Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-02-12

now, in some cases, thanks to the efforts
of labor unions. But when he gets old,
when his sight fails, when rheumatism
follows too much exposure to rain and
sleet, his track walking days are over,
and on the very day that he stops walk
ing his tracks he stops earning dollar.
The man who does his duty as sentinel
or in battle or on the deck of a ship can
at least reflect that pension will go to
his wife and his children if he loses his
life and that a pension will come to him
when he is old.
But the track walker on his rounds. the
railroad engineer sitting in his cab, the
switchman in the signal tower needing
his complicated orders-aIl of these have
no pleasant thoughts of a secure old age
as they work in isolation throughout the
night. There is none of the cheering or
glory that makes the military life at
tractive There is only a small salary,
sufficient for the day, and no certainty
that it will last.
Every day when you travel you put
your life in the keeping of the engineer,
the track walker, the man in the switch
tower Are not these men savers of life
in a true sense? Should not pensions
make their old age secure against want?
Merely from the point of view of sordid
policy would it not pay, by establishing
a pension system, to give these men peace
of mind as regards the future?
Here is the short story of an engineer:
He was the greatest engineer on one of
the greatest railroads. If anybody should
be interested in him, his name and ad-
dress will be furnished. This man had run
the fastest trains on the line. He was
sober, intelligent, absolutely reliable. He
had never had an accident
A change was made in the management
of the railroad, and the old employees
were submitted to certain tests as regards
anln a,,c
deficient in his recognition of colors. He
knew his road and his work SO well that
he had been able to carry his people in
safety but the fact was established that
he was not perfect in eyesight. Although
he was in his prime he had to go.@
Of course it was right that this engineer
should no longer run fast train, but was
it right to discharge him on twenty-four
hours notice after he had worked faith
fully for the company for twenty years?
He was thrown aside as the carpenter
throws aside defective nail or the wheel
wright defective spoke.
paid off and discharged" That was
the short story of the man who for twen-
ty years had worked faithfully and. with
millions of lives confided to his care dur
ing that time, had never had an accident.
No other road would employ him. of
course; no other road could employ him.
With his wages he had raised and edu-
Gated a IdIlliy ana nelpeQ lnOSe less Wen
off than himself. He drew his pay
washed the oil off his hands and started
out to find work as laborer Fortunate
ly some man took pity on him, and now,
in Newark, N. J., he is managing little
stationary engine of three four horse
power at wages of which you can imagine
the Smallness.
Is it right that man who has done his
duty as a good citizen, a high class en-
qinaPr a sober rpliahl man should ha
compelled to rely on pity in his old age?
If man contributes to the country all
the honest work that is in him, should not
some arrangement be made to let him at
least die. in leisurely manner, free from
want?
The old track walker in the picture
swings his lantern and saves the train
and it's passengers from rushing to de-
struction via a washed out track. IL
that man falls the next day and breaks
his leg, he will be laid off without dol
lar, and his only hope will be in some
body's pity.
Going through the country occasionally
in winter you have seen poor old half
starved horse turned out on the roadside
to die. AS you see him dejectedly eating
the withered grass, with his thin ribs
sticking out, his eye hollow and bright
with the fever of hunger, how do you feel
toward the man that turned him adrift
dAlSI uSiuS up oil IHS VI HIS
youth?
How ought we to feel toward the cor
porations that turn adrift hundreds of
men every year? Their case is worse
than that of the starving horse on the
roadside Their misery lasts longer, and
their minds realizing injustice infiict ex-
ira suffering upon them.
1t may be said to the honor of certain
corporations that they have begun to in
stitute systems of pensions.
But these things should not be left to
whim or to feeling of pity.
The nations great highways, the rail-
roads, should be owned and managed by
the government. With government own
ership the faithful man would be fairly
pensioned when too old to work, and mo-
as matter of pity, but as matter of
right
Incapable.
The Republicans have forty-fve ma
jority in the present house of repre-
sentatives and they have the Reed
rules, which have been exploited as a
code which enables the house to do
business" Nevertheless and notwitll-
standing for two hours on Friday, Jam.
80, they could not muster a quorum,
and business was at standstill. Why
don't they keep their members here to
attend to their duties?