The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1908-02-13
Railroads and Sunday Excursions.
Norfolk Firginian-Pilot.

That it is the duty OF the State TO en-
force proper observance OF the Sab
bath hardly admits OF discussion.
Equally obvious is it that the deter
mination of what constitutes such
proper observation should not be
approached i'm a spirit of narrow pu-
ritanism, but with that sanity and
common sense which make due al
! lowance for the complex conditions
and circumstances surrounding the
| business. commercial and Industrial
/ life of today. Blue laws, rs experience
has abundantly demonstrated, but
rarely operate 70 the moral better
ment-of the community enacting
them, while they are only too likely
| to work commercial and business
injury.
Senator Strobe has introduced in
the General Assembly bill to amend
! the law governing the operation OF
Sunday trains in Virginia. So far
lis this bin relates to the movement
of freight there is no valid OBJECTION
to be urged againstit. While it pro-
| hibits the general operation OF freight
trains on Sunday, it does allow the
movement of such freight on that
day as would he injured by delay
-pershable commodities and live
stock. In this the bill goes far enough
without going too far. 1t requires
such observance of the Sabbath by
the railroads as can be effected with
out great and material injury TO
business. commerce and the puE E
good. TO go further and to prd-
hibit the movement of all freights on
Sunday would manifestly entail
heavy losses on shippers, seriously
interfere with the proper conduct OF
the transportation business and
greatly hamper progress and pros
perity.
But in prohibiting the operation
OF special excursion trains on Sunday
and in forbiGding the railroads from
making special rates for passenger
travel ou that day, the measure goes
entirely too far. There is no more
reason, so far as we can see, why
such trains should be prohibited on
Sunday than there is that all Sunday
passenger trains should be forbidden.
And vet there are but few, and
those extremists, to contend that
railroads should be prohibited by law
from hauling passengers on Sunday.
Certainly the Stroda bill does not
contemplate any such extreme meas
ure Why then should special Sun
day excursions be placed under the
ban of the law, and persons desiring
to travel on that day be deprived of
Especial rates? The people who use
these Sunday excursions are as a gen.
eral rule, of the laboring classes-peO-
pie who have to work six days in the
week in order to earn Il livelihood
for themselves and their families
The only day they have for an out
ing for recreation is Sunday. To
deprive them of the excursion trains
and the special rates is to deny the
majority Of them the opportunity
tor an outing, for the regular rates
are so high that they cannot afford
the expense. There arethOusands OF
such people i'm Richmond, Petersburg
and other cities within easy distance
of Norfolk who every summer take
advantage of special excursions. TO
enjoy Sunday ut one or another of
the numerous seashore resorts in this
vicinity. The outing is beneficial to
them physically, and certainly it does
not ibjure them morally What
good reason is there for depriving
them of this privilege, as they un-
donhtedly will be if Sunday excur-
siOns are prohibited? Persons of
means and leisure may come and en-
| Joy themselves. To them neither
time nor expense is any special OBJ
sticle. But the poorer classes, the
people who really need the trip and
the recreation, will be able to do SO
only at sacrifice which they are un-
able to make
If this provision of the bill is, as
has been intimated, in the interest of
the railroads, it manifests a solici-
tude for those corporations altogeth-
er Unnecessary. There is, so far as
we know, no eompulsion on the rail-
roads to operate special Sunday ex-
cursions or to make special rates for
that day. If such excursions do not
pay, they do not have TO run them
and most probably willnot run them.
But assuredly if they wish to operate
these special excursion trains, they
should not he prohibited. by law
from so doing.
This provision OF the pending bill
should not be enacted into law. To
do so would be mistake which it is
hoped the General Assembly will re-
frain from committing.