The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-09-19

printed on our time cards ar6 is strictly en.
| forced. AS far my experience goes it has
| proven to be the most practical rule governing
| the matter that we could devise.
1.-The use of Intoxicating drinks has proven .
most fruitful source OF trouble to railways Us
well as to individuals. The company Will eN
ercise the most rigid scrutiny in reference to
the habits OF employees in this respect, and any
| employe who has been dismissed on this ac-
count will not be re-employed. Drinking when
on duty or frequentng saloons will not be toler.
| ated, and preference will be given to those who
| do not drink at all"
ROSWELL MILLER, President.
OHIO & MISSISSIPPI RAILWAY.
This company has issued no order reGentSy
with regard to the use of intoxicants by eni-
| ployeS; but in our book OF rules governing en-
| ployes Of the transportation department which
took effect in November, 1888, the following APP
pears:
1.-THE use Of intoxicating drinks while on duty
| Is prohibited. Employees known to use them in
| excess at any time will not be retained in the
| service" J. +. BARNARD. President.
These answers, remarks the INDIE
pendent editorially, present most one
sided view of great question. But it
is none the worse for being one
sided, for there is only one side to it.
| The fact that it is so one-SidGd makes it
| impressive.
We wanted to know what are tho
rules enforced by the railway companies
of the Nation in reference to the use of
Intoxicating liquors by their employees;
and here we have them-a long,
monotonous, emphatic repetition of a
single rule. No Intoxicating liquors
allowed; conductors, or brakemen, or
switchmen using them dismissed.
Ia 10 -,
sometimes it is assumed as so evident
that it is not worth while to print it,
But in every case the man who is not
temperate must lose his place. Some
times reasons are given in printed rules,
but most companies assume that the
reason is SO plain that it need not be
given
There is no kind of business in tho
country which requires more careful
management, more clcar-headed intclli-
gence, on the part of those engaged in
it, than the railroad business A thick
| headed conductor, booty switchman or
a muddled brakeman may, by an act of
stupidity or negligence, cost a score OF
lives to the passengers and hundreds Of
thousands of dollars loss to the COM
pany. The railroads arc in the light of
day, everybody sees and criticises them,
and their management must be made az
safe as possible; and the unanimous tes-
timony is that in order to make them
safe the servants of the road must be
abstemious men.
After this testimony of the best ex-
| perience, absolutely unanimous, what
use is there Of raising the question fur
! ther, whether the saloon is a blessing
or curse. The saloon, by the general
voice Of the most enterprising business
in the country, the business of transport
tation, is declared to be menace and a
| curse. The saloon has its interdict.
The saloon is the enemy of life and
property. The saloon deserves to be
outlawed by the general voice of the
State and Nation, as it is already out
| lawcd BY the railroads. We are glad to
be able to give to our readers such an
impressive array of testimony on this
subject.