Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-09-12
As to Signals and steel Cars.

As to Signals and steel Cars.
From the New Bedford Standard.
Among the earliest occupations o.
an editorial chair Is running rail-
road 1t is curious, but there are
writers of editorial articles VINO
would never agree that a railroad
man could by any possibility carry or
a newspaper, who apparently nave
no doubt of their own perfect com
na+encv to run a railroad. At least
that Is what we gather from the
tone of the comment on the disaster
in Connecticut
Now. we believe that newspaper
"a entirely justified in drawing gen
eral conclusions as to the Iunoa-
mental principles of securing saiety
in railroad operation. These are IN
deed. in essence, the same as under
lie safety in any activity. But when
tho details and technicalities of rail-
road operation are involved, 1t Is
lust as well to regard the stop sls-
nails. In the instance OF tnls latest
catastrophe, there is Wild call tor
the adoption and the installation OF
new signal system. made to very
great extent by persons VINO nave
only the vaguest idea OF such signals
as are now in use. IL Is alieseu, a ta
for all we know accurately, INA. ne ne
svsteno in use on the stretch OF track
where this accident occurred was
antiouated and inadequate. Ihat
NAV be true. But 1t Is also truth
that trains have been run hunoreos
nj times under it's operation WIN
safety. The demonstration has peen
nerfect that If 1t is properly instalied'
l. nroperly managed by the operator,
and 10 properly observed by the en-
gineer it Is an effectual preventive
of accidents. For 1t has prevented
them. That some other system Wouid
he better may be agreed. We snouio
have no hesitancy in agreeing 10 IL,
on the principle that there is notnlng
which mankind has made wnlcn can
not he improved. But nontecnnlclin
is entirely out Of his legitimate neIu
when he undertakes to assert tnat
this or that method answers reauiie
ments. ,,,
IN the demand for steel cars. 1t GER
tainlv looks as If the demand were
Justified and as if the steel car, under
some conditions, would be li1e-saV-
or Yet millions of persons have safe-
ly Travelled in wooden cars, and the
first cause of disaster has nearly al
WAYS been back of the car 1tsel1:
There is the possibility of safe travel
in wooden cars demonstrated beyono
cayil. There Is also the possibility or
danger. vet there is rarely, II ever
a case where the origin of the danger
is not outside the car. Besides put
ting reliance on steel cars Is not good
only within limits. Given, as hap
pened the other day, heavy locomo-
tive drawing heavy train at forty or
more miles an hour. and crashing into
the rear of q heavy train whlcn is
standing still, somebody Is going 10
get hurt, whatever may be the mate
rial of which the cars are made. one
who has attentively considered the
laws of motion and the impect oil
bodies ought to see that. the force
of the shock must go somewhere ana
where more certainly than into the
bodies of the passengers on the rear
cars? If steel cars are going In any
degree to induce looseness IN running
trains under any theory that travellers
in them are immune, there had better
not be steel cars.
Taxes on Learning and Art.
From the Philadelphia Record.
A creditable eleventh-hour amend
ment to the tariff bill was that which
restored to the free list imported
books printed in foreign languages
The reason why foreign books, which
were left untaxed by the House bill
and even under the Payne-Aldricf
tariff, were made dutiable by the
Senatorial revisers are hard to divine
Possibly 1t was assumed that on,
importations in this line consisted
mainly of French novels and othel
neurotic or flippant products of for
eign printing presses. Possibly for
eign books were considered to b'
articles of luxury, on which the pam
pered users could well afford to pa!
a tax. The truth Is that the dut!
would have been burden principal!
on the relatively light purses Of pro
fessional men, scientists and stu
dents, to whom the writings of Eu
ropean investigators in their various
lines of activity are indispensable
necessities.
Books of the character indicates
constitute the bulk of our importa
lions, and, as they are usually expen
sive, the additional cost entailed b.
even a 20 per cent. duty would hav
been burdensome and purely vexa
tious and unreasonable tax even fror
protectionist point of view for tn
books in question are not competitiv
products In any sense of the wore
On the contrary, they should be re
garded as stimulants to America
thought on the subjects treated; an
from any point of view their impoI
tation should be encouraged rattle
than INSTRUCTED.
The excision of the OBJECTIONABLE
provision from the Senate's tarit
bill at the last moment shows that
is never too late to mend. The hi
as it stands still contains the un
reasonable amendments of the Sen
ate taxing works of art, the product
of living painters and sculptor.
American artists stand as one man l
opposition to this restriction to tn
free entry of the works of thei
transatlantic fellow-craftsmen. TIL
| former desire above everything I
see the works of the latter exhibite
side by side with their own. Com
petition is not feared. What is feare
is the deadening effect of provincis
isolation. The juxtaposition of for
| eign and American works of al
would be of incalculable value bot
in the education of the public an
| the inspiration of our own artists I
new creative endeavor. A duty O
art is as much of barbarity as
head tax on the exchange professor
/ from American and German univel
stiles would be. BY vigorous pull
| lie agitation it may be still possib
to procure the elimination from tn
| bill of the offensive tariff on art. Tt
House conferees should be predil
posed to strike out the provision
..tx.,.. s@I,1,, x.,axa mot In tho XIII a fr,