The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-10-07
Baggage Smashing.

IF there ever was anything about t4Amer-
ican railroading that was totally senseless
and uncalled for it is the rude manners and
destructive actions of the baggage masters,
or as they are more generally and correctly
designated, baggage smashers. 1t was
once the writer's experience to buy sole
leather, fat valise in Montreal; take the
steamer there direct for Liverpool and travel
for three months on the continent, and re-
turn, at the end of four months trip, to
Montreal. 934
Saving the innumerable paper slips with
all sorts of foreign names pasted on the
yalise, it was as new and fresh looking as
the .dayit came out of the store. l
In an evil hour for the valise, it was
started with its owner for Saratoga, trip
consuming half day. At the point ntwhere
baggage was examined and changed to
another car, that valise met with its first
American handling, and it came nigh be-
ing the last of not only it, but its owner.
A burly baggage handler jerked it up
and pitched it ten feet into the door OF the
car, when up came the next man with
large trunk on his back and dumped it on
the valise This was jerked off of it by
man in the car, and the next conner dropp-
ed another trunk on it, and so on until the
poor things contents were ready to fly over
the car. At this stage of affairs the owner
rushed in to save his property when ne
was as unceremoniously handled as his
property had been, and soon found him
self back in the crowd much the worse for
wear. One half days travel in the United
States nearly destroyed an article that had
not received scratch in four months OF
travel in the "effete" nations of the Old
World. This is the story told by all who
have travelled over the same ground.
Why is it? Why should men in this
country be allowed to destroy property any
more than men in the same employment
in Europe. ~.a aHa s9a "eI.1-
In accounting for this apparent anomaly
in handling baggage we would instance a
familiar rule IF you go into store where
the proprietor is man of urbane and po-
lite manners the chances are a thousand to
one that every clerk is more or less his i'm
itator and where the reverse is the case the
same rule will apply, as the homely adage
has il, ,'like dog, like master"
In Europe the managers of railroads
have not yet learned that they own the
public, while in this country it is doubt
full if, in the opinion of railroad officials,
passengers have any rights that they feel
any obligations TO respect. The trouble
all comes from the total indifference of the
men in command. .I tj 4t suf6
1t is no more labor to handle trunks
gently than it is to throw them down and
smash them. Indeed, we doubt if the lat
ter course is not the harder work of the
two. The general fault comes from the
men dropping, instead of laying, trunks
down. The aggravating feature of this is
that it imposes such severe loss upon the
travelling public when a single word from
the general manager or president of the
road would cure the whole trouble If an
order from headquarters was sent forth
that the first man seen throwing, rolling or
dropping a trunk would be discharged, and
the rule aoas enforced once or twice the
whole trouble would be at an end. We
hope the Railroad Commissioners, when
they are appointed, will take this matter in
hand-Justice .ae