Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1900-09-16


 1t was the beginning of a fellowship be l tween him and the working world, It 1 was the first plank laid down to help bridge the chasm between the church aud labor in Raymond
 Alexander Powers went back to his desk that afternoon much pleased with his plan and seeing much help in it for the men. He knew where he could get some good tables from an abandoned eating house at one of the stations down the road, and he saw how the coffee ar engagement could be made very at tractive feature. The men had respond ed even better than he anticipated, and the whole thing eonld not help being a great benefit to them
 He took up the routine of his work with a glow of satisfaction. After all, he wanted to do as Jesus would, he said to himself.
 It was nearly 4 o'clock when he opened one of the company $ long envei- opes which he supposed contained or defs for the purchasing of stores. He ran over the first page of typewritten matter in his usual qnick. businesslike manner before he saw that he was read l ing what was not intended for his office but for the superintendent of the freight department.
 He turned over a page mechanically, not meaning to read what was not ad- dressed to him. but before he knew it he was in possession of evidence which conelusiYely proved that the company was engaged in a systematic violation of the interstate commerce laws of the l United States. It was as distinct and unequivocal breaking of law as if pri- vate citizen should enter a house and rob the inmates. The discrimination shown in rebates was in total contempt the state it was also a distinct violation of certain provisions recently passed by the legislature to prevent railroad trusts There was no question that he l held i'll his hand evidence sufficient to convict the company of willful, intelli- gent violation of the law of the com mission and the law of the state also l He dropped the papers on his desk as if they were poison, and instantly the question flashed across his mind, "What would Jesus do = He tried to shut the question out. Fe tried to reason with himself by saying it was none of his business I5e had supposed in q more or less indefinite way. as did nearly all of the officers of the company that this had been going onright along in nearly all ti4e roads. He was not in position, owing to hisplace in the shops, to prove anything direct and he had regarded it all as a matter which did not concern him at all. The papers now before him revealed the entire affair They had through some eareIessness in the address come into his hands What business of his was 1t? If he saw man entering his neighborss house to steal, would 1t not be his duty toinfor1n fl5e officers of the hw2 Was D railroad company such i 3 different thing Was it under dif- ferent rule of conduct. so that Ii could rob the public and defy law and be m i disturbed because it was such q great organization? What would Jesus doY
 Then there was his family Of course if he took any steps to inform the com mission 1t would mean the loss of his position. His wife and daughters had always enjoyed luxury and q good place in society. If he came out against this lawlessness as a witness, it would drag him into courts, his motives would be misunderstood, and the whole thing would end in his disgrace and the loss of his position. Surely, it was none of his business. He could easily get the papers back to the freight department and no one be the wiser Let the iniquity go on. Let the law be defed. What was it to him2 He would work out his plans for bettering the conditions just about him What more could a man do in this railroad business where there was so much going on anyway that made 1t impossible to live by the Christian standards But what would Jesus do if he knew the facts That was the ques- tion that confronted Alexander Powers as the day wore into evening
 The lights in the office had been turned on. The whir of the great en- zine and the crash of the planer in the big shop continued until clock.
 Then the whistle blew, the engines slowed down, and the men dropped their tools and ran for the blockhouse.
 Alexander Powers heard the familiar click, click of the blocks as the men fled pass the window of the bloelzhouse just outside He said to his clerks I'm not going just yet. have some thing extra tonight. " He waited until he heard the last man deposit his block The men behind the block case went out. The engineer and his assistants had work for half an hour, but they went out at another door.
 At ' O clock that evening any one who had looked into the superintend- ent's office would have seen an unusual