The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1893-03-10
THE CITIZENS DUTY.
Much Can and Ought to be Done Toward
Abolishing Public Abuses.

ADoiishing Public Abuses.
Whenever anyone objects to estab-
lished or long-existing abuses. there
are always cries of Crank 'Grum-
bier" "kickerl' and the like. and the
ooJector is made as uncomfortable as
possible. OF course, all of this has an
object, and that is to divert public at
tention from the cause of the complaint
to the complainer. Then the same
state of affairs may continue, and pos
sibly Others may be made unwilling to
endure the abuse consequent upon call
ing attention to things that are really
outrageous upon the public. When any
form OF wrong gets to that pass where
1t demands to be let alone it is high
time that it was looked after. Letting
| alone is just what it wants, and under
such conditions it wakes fat and -four
ishes
The world is full of discomforts that
might be remedied with but little out
lay of time, trouble or money, if those
who suffer from them had but the
courage to face the charge of grum-
bling. But such an ado is made and
such unkind criticisms are heard upon
those who protest, that timid and quiet
people are ectually silenced, and
only the most determined and cour-
ageous are able and willing to lift their
voices in protest. There is in certain
places a systematic course of annoy
ance inflicted upon those who make
complaints of certain corporations. Re-
ports to headquarters reflect upon the
employees, and it is, of course. to their
interest to prevent as much of this as
they can. While they cannot openly
visit their displeasuresupon those who
offend them, they can make them un-
comfortable in a thousand ways; and
so, perhaps because of some selfish rea-
son or for policy people go on tolerating
all manner of ills when an emphatic
protest would go far toward removing
them. 1t is the positive duty of every
good citizen to do his or her part to-
ward making the public service better,
and this should be steadily persisted
in even though it involves a daily COM
plant to headquarters.
When corporation begins business
that brings it in continual contact with
the public, it. by its acts, places itself
under certain obligations Railroad com
panies are expected to furnish COM
Portable ears, fairly courteous and oblig-
ing employees, and to carry passengers
on reasonably arranged time schedules.
When trains of four or five cars are
run out of the station in midwinter,
and provided to carry passengers
dozen miles or so, without a particle OF
heat in the cars, even though the mer-
curry is we'll down toward zero, there is
something radically wrong in the man.
agement somewhere. 1t is wrong that
would not soon be repeated, if, instead
of growing and grumbling at present
discomfort, a hundred or so of the suf-
fering passengers had sent letters to
headquarters, describing the situation
and its consequences.
But the fear of being called kicker
keeps them silent, and they go on their
several ways, taking their satisfaction
by relating the details of the affair to
every one they meet
All properly officercd and judiciously
conducted common carriers find it profit
able to give fair equivalent for fares
paid to them. That the public does not
get this equivalent is often no fault of
the corporation but the result of slack
ness on the part OF employees. 1t is
proper to suppose that a report of inef-
ficient service will be welcome at the
main office and that if this is sent in,
efforts will be made to reform many of
the abuses now endured by the public.
All such service is capable of a much
better state than it is in at present, and
this improvement would be much more
rapid if every citizen made it his duty
to report carelessness or Irregularities.
N y. Ledger