Ladysmith news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-19
Human Life Is Cheap.

There is a fine irony that strikes
home in the following sentences from
the Washington correspondent Of the
Boston Herald concerning the murder
of people in railway accidents. The
facts he gives are known to the pub
lie, but they will bear repetition and
ought to be repeated until an end is
put to the frightful slaughter of peo-
pie by the railways. The trouble is we
want dividends, the Almighty Dollar,
and we are willing to sacrifice human
life to get it.
The year went out with superb
slaughter. The new year comes in
with matchless promise of widespread
death.
Our agitations relate to money. Our
reforms relate to the handling of money.
It's a question of your money or your
life, and life losses. It's worth only
railroad ticket. EIf we want to bring
popular pressure upon railway tyrannies
it must be about something that con-
Germs money. Bother life. Why think
of that? We can get the whole nation
excited over a question of railway
rates, rebates and determinations, but
we can't get ten persons to move fin
ger or an eyebrow over the question Of
safeguarding human life on the rail-
ways. There is no such question. We
object to raising it. The cheapest
thing we have is life; we sand the rails
with it.
Give US bigger terminals" says
Jim Hill. "Give US more cars" says
Ned Hartman. "Give us more divi-
dends," says 6. could. "Give us
more money to give US all these things, .
says Jno. Yierpont Morgan. "Give US
your lives" they all cry in a breath,
and we, dear, willing things, rush to.
Deaths ticket office and the railways
get our dollars and our corpses.
One railroad employee in every Al
was killed in the year ending June &c.,
1905, so the I. C. G.. tells us, in its
harsh, cold way. One employein every
twenty-one was injured. What pity
the figures were not reversed Our
national love for being killed would
have been better served. At highway
crossings 1888 persons of all sorts were
killed and 6,574 were injured. That's
a plea for keeping the crossings. They
help to diminish us. But it's cheering
to see that of trainmen, that is to say,
enginemen, firemen, conductors, brake
men, and so on, one was killed for
every 1873 employed, and one was ina.
jured for every nine employed. That's
doing we'll, that's in accordance with
the spirit of things. In a little while
we won't leave a trainman alive or un=
injured. Happy day!
It's really sublime progress we are
making. Ten years ago one passenger
was killed for every 1854, 1892 carried
on the railroads Of our self-sacrifcing
country. But that proposition was I'M
satisfactory We have improved upon
it. Last year we killed one passenger
out of every 1,375, 1856. But that's not
the only measure OF cur mastery adj
vance. Ten years ago one passenger
in every 213, 651 was injured. A futile
tale. Last year we injured one in
every 70,655. Injuring, alas! Is mot
killing. There are SO many Of us who
ought to be killed. But have patience,
Give the railroads a chance. They'll
smash US all if we continue our present
eager quest for crashing death.
The criminal Indifference Of the
American people to this great annual
slaughter is disgrace to the nation.
It ought to be stopped. There will
always be danger to human life in con-
Enection with railway travel, but this
danger can be and will be reduced to
minimum if public opinion becomes
sufficiently aroused to compel action.
The passage Thursday in the U. S.,
senate of the bill limiting the hours Of
labor for railway employees is q step in
the right direction. If that bill be-
comes law and is vigorously enforced,
one Of the chief causes of these fright |
ful railway disasters will be removed. |
Milwaukee Journal.