The sun., 1888-02-23
The old Kicker.

Inc OlQ h1ckor.
the passengers on the street car, who
had ridden down town with the old
kicker nearly every morning for
years. and had heard him kick at
everything, including the management
of the street car line, with which ne
found fault constantly, noticed lately
that he did not kick so much about de-
layed cars, and poor accommodations.
The time had been when, If car was a
minute late he would entertain the pas
sengers all the way down town about
the soulless monopoly that was fatten-
ing on the public. LAYING up money, and
causing people to stand up on account
of lack of cars. but lately he had stood
up and hung onto strap. and smiled.
and when somebody grumbled about
not having seat, the old kicker would
look at him with frown. The time
had been when, il the kicker had to
stand on a corner a minute or two,
waiting for car, he would walk up
and down the sidewalk. pounding his
cane on the boards, and swear till the
atmosphere was blue, and when he
finally got car he would abuse the
president and directors like pickpockets,
and call the stockholders highway rob-
bers. But when the conversation
turned on street car matters lately, the
old kicker had attempted to explain de-
lays in a PLAUSIBLE manner. and the
passengers decided to draw him out,
and see what it was that had changed
his views. So one morning when he
got on the car the insurance man pull
ed out a paper and said:
1--WE are going to present petition
to the street car company, asking for
certain reform, and addition of COM
forts; will you sign it?''
"Well, I don't know" said the old
kicker, as he put on his glasses and
glanced over the paper. "What re-
forms do you want? Don't the manage
ment of this company suit you? If you
don't like the way this line is run. why
don't you walk?'
"But, you know" said the board of
trade man, ''that we want conductors
on the cars. We don't want to 60 to
hole in the door an get change from
the driver, and have to pay our own
fare. We want to sit down and have
conductor come and collect the fare.
You know, yourself, it is an outrage to
compel us to visit the driver for change.
besides it is hard on the driver. You
have complaided about it yourself lots
of times"
Il never complained about it once"
said the old kicker, blushing and hand
ing the paper back without his sigma
ture. cit isn't much trouble to pay
your own fare, and the driver has
plenty of time to give you change. A
conductor would be in the way, and
would be an unnecessary expense to
the company
"Well, you have changed your tune
nightly" said the drummer. at isn't
a month since you sat in your seat in
the car and swore you would never put
your fare in the box, and you made
the driver stop the car and offer to
bounce you if you didn't pay. and you
said the president of the road ought to
be burned in efficacy" One day in
crowd somebody stepped on your
corn. and you were going to sec the
mayor and have the charter taken
away from the company. Your brain
is all wrong. You have been tamper-
ed with"
'Yes, and last month he wanted us
to boycott the road, by all walking
down town." said the floor walker.
You kicked because you couldn't get
tickets enough for dollar, and put in
a lead nickel one morning and when
the driver asked you to put up a good
nickel you wanted to mob him. Say,
you are off your base, old man.
mo, 1 amt off my base," sad the
old kicker. II know what 1 am
about. You have heard the expression.
1t makes difference whose OK is
'gouged,' haven't you? Well. hereto
fore the way have felt towards the
street railroad is we'll expressed in your
quotations from my remarks. have
been willing to do anything that would
show my utter contempt for the owners
and managers of this road. Ifelt that
they were laying up treasurers. where
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and didn't
care continental what we said about
it. I felt that all they wanted was the
earth, in the shape of nickels, and the
less expense they went to for running
the cars, the more money they could
make. There was no satisfaction in
anything except kicking and swearing,
and l did my part. But a change has
come over the spirit of my dream, as
you have noticed. One day friend of
mine, whom noticed never kicked any
at the management of the company.
got hard up and wanted to raise some
money, and he offered to sell me a
hundred shares of stock in the street
car line. at sacrifice. I asked him if
it was good and he said it paid divi-
dend. I took it, and, do you know, it
changed all my ideas of the manage
ment of the business. Yesterday
drew my dividend, and it was explain
ed to me that the dividend would have
been larger, only there was kick
about conductors. and few we're put
on, which took SO much out of my
share. My dividend was big enough,
but wanted more. was changed