San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-11-18
ANOTHER DEFINITION OF sNIPEs
A RaiIroader Replies to Nina.
Editor Daily LIGHT.

Editor Daily LIGHT.
Your article, published in the LIGHT of
the l4th inst, giving the views of Nina
on king Snipe and the less smaller herd
plying their avOcatiOn on track repairs,
which he seems to be quite familiar with.
| will here give my views Oh the subject.
TO commence with, every question has
two sides to it, both of which should be
explained. Your correspondent says:
Having resided for several years adj ia
cent to a section house on the |. & q. n
railroad it has been my pleasure, through
close observation, to become thorough
acquainted with the peculiaritieS OF the
king Snipes" | must say in the mildeSt
way possible that Nina knows 40 more
about king Snipe than he does about the
travels OF Stanley, the explorer, while in
the junges of darkAfrica; his impressions
| presume were drawn from what could
be seen AZ the section house located in the
|. g. q. n. yard, place where all the al
lurrments and vice before their eyes,
naturally men without homes of their
own and without the kind influences of
the family circle. Men in any calling in
life are liable to fall into the pitfalls and
Snares laid for them in order to get them
to spend their hard earnings, which is
invariably accomplished without doubt
The article referred to Ia the LIGHT re
fiecting on the King SnipeS ana their
humble subjects is written entirely abOuI
one house on the line of one railroad, and
all are claSSe1 alike as a class of men.
OStraciSed, and from the tone of Nina's
communication, all are not lit to be seen
in any community, and are no part OF the
inhabitants composing the state OF
Texas. Yet these men work hard
for their money, through sunshine
aud rain, receiving remuneration
Of the paltry sum OF $l.l5 per day
and it should be left to their option to
spend their money in a way suitable to
their wishes without criticism. As To the
wardrobe of the oily wage worker, ii
need not be of an elaborate nature. He
has no need of being dressed up like "a
man measuring dry goods behind ii cOun-
ter. Men employed in the humble walk
of life should not be judged by the clothes
they wear, for many a kind heart beats
beneath an old cotton shirt The reason
why the SO-caled snipeS wash their own
clothes, | will explain to Nina. When
out on the line of railroad in remote
places, perhaps ten miles away from u
house, then necessity cOmpelS the en- to
wash their clothes, and they become eX-
pcrtS 1T the business. 1t is not done
through their saving prOpenSitieS, but
through actual necessity, and continuing
To d. so they make il rule, through
habit and necessity. Consequently no
nd>u-"OuldU Is CIbdJbu OuI VI u was L
bill, as her services cannot be obtained on
the plains of Texas. | would like to know
In what way Nina Is plying his avocatiOn.
Ii appears that he never has in all his
life contributed dollars worth OF hard
lab Jr to the common wealth of the state
OF Texas, and furthermore am led to be-
lieve that he never intends 10 do so. II
he had, he would not express himself as
he has, in so diSparaging q way, against
class Of men who work hard for Il
living, and at best their lot Is hard one
Nina again says that wien the road
master comes round the SnpeS does an
unusual amount OF eXertiOn. and when
outside the suburbs of the city the snipe
can be seen gong To the nearest grocery
store for cigars TO treat his eXcellency. -
No such thing; the Snipe and the road
master are not on social terms. they have
no use for each other only in business way.
have never known of road master
making himself SOciable with the track
labOrer Nina is like many more, per-
haps he has stopped on few occasions to
see The SnipeS at work, but took particu-
lar care to do none himself; sniping or
any other kind of work. He also SAYS
that the king snipe of the average type
carries nothing but common Waterbury
watch, let me tell him and the readers OF
LIGHT that not one section foreman IN
hundred, but will carry the best kind
OF Waltham or Elgin watch.
He is compeIltd to do so as no railway
company will not keep him in their en-
plOy, without having the correct time so
as he can work according to the running
OF trains. l. is strange, yet true that men
outside of railroad men are very anxious
to buy their watches providing they are
discharged and out OF funds. So far as bad
victuals is concerned at the section hous-
es. it is not so. There is no class of work
ing men anywhere better fed than the
section men. They pay good figure for