The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1876-02-19

The CAR CONDUCTORS. the majority of per-
sons condemned TO spend much time in that ma
chine OF discomfort, the street car the conductor
is harmless individual, whose chief business in
life is to collect fares and continually cry, M0ve
up a little there in front'' Very few passengers,
they revenge themselves on this hapless per-
SON by giving him their doubtful currency,
know that he is an oath bound Official, watched,
Spotted, and forever moving in the midst Of
traps and spring guns. Nevertheless, the hum
BILE and deprecatory servant of corporation,
who takes kicks and ceppsrs with equal resgna-
ton, is an official upon whose motions a constant
watch is set and whose life is made burden to
him by the consciousness that he has assumed
responsibilities which may at any moment prove
too much for him A man may be failure as
United States senator he may even disgrace his
country in foreign official position, or he may
steal the peoples money, wear prison stripes, and
still manage to rub along very comfortably
through lite But to fail as car conductor is
to be u social and moral wreck. To have oue's
bell punch and twenty-five dollar deposit taxi
en- away is 10 be sent out upon II cold and heart
less world vagabond.
There seems 10 be growing belief among The
s;reet.car corporations that their conductors as
class, c0nspirators, whose aim is to steal
the money which they collect, and form plots for
the most eifectual ruin OF their employers. 1t is
"a
ments OF human activity, but as soon as be takes
the fares of a carload of passengers he becomes
totally depraved, and is only restrained from in-
discriminate piracy by a series of checks and
balances, which is as awful as Kuklux obliga-
ton, and as intricate as the famous Merrill tariff
On the Second avenue road, for example, the I'M
happy man who signs contract as conductor
delivers himself over, body and soul to bond
age which resembles that of the feudal retainers
OF the Middle Age He acknowledges in advance
that he is no longer a responsible being. Not
content with having a bellpunch, an alarm
clock, and various other mechanical contrivances
hung round his neck, to answer as an artificial
conscience, he agrees that the report of any ccm-
pany detective (otherwise 'spotter') shall be e.
nal and conclusive as evidence against him when
ne shall be brought before magistrate, charged
with neglect, embezzlement or defalcatiou This
miserable being also agrees that the deposit of
twenty five dollars. which be made at the begin
ming OF his servitude, shall be forfeited together
With one wtrks wages, without recourse oflegal
proceedings, in case "sp1tter's'' report shall
he against him in any case. Moreover, this sub
ordinate funclionary, the condn~'or, whose oc-
euPaton appears TO the thoughtleess and casual
passenger So insignificant, is obliged TO solenuy
swear that he Twill faithfully and honestly per-
form all the duties -nct of a President of the
United States, this language might lead US to
expect, but OF a conductor on the aforesaid road.
The iron clad oath, which, strange to say, con-
tains no obligation TO support the constitution
OF the republic, concludes with the asseverato1,
I'll have never been employed on this or any 9th
er horse railroad. So help me God T'-NsuD
York Times