The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-04-21
SOBER EMPLOYEES WANTED.
Great Change IN TemDerance Sem
timent Has Taken PiHce in Rail-
road and Newspaper Offices.


great temperance reform has been GO
ing forward in the United States, while
the so-called temperance reformers
were themselves scarcely aware of its
existence. There are to-day among the
hundreds of thousands of railway en-
ployes in the United States exceedingly
few who drink to excess, and these hold
their positions for d short time only.
Managers refuse to employ any but
sober and reliable men, and the EN-
ployes themselves insist that such alone
shall be employed. Time was when
there were few railway employees that
did not drink to excess. None can long
hold their positions now who do so.
The same rule is being applied to other
kind of business, where large num-.
bcrs of men are employed, and it is now
generally insisted by employers and
employees that sobriety shall be the
rule. The manager of one of the great
est street railway systems in the United
States says:
Il want steady and sober men in my
man when off duty takes drink on the
quiet he is not even reprimanded. I'm
moderate drinking is bad habit and
will not be tolerated by me. My fore
men and others who have charge of the
men are repeatedly cautioned to be care
full when they report for duty. If a
man shows the Least sign OF having
taken drink or two, and does not APP
pear steady in every way, he is right
then and there asked to step out. We
must do that in self-protection, for, let
it become known that we tolerate
drinking. and decentralization would en-
sue among the whole lot, while every
accident that happened would be cred
tied by the public to the drunken an
tics of our men. We would then be com
PEELED to pay every claim made against
us. The courts would allow them, as
judges would decide that we were re-
sponsible for the acts of our servants
This explains why We must watch our
men and keep them out of the saloons:
that we must not only threaten, but
also intiict punishment when deserved.
Some of the labor leaders accuse us of
infringing on personal liberty. They
might as we'll say it is needless to pre-
vent workers in a powder mill from
smoking.
1t is the right of every man who has
in his keeping the lives and the safety
of others, to demand that his employees
shall always be in such condition that
they are reliable, and they are not so
when they are under the influence of
strong drink. Employees themselvesfeel
the same way about this matter, for
their own lives may be imperiled by a
drunken fellow workman. A steamboat
CT railway, steam or electric, run by a
lot of booty employees, is likely to be
wrecked without the interposition of a
professional railroad wrecker. The
owners of railroads and steamboats,
have been compelled to draw the line
in the drinking proclivities of their en-
pioyes, and the rule is TO refuse en-
ployment to all men who have formed
the drinking habit. This is so obvi-
ously recognizing the law of self pres
ervation that the principle needs no
defense, least of all FROM those who as
sail it as interference with personal
liberty" No man has any real right
to make himself curse to his fellow
men, besides inficting injury upon him
self, The right to get drunk or to make
sot of oneself may well be questioned.
Referring to the subject an exchange
says: In no business has the change in
respect to liquor drinking been more
manifest than in the newspaper bust
ness. The time was when newspaper
man was ccrs>dered by the public as
inseparat!e .rom his cups. He was ex-
pected &c drink and get drunk. There
used TO be newspapers in this country
and not obscure ones either, which had
not a single man on the force TO whom
the road to the saloon was not more
familiar than the road TO his home.
From the head of the establishment
down they drank, and there wasn't an
article in the papep, local or editorial or
general news, which wasn't favored
more or less with the booze of those
wh1 prepared the matter. River and
marine editors in those days wore
places on the bar where they rested
their elbows when they stood up to
drink.
But great change has taken place
Capacity to imbibe is no longer quail.
iiication for newspaper work. 1t is now
recognized that facts obtained in con.
junction with a glass of whisky cannot
be relied upon; that modern newspaper
work can be done best with the brain
free from alcoholization and the mani
fold illusions incident to that condi-
tion.-Toledo (O) Commercial.
JOTTINGS OF TEMPERANCE.