The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-02-10

constantly coming up in the pursuit OF
any occupation requiring training and
skill is not so good, as are those of
man who does not drink.
These things are true, even when
the drinker is absolutely sober. His
brain and nerves and muscles have
been injured by drink, and he is an in
ferior workman, as compared with one
who does not drink at all. This dis
poses entirely of the plea that the en-
ployer has no right to interfere If the
man does not drink when on duty. 1t
is the inferior workman, made SO by
drink, that is not wanted. 1t would
seem that here is field of rxefulness
for labor unions. They take it upon
themselves to declare that employers,
in almost any mechanical occupation,
shall not employ any workman who is
not a member of the union covering
that field of labor. 1t is no more than
just that they sh ould then exclude from
their mem bership those who are not
first-class workmen in their particular
line.
1t needs no argument to prove that a
habitual drinker is not a irst-clasS
workman, no matter what he might
have been before he contracted the
habit AS shown above, mis- inferiority
is chronicle damage resulting to him
from his intemperance. Then, man
under the influence of liquor at all is
not reliable nor a competent work
man. Add to this the fact that the
drinking man is apt to get drunk at the
most inopportune times, when the shop
or mill is crowded with work, and to
leave his place vacant any morning be.
cause he is not yet oveS the effects OF
his nights debauch, and we at once
see the reasons for the growing disin-
clination to employ drinking men.
The leading railroads of this country
are enforcing the rule that drinking
men shall not be employed. The reg
ulation is not only to prevent the loss
of money from wreck, but directly to
| save human life. Think of a train,
loaded with hundreds of people, at the
absolute mercy of switch-tender, a
signal-man, or the keeper of draw
bridge, and the latter half drunk! The
recent terrible accident near New burg
on-the- Hudson was caused by drink.
| A derailed freight INSTRUCTED the track,
and stopped a passenger train. The
conductor of the latter sent back a
man with a red lantern, to warn an
express train which was nearly due.
ba irnfa yuif y, %
shanty to take drink, and came out
only to see the express thunder by, to
plunge. minute or two later, into the
standing train, killing and injuring q
number of people. One such object
lesson should be enough to cause the
discharge of every drinking man on
every railroad in the country.
The same practice is extending to
other occupations. Business men de-
sire in their counting-rooms. behind
their counters, and in all other places
of trust, men whose faculties are all
alert, and not dulled by indulgence in
drink. Banks and moneyed institu-
tons do not want men with this vice,
which is the fruitful parent of others,
and which is liable to lead to theft or
defalcation to obtain the funds with
which to pander to them. Each year
sees gradual extension of the rule
against the employment of men who
drink. Each year the more profitable
avocations are more and more closed
against such men.
The same thing has bee ONE the rule
with most of the secret beneficiary or
ders. They will not admit drinking
men to membership, for the same rea-
son that many life insurance compan-
les will not insure them-because in
temperance shortens the expectation
of life of every one who INDUCES in it.
and renders his life a much greater
risk than that of a sober man of the
same age. The economic argument
against drinking is going to tell in
time. Once let young men understand
that the drink habit shuts them out
from the better class of occupations.
and they will be far less likely to fail
into it. They will be more ready te
examine into the liquor question, and
that examination will always result in
their joining the ranks of those who
are working 10 abolish the traffic. =
Toledo Blade