Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-11-30
THE NERVE TO KICK.
M. QUAD TELLS OF THE BENE-
FITS OF MAKING COMPLAINT.


Driving Out the Railroad Hog-Gratitude
of a Hotel Keeper-Talxing Down an
Extortionate Hack Driver The Man
Who Forgot-Cleaning an Alley.
have met the railroad hog a great many
times never meet him without making
kick He is growing scarcer every day, and
sometimes fatter myself that I have con-
tributed to drive him out. When l left To-
iedo for Cincinnati, the other day, the train
was crowded and people were standing up In
every coach In my car was a man occupy
ing two seats. He had bad looking head
on him. and he cared so little for our rights
that he did not look up from his book. There
were five of us standing up, and said to the
group:
"Gentlemen, there are three seats for which
we have paid Let us take possession
ssHe'Il kick and raise row."
s'But we'll kick and raise bigger one."
"Yes, but what's the use of quarreling with
D hog?'
sit is just such men as you who have made
him hog. You have allowed him to impose
on you until he has come to think he owns
the railroad"
Not one of the four would move. I went to
the other end Of the car where three women
were crushed into one seat, picked up 70
year-old boy near by, and walked up to the
hog and asked:
''Have you paid for four seats heres'
tThats my business" he promptly re-
piled.
'And mine and the public's."
cleared the seat of bis baggage, seated the
,~,I %1n,,< dad ", hocid ia
the hog He made an awful row, but it was
useless. He was left with what he had paid
for, and we got what our tickets called for.
Let every passenger kick on the railroad hog
and he must go.
GRATEFUL LANDLORD.
One day last spring there were ten of us at
p hotel table in Nashville. The soup was
scorched and no one could eat it. Not
potato brought to us was done. The milk for
the coffee had turned invited the others
to 20 to the Office with me and kick. They
were drummers, every one, but not one
would go. When people speak of drummers
rs kickers they are way off. They will put
up with more and do less complaining than
any class of men on earth. In the present
case one of them spoke for all when he said:
ayes, things are bad and ought to be
fighted but we are here only for meal and
it won't pay us to kick"
went out alone The landlord was in the
Office and I asked:
How long since you were in the dining
roomr'
"a week, guess
"You don't oversee the meals?'
mo"
3Well, please go to the head table and taste
the milk, examine the potatoes and smell OF
the soup"
He departed at once When he returned
he was hopping mad. The head-waiter was
called out and dressed>down, the head cook
got nicely peeled, and the landlord shook my
hand and said:
"That kick of yours will benefit this house
5000. had no idea things were running
thus"
The natural inference with him was that as
long as no one kicked everything must be
going all right and everybody satisfied A
thousand men had no doubt gone away mad
and injured his house.
The fare from the foot of Market street,
Philadelphia, to the Bingham house by coupe
is ST. That is the figure established by ordi-
nance, and is very liberal. When a coupe
sat me down at the hotel month ago tie
driver demanded So I kicked He talked
In loud voice in order to gather crowd
and make me feel ashamed, but refused to
come down. He dropped to twelve shillings,
but it was no go. He threatened personal
violence, and had him arrested. In fining
him 81 his honor gave him lecture he will
never forget, and then HIrned to me and
said:
"You deserve medal for kicking. In this
fellows case, at least, you will have pre-
vented him from swindling others. Had
you allowed him to swindle you he would
have been on the alert to make other vic
Tins"
THE MAN WHO FORGOT.
Coming out of Philadelphia by night. a
passenger came to me and said he would take
1t as great favor If l would exchange my
lower berth for his upper, he having his wife
along.
''When did you secure your berthT' Iasked.
3'This noon"
"And to be sure of mine had to secure it
two days ago.
''Yes, but you see 1 forgot"
sForgot! A man who knew that he was
TO go alta certain date, and that he must take
a sleeper, forgeta l cannot exchange with
you"
know he thought me boorish, but had l
exchanged he would have trusted to luck
41OAo Odii1hAuS w IlOtt oOIlo ROOu
hearted fellow and perhaps have got no berth
at all. My refusal angered him, but it made
him realize future responsibility.
The city ordinance says no horse shall be
left unhitched on the street. I am careful to
observe that ordinance, no matter what the
the bother. Another is not His unhitched
rig walks into mine and takes wheel off. 1
demand pay, and he is astonished that he
should be held liable for what he calls an
s'accident." He calls me all sorts of hard
names, but from this on he will hitch his
horse securely.
The ordinance specifies that alleys shall be
kept clean. go to trouble and expense to
live up to that ordinance My neighbor
dumps his garbage into the alley and notify
the sanitary police, and he is fined. 1t is
great shock to him that he can't break the
ordinance at will and offend the nostrils of
a whole neighborhood. He calls me crank
and mean man, never dreaming that all
the trouble came from his own selfshness
and disregard of law and right.-M. Quad
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