Omaha daily bee., 1889-04-28

navy. 1Or instance, except IN one par
ticular, and very important particu-
lar: to-wit, those in it must OF necessity
always be at liberty TO resign from it
in other words, TO leave it.
The railroad company can hold no one
in its employ one moment against
his will. Meanwhile, to belong
to the permanent service OF a railroad
company of the first class, so far as the
employe is concerned, should mean u
great deal. 1t should carry with it cer-
tain rights and privileges which would
cause that service to be eagerly sought.
In the first place, he who had passed
through his period OF probation and
whose name was enrolled in the perma-
nent service would naturally feel that
his interests were toa large extentiden-
tilted with those of the company; and
that he on the other hand had rights
and privileges which the company was
bound to respect. 1t has been a matter
OF boast in France that every private
soldier in the French army carried the
possibility of the feld-marshal's baton
in his knapsack. 1t should be the same
with every employe in the permanent
service of a great American railroad
company. The possibility of his rising
to any position in that service for which
he showed himself qualified should be
tJcu DelOTe Hill anu COuSJdubty pTGScub
in his mind. Many OF the most remark
able and successful men who have han
died railroads in the United States be-
gan their active lives as brakenen, as
telegraph operators, even as laborers
on the track. Such examples are OF in
stimable value. They reveal possibil-
tiles open to all.
Beyond this, the man who is perma-
nent1y enrolled should feel that though
he may not rise to high position, yet
as n matter of right he is entitled to
hold the position to which he has ris-
en- just so long as he demeans himself
properly and does his duty well. He
should be free from fear of arbitrary
this security, tribunal should be de-
vised before which he would have the
right to be heard in case charges of
misdemeanor are advanced against
him.
No such tribunal has yet been pro-
vided in the organization of any rail-
road company; neither, as a rule, has
the suggestion of such a tribunal been
looked upon with favor either by the
ef1icial or the employee. The latter is
apt to argue that he already has such a
tribunal in the executive committee OF
his own labor organization; and tri-
bOO, upou WhlSh Sdu
depend to decide always in his
favor. The official, on the
other hand, contends that If he is to be
responsible for results he must have the
power of arbitrarily dismissing the en-
ploye. Without it he will not be able
to maintain discipline. The two argu-
ments, besides answering each other,
divide the railroad service into hostile
camps. The executive committees of the
labor organizations practically cannot
save the members of those organiza-
tions from being got rid of, though they
do in many cases protect them against
sum mary discharges; and on the other
hand the official in the face OF the execu-
tive committee enjoys only in theory the
power of summary discharge. The sit
uation is accordingly false and bad. 1t
provokes hostility. The one party boasts
of protection which he does not enjoy:
the other insists upon power which he
dares not exercise. The remedy is mani
fest. A system should be devised based
on recognized facts; a system which
would secure reasonable protection to
The empioye, and at the same time en-
able the official to enforce all necessary
discipline. This a permanent service
with Il properly organized tribunal to
appeal to would bring about. Mean
while the winnowing process would be
provided for in the temporary service.
Over that the official would have com
plete contlol and the idle, the worthless,
and the insubordinate would be kept
off. The wheat would be separated
from the chatf. Until such system is
devised, the existing chaos, made up of
powerless protection and impotent pow
er, must apparently continue. None the
less it is delusion on the one side and
q mockery on the other.
How the members OF such court as
has been suggested could be appointed
and by whom is matter tor cousidera-
tion. 1t would, of course, be essential
that the appointees should command
the confidence of all in the company's
service, whether officials or employees.
The possible means of reaching this re-
suit will presently be discussed.
Not only should permanent employees
be entitled to retain their positions dur
ing good behavior, but they should also
look forward to continual bettering
of their condition. That is, apart from
promotion, seniority in the service
should carry with it certain rights and
privileges. Take the class of conduc-
tors, brakemen, engineer. machinists,
and the like, there seems to be no rea-
son why length of faithful service should
not carry with it a stipulated increase
of pay. If conductors, for example, have
regular pay of 800 q month, there
seems no good reason why the pay
should not increase by steps OF S. with
each five years. service, SO that when
the conductor has been twenty-five
years in the service his pay should be
Increased by one-quarter, or S25 a
month. The increase might be more
| or less. The figures suggested merely
| illustrate. So also with the engineer,
the brakeman, the section man, the
machinist. A certain prospect OF in
creased pay if a man demeans himself
| faithfully isa great incentive to faith
full demeanor. This is another fact
which it would be well not to lose
sight Of
There ought likewise to be connected
| with every large railroad organization
| certain funds, contributed partly by the
company and partly by the voluntary ac-
tion of employees, which would provide
for hospital service, retiring pensions,
sick pensions, and insurance against ac-
cident and death. Every man whose
name has once been enrolled in the
permanent employ of the company
| should be entitled to the benefit of these
| funds, and be should be deprived of 1t
only by his own voluntary act, or as
the consequence of some misdemeanor
proved before a tribunal. At present
the railroad companies OF this country