Morning journal and courier., 1893-04-17
RAILROAD DrsorPLINE.

Colenel H. G. Pr0us, Editor of the
 Railway Gazette, Delivers an Ex.
 tremely Interesting and Instructfve
 Lecture Before the Brotherhood of
 Conductors - Railroad Discipline
 Not What 1t Should be-The Hard
 Lesson the Trades Unions Must
 Learn.
 Colonel H. G. Prout of Chicago, the editor of the Railway Gazette, delivered an extremely interesting and highly instruct i've lecture before the New Haven Brother hood of Conductors No. 1, in the new Odd Fellows hall on Grown street yesterday afternoon ct o'clock.
 About 100 railroad men, including many l besides the conductors, listened to the lecture. .----.----
 The speaker was introduced by President E. B. Kenyon, who announced that Col onsl Prout would lecture on 8 subject to be chosen by himself. Colonel Prout then spoke as follows:
 It is with some diHidenee that I spesk to you on "Railroad Discipline" since you are getting the benefit of real experience while am only theorist. A number of
 
 zine in which alluded to the caee of Hagman on the Union Paoi- fc road, while standing behind his until his feet were severely frozen An other editor seeing this article suggested that write an article on the brave deeds of railroad men. And there Is abundant material for such an article. I thought of another instance of fagman in Ohio who stood behind his train until his feet were frozen go that they had to be amputated. Such deed Is sn example of noble forti- tude, not exceeded by the nobility of Sir Philip Sidney. have been asked a great l many times to write and speak on how railroad accidents may be prevented. Per | feet system is the very best protection pos ! sible. Thus a railroad man must not be one who is only good as an emergency man. He must bs one that can be always | depended upon.
 ! A perfect system of signalling is of great importance, and there is great deal of
 fault found with manual signalling. But
 I think it will be found that there are less
 accidents by the manual than by the auto
 matic signalling. I think it will be admit
 ted that railroading Is the greatest disci-
 plinarian calling of the present day, out
 side of the army and navy. Yet it will
 also be admitted that it is not yet what it
 should De. It will be seen from the list of
 railway accidents published monthly in the ! Railway Gazette that 56 per cent. of all the
 people killed in the last five years and 50
 per cent. of those injured Is due to negli
 gence in operation. That ia to say that 1,700 people have been killed in the United States in the last five years through the
 negligence of employees.
 Whether the discipline of to day Is ga , good as 1t used to be would be difficult te
 prove. But we will certainly admit that the discipline Is not as good as 1t should be. One reason for this is that ir , the growth of the great organiza
 tions the higher officials have be come farther removed from the em , ployes, and another is that in thu growth of the brotherhoods the men hay, | been harder to control. Yet far away a, { officials are from the men to-day the in l fuence of the head of the organization ex ! tends down through the whole structur, , and psrmeates it with that spirit whicl = itself may possess If he is corrupt
 se1f-seekfng man the service becomes de ,- moralized. On the otaer hand if he ia t wiss and good man, looking out for tn it best interest of those under him, it vii l. show in the service.
 j. The great secret of organization is @ give authority to your subordinates. D. 8 not interfere with what they have to dc o But discipline them severely for what the, D do not do. The most economical seryic e l would in the end be brought about by pay a ing men good wages and promoting ther v by merit. For 8 mans value is brett n ! nearly parallel W wth it's wages. However e there is another phase in this wages ques s tion. The money that is invested in rail
 roads pays very low psr cent. if it pay tt | any. None of you would think of invest It ing your earnings in such kind of secur B. ity. Thus it comes about that man hs a to make himself worth in dollars and cent l, | to the company by the economics he bring n about and by the value of his labor. , ,e There is one great evil in railroad lii
 which has grown up in the last few year
 and that is the mad and foolish ends 1 b. which the adherence to trades unionisl ,n has carried great many railroad mel ,e | We can hardly calculate the evil and sui " ering that has been caused by strikes. W y only have to look to Homestead an h. Oataaauq7a to zee that this is true. Br D. 1t seems to be the ultimate result of tn strike that it is failure The best yc sn can say Is that if 1t fails in one place may win in another. From what hs, to said you will probably think I do not b
 lieve in trades unions. But think th
 they are here to etay. And as the intel
 genoe of the people increases u h. power of the unions will incress G. What then are we to do2
 the trades union undermines dieciplin
 lowers the sense of duty and pride of ser w ice, and If, on the other hand, it cannot l' controlled by legislation, what then. al
 we to do. You may think that the outloe ed Is dark. But do not think so; think J. i bright. For think as the people gro
 to know more they will learn that socie can exist only as a compromise; that 2 ~ a must sacrifice our obligations to eat on other. Then people will learn that mer A will win wages and that one cannot bull
 and bulldoze wages out of his employe IT, There will probably still for some tin ad continue to bs considerable trouble, ar e. the courts will step in and by hard knocl e. teach them the lesson of prudence and fo
 bearance. I look forward to the time whe
 the railroad employer and the railroad CT ae ploye will find his greatest pleasure in o1 3I ing his duty as man.
 M MT. E, B. Kenyon, president of Ne at Haven Brotherhood of Conductors, Mo-
 then thanked Colonel Prout in behalf
 the brotherhood for his interesting lectu
 and also said that this lecture closed
 course which had been highly beneficial \. them all as railroad men, and expressed n- good wish for their course next winter.