The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1899-09-02
TIPPING WATERS.
The Habit of Giving and Accepting Tips Follows One
-.. II. Through Life.
BY PAUL WILLIAMS.

( By PAUL
TX 7 E had barely time to reach the
.AV/ railroad station, get our Dag
W. gage checked and get into the
car, when the train started It was a re-
narkably close eOnnestion and yet 1t
seemed as if we had arranged in the morn.
ing to have plenty Of time for trunk
packing, breakfast and getting to the train
without especial hurry.
After we had time to compose ourselves
we asked DR.. Perirose why we had so
mrscalculated time in our morning prep
arations f GSszzt ISL 5fs
I'VE made no mistake said he. .'in
time. Our only error was in stopping at
a hotel where the proprietor allows the
tipping Of WATERS III 355
h why was tl1attmlstake, Doctor?''
III. Did you notice those two brllsque. rel
faced men in golf stockings, that came
hurridly into the t1lnifis roasn just as we
were sitting down to- breakfast? ?''
eyes, they see1nel to be. too much
hurried to eat, Deliberately =
/, .sTrue, they were evidently in hurry.
They probably had y good deal Of bust
ness to transact after breakfast before
train time" 81 s$ II 5 e js
Y Yes, Doctor, bit what Of it ?'' q. 4,
"Just this. M. syyilli aMs, we were also
In a hurry, that is we had no time to lose.
We required attention Of the table walters
just as soon as possible. But you noticed
It was quite a time before q: waiter ap-
peared at our table. ;sy5sS
.tYes, noticed Ne were delayed quite
Ia long time at brea kfast had time Ito
read eltires To- ard
All. 81 ss 81, s.
Absorbed in your paper, Mr.. Williams,
you. did not notice why. but the facts
were these. The two men of which we
speak, proceeded to tip two walters as
soon as they arrived at the tables They
got immediate attention, were promptly
waited upon, and had the opportunity 10
finish their, breakfast before we begun.
g Yes. Doctor, apretty sensible idea for
men in hurry 845
THAT may be, Mr.. Williams, but we
were in a hurry ALSO
True. and the Lesson is, Doctor, that we
should have tpped the waters also"
Yes, that is clearly evident. To So
cure quick and better service we must
resort to tipping, but i viii not because I
regard the principle entirely, wrong
What principle is involved in this,
Doctor?',2 sS5:4 .s, f 81 @. @
Just this, Mr.. Williams "A waiter is
a public servant in a hotel. The guests
all equally pay for attention They are
all equally entitled 10 attention from the
walters. Instead of getting it, however.
they find themselves neglected because
the walters have been lbrfbed by other
guests 4
you look upon this tipping Of walters,
Doctor, as a system of bribery?'
certainly. 1t is nothing else. It Is q
species of corruption that leads right on
into official life. F,ollow this tipping bus-
mess to its final conclusions. Suppose the
man in golf stockings Is a dealer in coal,
and the waiter becomes an alderman en-
trusted with the duty of supplying coal
for the city AS a waiter he received tips,
as an alderman why Will he not receive
tips?'' 5sf.
4 1t does look Doctor, in your view of the
case, as if hiring a waiter from the other
guests was straight bribery, but never
thought Of it in that light before
mo. probably not, Mr. Williams, but
Investigation will show that a man who
gets favors by tipping gets into the ha BIT
of believing in tipping. He becomes sell
fish and needless Of the rights Of others.''
Come to think of 1t, Doctor, it is a
mean trick to hire walters away from
other guests at hotel.''
Certainly, Mr.. Williams, the guests
have each paid for service. Instead Of
getting it, however, they discover tha:
some selfish prig has bribed the waiter
to give him and his family special at
hention to the injury of the other
guests
But the tipping business is continually
going on at the great hotels of the
country
'"That is true, Mr.. Williams, and bribery
is equally going on. The Upper never
stops. He tips the waiter for favors, he
tips the baggage through free, he lips
the railroad company to get rebates on
freight, he tips the publisher to suppress
the facts, he tips the milkman to get
more milk, he tips the legislator to get
certain laws. he tips the alderman to buy
city goods of him. he tips the witnesses
in damage cases. Finally with conscience
al scared over he goes on bribing until
he is caught bribing a public official in
so fragrant manner as to cal for public
investiga tion, with the result that the tip-
per and he man tipped both land IN
prison.
Your idea is. Doctor, that tipping leads
on to disasterous results ?"
Certainly, Mr.. Williams. The conse-
quences viii be bad In the first place they
are bad for the waiter In hotels where
there is good deal of tipping the pro-
pretors grade the wages with the under-
standing thatsSthe wages viii be made