The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-09-21
PEOPLES FORUM



In this great catastrophe twenty-five lives
were snuffed out without warning and about
thfeescoro injured, some seriously. Someone
has violated rule laid down by the authorities
making the laws for the running OF these trains
for the protection of human life and property.
All rail companies endeavor 10 avoid all
and when these rules are carried out with Il
strict performance, life is safe and property is
kept intact. except when broken axle a
broken rail- might cause serious trouble
Physical man is weak; his nerve and fibre he
comes diseased after constant wear; his brain
is limited sometimes It is weakened by over
work sometimes from trouble. and various
trouhles that the outside world knows not.
Who is to be blamed for this great wreek?
Someone is at fault
Does the blame fall on the man who cast hts
eye through the soxtant, pointing the world to
the proposed roadbed Of a great railway sys-
Does the blame fail on the group Of men be-
coming interested in charging the railroad sys-
tenn of the world, giving he of their brains
and their money, to give the people greater
facility for uansportaton2 No.
I'm their minds they conceived no evil. but
stroFe TO give to posterity a blessing.
Does the blame fail those who laid the
mighty rails. who leyelcd the track with gravel
who built the cars the engines, the stations, the
telegraph lines, who wrote the rules Of opera
ton and who Invented the danger signals all
tof which We're made near perfect pos
s!hlc for the protection of human life? No.
These men have no reasons whatever to de
sire destruction of property and the loss Of
life for two reasons;
First they have no desire to destroy property
and life because it violates Gods law of com
mon sense.
Second, because the less property they de-
stroy, and the fewer Killed, the greater the
dividends of the road VIII he.
Does the blame fall the official Of the
road who sits day after day in his office wish
ing the employees We'll? DO they not far
IL p0SsfnF Keep Their employees within The
bounds Of soberness and good morals?
DO they not discipline their men for ndulg
ing in strong drink? DO they not refuse to
Z Ell n 1Tin Efro
| drink ?
To mass all the protection together that the
railroads give TO the public. do they not en-
deaVor by every known power to remedy every
weakness in humanity and machinery for the
protection Of life and property?
/ Thcu who Ia to be blamed for this great
wreck? Some human soul has erred but not
with the assistance of his fellow-man.
| His error cannot hc traced back TO a law en-
couraRtug destruction and murder Now we
are trying to discover the OF this wreck.
The interstate commerce commission is dev-
ing into the matter to show the world why
Twenty-Five souls have persisted and why three
score have been wounded while the world
/ looks on with amazement their eyes wde~open
for light and their cars prCked for information.
this state Of mind being unanimous.
/ At least two-thirds Of the eyes and ears of
tho world are closed to the real cause Of muir
der,
If possible, someone connected with this great
railroad system Will be convicted Of crime and
punished because he did not do the impossible
thing by controlling everybody else.
+ said In the beginning that murder is MUIR
der" and I shall cndcavor to prove this.
4 The railroads are accidentally killing and
woundng hundreds every year. conducting a
necessary and honorable business.
The church members Of this country kill,
ing and woundIug their millions, conducting
such filthy business that we cannot think of
allowing them to operate election day for
fear Of fights and mobs,
/ Innocent women are living in half furnished
homes, half starved and half naked children
being reared in huts rather than well ventilated
homes, suffering for what cause?
Thar saloon kppnprS swell 10 ha nix
accounts, live in palaces, wear their brilliant
diamonds. dart from place to place In their au-
tomohlles, giving to the city government a por-
ton OF their wealth ia give TO the already rich.
grand sidewalks, shade trees aud other bless
ines granted by the city council which in many
cases are owned by the saloons, Just we
own our cattle driving them to ana htther;
While the suffering innocent middle classes live
on the outskirts. who have nothing left but
! their virtue that God gave them.
This great railroad represents many links of
construction some u which ! have mentioned.
( The licensed saloon. the murderer and
wounder" represents seven important links.
which are as follows:
! When you cast your ballot for a licensed
! saloon you form a chain OF evil, sorrow and
death
| Your ballot is a demand upon your legisla-
tor to build or retain a saloon The act of your
legislator nstructs the governor TO honor this
institution, the act of the governor instructs
the court to grant license TO stock the saloon;
the saloon keeper invites you and your son to
walk in, ana when you are drunk or broke he
kicks you out; the act of the saloop-keeper
sends you to Jail unless YOU happen to be a
pet OF the police. generally through graft; then
you go home in hack.
The saloon keeper gets the smiles and the
cash the wife and children get the frowns and
the empty poeketbook: the man VINO drinks the
whisl<ey often becomes cra2ed. He stabs his
Ineiehbor wife or child the man, woman or
child lighting for life, under pain inflicted by
the wound, dies
You say you voted for revenue to the city.
What is the result of your vote?
You voted. the legislator enacted the COVER
nor signed the court issued license. the bar
keeper filed you up with the goods, and the
victim while crazed by 1t commits murder.
There is common law % nature called,
cause and effect
Those who form the links in this chain re-
present at end tho cause and at the other
end the effect. The church member guilty of
murder and the poor neighbor, woman or child,
receiving it..
The who cast the wet ballot shares
his guilt equal with the man who strikes the
fatal blow. Because he represents end of
the knife and the murderer the other end.
/ God has more respect for the saloonkeeper
than lie has for the that made the saloon
possible because what lis not created cannot
tbe governed. The devil jnstructs the church
member how to vote. and then the church me m
: her instructs the sai0onkeeper how TO work
) In the case of the railroad murder the law
"a ted Inv pn,f,a