The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1890-07-10
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
IAN, EXCELLENT ORDER.

Y
MN VITO Drink shouid Not Bs EN-
oyoS BY Transportation Companies.
!. One q thu, trunk railroad lines has
notified its employees that any man.
who gets drunk on or of duty must
quit the company's service. This gem
oral order of single line ought to be
made universal order for all corpora
lions intrusted with. the lives of human
beings. -. 49, ~
But does the order as uttered 90 far
enough? Is it not notorious that men
employed upon railroads and steam
boats are too often drinking men?
Certain Of the older railroad lines have
long sincesforbidden the sale of intoxi
cants in the eating houses of their
routes, and have built and equipped
reading-rooms, where employees, re-
fresh by food toabe had at fair prices
from Tho company's servants, can rest
6ndspend their leisure in a rational
and helpful way. But it still is true
that many of>the railway stations are
near saloons which are located in their
vicinity for the purpose of catching the
wages of railway employees. No rail-
road should permit its employees to be-
come habitues of drinking places. They
can not prevent the location OF saloons
near their shops or switching points or
round houses. They can supply the
men with clean and comfortable read
ing-rooms, with coffee and sandwiches,
and then forbid their visiting drinking
places while on or off duty.
The steamboat lines have done prac-
tically nothing to diminish tho vice of
intemperance which prevails to a, de-
grading degree among the water-men.
Of the inland lakes and the rivers The
mariners drinking resort is generally
crowded with booty fellows. Rousta-
bouts of the docks, deck hands and even
officers Of steamboats, will be found
drunk on duty and drunk off duty. The
more miserable among them are habit
ually in debt to the keepers of water
line doggeries and cheap boarding.
houses, where they drink more than
they eat. 1t ought to become a univers-
al discipline of transportation compa-
MES not to employ under any circum-
stances men who drink intoxicants. It
Is folly to say they can not get along
without them. They can if they are
FURNISHED sufficient good food and their
tenure of place limited by their abso-
Lutte sobricty. If one company had the
moral courage to set the example all
others would have to follow if they de-
sired to retain public confidence.
1t has been repeatedly demonstrated,
in the polar expeditions, illustrating
the fact in arctic latitudes; in India and
equatorial explorations, that the men
enduring severe and extraordinary hard
ship came out of them better by total
abstinence from stimulants than when
they resorted to these doubtful agents
OF artificial vigor. The barbarous and
vulgar practice of 'treating," by which
the human stomach is compelled to be-
come receiving vat for unnecessary
and injurious liquids, is more respon-
sible for drunkenness and irresponsible
ity than mems own belief that they
need stimulants
Whether transportation companies
employees are disposed to be abstainers
or not of their own accord they ought to
be required, to be abstainers as a con-
dition of employment. They have no
right to take into their mouths what
will middle their brains while intrusted
with the lives and property of Others.
1t IS not enough that they shall not
drink while on duty. No man can tell
when the effect of the alcoholic or malt
stimulant taken off duty will reach his
nerve centers. He is certain to be to
some degree affected by every drink he
takes, and neither he nor anybody else
can fix the term of the effect.-Chicago
Herald.