The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-09-11
FARMERBRONNAISCHOOL
RAILROAD MEN PR0sPERING.
Facts and Figures From the Records In
the Office of the Commission.

Facts and Figures From the Records In
the Office of the Commission.
When Farmer Brown and his SON
left the Office of the commissioner OF
labor statistics, John said to his father,
'There is, perhaps, no class OF labor
ing men in whom the people of the
state should be more interested than
in the employees on our lines of rail-
road. These men not only engage In
the most arduous work, but they are
required very often to risk life and
| limb in their line of duty. therefore, in
| addition to being perfect men phys
| ically, they must be brave even to
rashness, and especially must they be
trustworthy In perhaps no other call
ing is it so necessary that man should
term. Let me give you an example,
father. Suppose on line of road the
track has been put in bad condition by
rains; the trackmen are sent out to in
spect the track and until they have
completed this inspection and reported
it in good shape trains are compelled to
run over it slowly. One of these track
men, man who perhaps gets $1.10 per
day, goes out to inspect a section Of
the track in the night, among the hills
where the curves are dangerous and
sharp and where damage from the
rains is to be expected. He goes care
fully along inspecting the track from
side to side until when on long curve
among the hills he hears the rumble Of
the train behind him. The track is all
right, but the engineer does not know
it. He is coming along carefully, but
as the track man hears him he hastily
climbs the embankment so that the
light of his lantern may be seen by
the engineer in his cab. Then he gives
4 the signal to go ahead, high BALI the
railroad men call it, The engineer
} sees it, he puts implicit faith in what
this mans lantern tells him, although
: he cannot see the man himself, and ten
chances to one would not know him if
he should meet him in broad daylight.
But he knows that that man is an enl-
ploye of the company. He knows that
he is an honest man and he further
knows that when that brave but per-
haps illiterate track-walker, that man
getting $1.1O per day, waves him the
signal to go ahead he can do so and
with added steam pressure that train
rushes ahead while beyond the small
space of track revealed by the glare OF
the headlight the engineer has nothing
, to go by except the honesty and integ-
rity of that man who stands upon the
embankment waving his lantern. So
you see, father, the railroad man must
be man of courage and of thorough
honesty. These men appreciate good
government. They are accustomed to
5 obeying implicitly orders given them
relative to the movement of trains and
they are very Gniee4s; to realize the ne
cessity of these orders being in every
way absolutely correct. 1t is this feel
!, ing of confidence in the integrity Of
. the methods of each coordinate branch
of the railroad service which makes
. the boys feel strongly the necessity of
). right methods as applied to govern
, mental affairs. You will remember
that the railroad men of the country
were four years ago practical unit i'll
. behalf of sound money. The man who
says that they voted in this way be-
! cause their superiors told them to GER
tainly belittles the American railroad
q men. They voted for sound money be-
4 cause they believed in sound princi-
!, pies. They believed in the application
i to governmental affairs of the same ac-
curate methods that are required in
the management of the details of their
!. business. But, father" continued
). John. II have given you quite dis
: course on the subject of the railroad
o men. believe everything that l have
said is true and l said it because 1
i, wish now to take you to the office Of
q the railroad commissioners of Iowa SO
9 that you might learn by the records
therein kept how the boys are prosper
s ing this year in comparison with their
It condition in 1896 and other years pre-
e vious."
Y AT the Office of the railroad commits
2. sioners Mr.. Brown met the secretary
l. OF the commission, and after John had
IS introduced him with the explanation
q that he was seeking information con-
n cerning the condition of the railroads
and the railroad men of the state the
n secretary took from his desk some of
u the advance sheets of the report of the
IL commission to be issued the latter part
y Of this year and said: you will find
/" here summary of the reports which
we have received from the different
= railroads of our state. These reports
= give fund of information which will
,f probably answer any questions you
70 might desire to ask upon that subject y
n. The secretary then turned to the tables
r given in this report and continued
'The mileage of the railroads Of Iowa
at the close of last year was S51411
miles. While it is true that the mile
NJ age Of the. Iowa roads has not been in
a. \ - S- .