Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-01-22
DUTY OF EMPLOYE
RAILROAD BRoTHERHooDs ARE
STIRRED UP.
Article by Unknown Author in Friendly
Magazine Has Caused Much Com
ment Among Operatives of
Various Lines.

The abuse of the power of the rail
road brotherhoods in their relation to
safety, or rather, their interference
with the disciplinary measures of rail
road arrangements, has very direct
bearing on the question Of the safe
and expeditions handling of traffic.
This statement is made in an arti
Gle on Safety" in the Santa Fe EN-
ployes' Magazine, which is causing no
end Of comment among operating men
over the entire line. The article was
written by a prominent members of
one OF the railroad brotherhoods. The
name of the author will not be dis
closed until the last article appears.
The articles are such a strong indict
ment of the present attitude of the
brotherhoods upon the subject of
safety that curiosity is keenly aroused
throughout the railroad world as to
identify the author.
The writer, who believes that the
time is fast approaching when the
American public will call the operat-
ing employees to account for the lax
way in which they are discharging
their duties to the travelling public,
says:
II may be mistaken, but it does
seem to me that the American people
are going to look more and more every
year to the individual employee, in
stead Of to the railroad companies, in
placing the blame for disastrous
wrecks. There are many men who are
conversant with the numerical strength
of the railroad brotherhoods who are
saying to themselves and to others:
You brotherhood men, with your vast
aggregations of organized members,
covering territory stretched from the
Bay of Fundy to the Golden Gate, and
from Alaska to the Panama, what are
you doing? What have you done in
the past to prevent accidents or to
assure us that the safety Of loved
ones we intrust to you has had and
will have the vigilant care and atten-
ton that the unity Of the brotherhoods
can give, if it will?'
One reason TO rthe apparent lack of
interest of the men and of the brother
hoods IN the problem of safe operation,
he says, is the fact that there has
been a sort of impression that this
was matter for the railroad manage
experience he does not remember of
the subject of safety ever having been
brought up in the meetings of the
brotherhood.
He now recommends that portion
Of the time of each brotherhood meet
means and of the necessity of safe OPP
Grafton what we need at this time"
he exclaims, lis not great soul-Stir-
ring revival of the interest in the sub
ject, but rather moral awakening to
the fullest sense of how deeply we are
all concerned in the safe handling of
trains, which help to compose the
greatest of all public utilities, the
railroads"
How seriously the writer views the
responsibility of the men is gathered
from the following statement: Let
us look the question squarely in the
face and dispense with that fair but
immune from the danger Of accidents
Let us look at it in all seriousness,
realizing that our turn may soon come
to appear before the great General
Manager of the Universe to render an
account of our stewardship in the
handling of the people intrusted to our
care"