make up
this nation in an agony of soul all
last session of congress to regulate
freight traffic. What is required now
is a campaign to regulate passenger
traffic so that it may become little
more hazardous TO ride on a railroad
train in this country in time of peace
than it would be to carry musket in
battle in time of war"
However, it is well to say in this
connection that leading railway men
realize quite as well as the general
public that something must be done
to secure greater safety in railroad
travel and to that end remedy must
be found and rigidly applied. Presi-
dent James J. Hill, of the Great North
ern, is quoted as saying to a govern
ment official that he has known of as
many as three trains in one block
at the same time, and he never makes
railroad trip now without feeling
that he is likely to meet the fate of
President Spencer of the Southern. :
There is no reason to doubt that
the block system will safeguard the
movement of trains if the rules gov
erning the operation of this safety de-
vice are strictly followed, but Mr.
Hill is authority for the statement
that the great increase of business
which has come to all the railroads
has resulted in disregard of the
rules and made the practice common
of allowing three or more trains in
blocks at the same time. This it
seems is another example of the in
grained railroad habit of ignoring the
law 1t is absurd to suppose that
the lives of passengers are safe on a
railroad which is provided with safe
ty appliances and yet refuses to apply
them, as Mr. Hill described, there
fore it is evident that unless the
American people assert themselves
there will be no diminution of the hor-
rible slaughter that distinguishes our
railroad management from that of the
rest of the world.
What the remedy shall be for rail-
road disregard of law and CONTEMPT
for the safety of the travelling public
is a matter that must be finally de-
termined by congress 1t has been
suggested, however, that all of the
railroads in the country should be
equipped with the block system, and
the same be manned by competent
operators who shall receive good pay
and not be OverwOrked In addition.
1t is said, there should be government
tai inspection of railroads establish
ed of sufficient power and scope to re-
quire the use of proper machinery and
materials and to enforce rules to the
end that the lives of passengers and
everything else may not be sacrificed
TO the making of dividends
We believe that the American peo-
pie have at last made up their minds
that the railroad slaughter shall cease
and TO that end somebody shall bear
responsibility for the frightfuI acct
dents that occur and prompt punish
ment shall follow the failure to obey
the rules governing the operation of
all safety appliances. If it should be
decided that the government inspec-
ton of railroad operation is the most
effective plan for securing safety in
railroad travel, there is no reason to
doubt that the people will agree to il.
The truth is they will approve almost
anything that promises 10 end the
present annual slaughter.
Roosevelt on Panama Canal.