Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1914-07-16
Sarcasm.

In a recent bulletin ISSUED DY
the B. & o. Railroad Company,
occurs the. following:
I'm order that its property may
present a neat appearance OF all
times, the Baltimore & Ohio Sy--
tenn has started upon a campaign
against the defacing of its sta
tions and ottie. buildings, equip
ment, ETC., by idlers who often
give vent to their Interpretation
of the artistic with, daubss of
paint, crayons and pencils. The
employees have been asked to as
sist in this house cleaning cam
paign and those guilty of serious
defacement7of property or Of maxi
ing obscene marks will have ac-
ton taken against them when APP
pretended.
This warning by the Balti-
more & Ohio is of general inter-
est to the hobo class that leaves
its trail of Incidence rather than
Of achievement conspicuously dis
played along the right-of-way."
If the writer was ignorant of
conditions at Shenandoah juno
ton, lie must be excused on that
score.
But, if in full knowledge of the
. $
facts, when he penned this arti-
Gle, he must be adjudged guilty
of rank hypocrisy, or even worse
offense.
If any one has been convicted
at the bar of public opinion of
obscenity, it is the corporation
which has allowed its patronsA,
defenseless women and children
among the worse sufferers to be
subjected to indignities which are
an affront to public decency.
After killing several innocent
passengers at Harpers Ferry, the
company, in response to insistent
demand OF an outraged civic SEN
ment, t,lnnelled their tracks there,
at some expense no doubt, but to
their own ultimate benefit in the
saving from damage suits for cul-
pable if not criminal negligence.
The N. & w. is spending sixty
thousand dollars at Charles Town
for a new depot at which one
passenger will get on where ten
do at the Junction. But neither
that corporation nor the B, & O.
seem willing to spend one per
cent of that sum to, temporarily
at least, provide sanitary and de-
cent conveniences for the travel
ling public at the Junction.
It seems strange that the local
residents have not long ago fore
ed action by an appeal to the
Public Service Commission for
relief from these intolerable
wrongs.
But the tentacles of the rail
roads reach far, and it is not al
ways polite to incur the ill
will of the powers that be. y
The people of Jefferson are not
corporation baiters, neither are
they in the hobo class. They re-
alize the financial difficulties the
railroads are having to con-
tend with. But, while they are
long suffering and kind, they dc
not longer intend to have either
their own families nor the stran-
gers within their gates. herded
like cattle in the miserable shack
which is 7dignifed by the title
OF depot at shenandoah juno
tion. -
A prompt solution might be
reached by having the railroad
officials and their families sojourn
a few hours in that delectable
environment.
AS we have heretofore stated
it is we'll nigh incredible that the
higher officials of the Railroad
companies are personally cogni.
zant of the shameful condition Of
affairs at the function. They
are able and humane men and il
is hoped that their attention will
be directed to the intolerable nui.
sance existing there, that it may
be forthwith abated.
0S----s,