The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-08-06

thousands of human lives and the care
and preservation of millions of property.
The smallest neglect or inattention to the
slightest details of their duties is liable to
sacrifice many lives and destroy much
property,-while it is in their power to do
immense damage at any time. 1t ought,
then, to be the policy of railroad managers
to secure first class men for these positions,
to pay them such wages as would place
them above want or temptation, and
strive to elevate the social character of the
to to which they belong. Instead
of that, they are paid wages which
are no compensation for the dangers and
labors of their occupations, and treated
more like serfs than like fellow beings, with
all the feelings, hopes and aspirations of
those who employ them and who are liza
Bile any year to lose their position and be,
as powerless as the men they en-
ploy.
In the case of conductors, the policy has
been to pay them only starvation wages
and then expect them to support the style
and bearing of gentlemen, 1t is the gen
eral public belief that if conductors. and
engineers were paid $50 to $500 a month
fewer accidents would occur, and that the
damages arising from accidents thus avoid
ed and saved would more than compen-
safe for the increase Of salary. Instead
of that they are paid inadequate salaries,
aud il order to maintain the style and pc.
sition expected of them they are compel.
ed, in some instances, to resort to irregu.
lar and unusual modes of obtaining means
of support for themselves and families
such as getting commissions on sales or
purchases of articles carried over the road,
receiving presents for faVors to travellers,
etc., etc, and in some Instances retaining
money received for fares. There is no
more general belief than that railroad and
street car conductors are in the habit OF
retaining a per centage on the money they
receive,-and in many cases this. untortun-
ately, is too true. And the men who thus
become dishonest excuse themselves in
this way They say that the managers
cheat the stockholders by various devices,
such as forming rings for asttreight lines,
sleeping car lines, bulling or bearing their
stock for speculative purposes, making con
tracts with themselves, ETC., etc. They
..sk Who ever knew a ring OF men in
control of a road for any length Of time
that did not all get rich-richer than it
would be possible for them to become ifthey
saved every cent of salary they got? And
they very truly argue that if the managers
can do this they must do it in
some improper and irregular way
and then they fly to the improper
conclusion that they have a right to make
up to themselves such u sum as will give
them a reasonable aud fair support. And
this all arises from the starvation salaries
paid, causing many really honest aud
good men to quit the business because
thew will not steal and cannot live on
the salaries paid, and drawing iuto the
business other men, apparently qualified
for the place but really lacking the moral
sible a position.
The railroad managers, having thus low
cred the esprit de corps, set a class OF dis
reputable scoundrels, called spoilers,
to work to catch some conductor and then
make an example of him IS a terror to
those yet undisturbed. Spoilers are a
class of men who style themselves detect
ives. but who have no connection with any
respectable police force. They are a class
of men who are too lazy to pursue al hon.
orable calling men who by habit and as
ISOLATION are perfectly familiar with the
catalogue of crimes aud misdemeanors, and
who use their information Tor the purposes
of gain by "a well and shrewdiy arranged
of black mailing. Their plan OF
operations with railroad companies is this
They address a secret circular to the
president or managing director OF a rail
road agreeing to disclose GER
tain irregularities and dishonest practices
of their employees for a certain considera-
ton Of money, nothing 10 be paid in case
they fail to make good their charges.
These fellows seldom approach the gen
eral superintendent of a railroad with
this proposition, knowing that he is tamil-
lar with their Practices, and that he would
properly reject their overtures. They
have even gone so far as TO say that the
reason a general superintendent refuses to
them because he is in collision
with his men to deiraud and rob the com
pany and divide the spoils. The. rail
road manager upon receiving their circu-
lars and believing the old adage to Ee
true that 1T takes a thief to catch a thief,
acquiesces in the arrangement, and au-
thorises the ''spotter" 10 go TO work. |
or a thousand mile ticket is fur
.ished him in order that he may travel
upon trains and entrap the unwary aud
Insuspecting conductor whom he may Sc
ect as his victim.
The spotter has several plans of opera
ions upon his programme, some one of
is sure to prove successful. Ii he
concludes to convict the conductor of sell
ng tickets he will work the matter this
way He will go to the ticket office of the
company and procure a ticket, which he
will have some officer of the company take
he number of, or mark it 50 that it can
,e identified. He will then take the ticket
himself or give it to a confederate who will
,oard a train. but instead of giving this
icket to the conductor when he calls for
he will produce his thousand
nile ticket or pay his fare, sending the
ticket to a ticket scalper's office to
&c sold, which will, of course, by a precOn-
erted arrangement, be purchased by an
Their confederate, and the facts reported
the railroad manager. who sees in the 9,
ransaction, confirmation strong as holy
,rit" that the conductors upon the road
ave a well arranged plan of swindling the ,
)mpany, and t~hereupon he orders the /
discharge OF the men, without 8
them to be heard in their own de- ,
.nse. That railroad companies have
cen thus swibdled by some dishonest :
,nductors we have no doubt, but the /,
lreer of such men upon railroads is of )
few days and fall OF trouble as it is a i
'ecies of swindling that a railroad super. !