Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-10-04
President Robert Garrett, of the Baltimore

President Robert Garrett of the Baltimore
and an, ONO railroad was at MS office in
"A couple of hours. he Is residing at Uplands,
his country seat, near Baltimore. The execu-
tive officers of the Baltimore and Ohio have in
formed citizens OF Montgomery county that the
company has contracted for the double-track-
ing of the Metropolitan Branch, recently de-
signated in a letter written by Vice President
Spencer, and IL is said the work is to be COM
menced without delay-Battiaore san.
The doutle-tracking of this road is an imper-
alive need and the work cannot be commenced
moment too soon, but something more than a
double-track Is required to remedy the worst of
the existing evils in the shape of the delay of
local business peoples trains by the behind
time through trains from the west and south
west An Illustration of the pressing need Of a
reform here is shown by the fact that two
three mornings ago the schedule along the
whole line was thrown out of gear by de-
layed emigrant train of empty cars returning
from the west, and the local train bringing gov
eminent employees and business men to their
work was delayed so long at Rockville to allow
this train to pass that it failed to reach the
city In time to enable its passengers to reach
their offices on office hours. This morning
there was a similar failure. This delay of local
passenger trains by behindtime through
trains, which has grown to be a matter OF
almost daily occurrence, cannot be remedied
by a double-track, as all these trains are COM
ing in the same direction. And just here the
inquiry rises why the b. & o. brings its empty
slow-going emigration trains from the west
over the singe-tracked Metropolitan Branch
when that road is already crowded beyond its
working capacity? Why doesn't 1t return
them by the old double-traek Relay house
line? Why, in fact, does it not send them out
on that freight line when loaded with their
human freight? There must be n terrible lack
somewhere OF railroad brains in the present b.
& o. management if they can't devise some
means of remedying the existing denoraliza-
on their road.
Among the projects which the general assem-
bly, of Knights of Labor at Richmond will be
called upon to discuss Is one for the establish
Inent of an industrial institute under the aus
pices of the Knights, and with the aid of part
of the seventy-seven millions of dollars whose
distribution is contemplated by the Blair edu-
cational bill The proposal 10 petition Congress
for a part of this money is not to be COM
mended. An industrial institute managed and
controlled by the Knights would be essentially
private concern, and the fund for carrying it
on ought to come exclusively from private
sources. Unquestionably. If such a school were
founded and run a liberal basis, money
would be contributed gladly by rich men, who
would consider themselves repaid by seeing the
sons and daughters of the poor brought up to
do skilled work and enabled to earn a comfort
able living But, alter all, would not the facili-
ties for industrial education be very much bet
tered by broadening of the apprentice sys-
tenn, even If no new institution were estab-
lished? Where trade unions do not exist |
parent, rich or poor, has a right to bind his
child to learn a trade whenever he can find an |
employer willing to undertake the task of in I
struction in exchange for the services of the
apprentice. The stringent rules which prevail
in most Of the trades now, however leave a
majority Of the children unprovided with the
means Of acquiring a handierafs in any town
or city where union exists 1t seems as if the
knights might accomplish more real good by
adopting resolutions condemning the arbitrary
restrictions now imposed, and urging that the
shops be thrown open petty industrial
schools. When there shall appear to be more
children growing up without learning tine best
use Of their hands and brains than can be ac-
commodated in the shops, the institute which
is now talked Of can furnish clear proof OF de-
mand for its existence.