New-York tribune., 1906-05-11
RUFFJANLY CAR HANDS.

Many man-not to mention multitudes OF
Women-wiIl feel thrill Of qualification at the
punishment of an elevated railroad guard for
rufianIy conduct toward passenger. That evil
Is far too common. Cases Of actual assault are
rare though by no means unknown, but gross
insolence and verbal abuse are Of continual oc-
currence Even the Move up, there" step
lively!' and the like which are heard at almost
every breath. are in their tone. as we'll as in
substance, an impertinence which should be
regarded as intOlerable 1t would not be an
exaggeration to say that the habitual and char
acteristic attitude of Il considerable proportion
of the car hands toward passengers on all our
lines of travel resembles that of a not over
considerate driver toward cattle. They treat
messengers as if the latter had no rights which
they were bound to respect and as If they were
tolerated on the cars on sufferance for which
privilege they should be humbly grateful.
We are not. of course, making this charge
against all of them. There are many car han0s
who in their attitude toward the public, as In
their service to the companies are all that could
be desired. But every patron Of New York car
lines knows unpleasantly well that there are
also many of the kind we have described, and
they are not greatly at loss TO discern the rea-
son for such state of affairs or the reasons
for there are several. In some cases, especially
in Rrooxlyn unfit men are employed. Some are
foreigners who know nothing about the streets
OF the city, and who can scarcely understand, or
make themselves understood in, the English Ian
guage. Others are evidently recruited from
grade of society so low and brutal as to be little
better than criminal. Rude in speech, unwashed
In person, dirty and ragged in attire and ruff
fanIy in action, it is a positive indecency to
have them thrust upon the public in places in
which they actually exercise authority.
Another fruitful source of evil resides, how
ever. in an entirely different quarter-tO wit
the supreme management of the roads. In
great number of cases the men are practically
required. by the conditions of their employment
to act as they do. If the company will not pro-
vide enough cars to carry it's passengers decently
the conductors and others must do their best
or worst-at packing a hundred into a space
meant for only fifty. Since the car hands are
subject to penalties If they do not make their
runs on time, they are compelled to hurry pas
sengers in entering and leaving cars. so that the
cars may not he unduly delayed The designs OF
many OF the cars, too, which actually seem as II
intended to be awkward and incOmmodious. are
evils from which passengers suffer. but for which
the men are Of course, not to be blamed. In
a considerable proportion Of cases, then, we re-
peat the conductors, guards and motormen are
more sinned against than SHINING But that fact
is nO excuIpatiOn Of those who do sin. On the
contrary II emphasizes the need Of bringing
sbarplv 10 book every Of them who wantOnly
abuses passengers with either act or speech
II must be borne In mind that the employees on
| our transportation lines are in q peculiar sense
Entrusted with the safeguarding OF the welfare
of the community. They do much more than
"hanale. crowds of men at rush hours" At all
hours they are the public guardians of otherwise
UNPROTECTED women and children. The public
has a right TO demand that they shall be men
worthy of such a trust. II does not expect
| Chesterfeldian etiquette. and It certainly does
not want cringing servility. But it does expect
the transportation companies 20 man their cars
with persons who are clean and decent in per
SON and speech, who are self-respecting and who
l respect others as themselves, and 10 whose tenn
| porary care women and children may confidently
| be committed without fear OF insult or assault
And it has right to expect the companies TO