The Topeka state journal., 1910-11-29
Relation of Railway Employees
to Their Community.
An Attempt to Organize and
Exert Influence.
WORK FOR THEIR ROAD
Interests of Men and Company
Said to Be Mutual.
Other Items Of General Interest
in Traffic World.

Railway employees in undertaking
to promote the cause Of the companies
which they serve have a much wider
field for operation spread out betore
them than that of the exertton OIL thelr
political influence in behalf OF the
companfes. and one which promises
even more fruitful results, says the
Railway Record. At many division
headquarters throughout the country
those engaged in the railway enter
prise in one capacity or anotner c41Io
stitute a majority of the populauon
and may be considered the governing
element therein.
To a. very large extent they are the
creators of public sentiment ana give
tone thereto throughout the entire
community. In such communities that
part of the population not directly en-
gagged in the railway industry is large
" occupied in catering to the wants
and supplying the needs or those dc-
tually engaged in that Industry.
This latter element as a class is usu-
aIly keenly alive to It's dependence
upon the railway portion OF the coIl5
munity for its own weH oeing; anu
prosperity and, as a rule. II is most sus-
centible to influence from thaI sec
tion of the community upon which IL
feels itself dependent. Upon TINS part
of the community railways employees
NAV be most successful IN eXerups
such an influence as will bring apout
an entire cnduBS III POOAAC
towards the railways and all thaI con-
Germs their interests.
Use All Their Influence.
Railway employees wherever they
can exert an influence or any kiho
should be most inststent IN lInpr esSIhs
facts upon every one with WhoHl IneS
come in contact. Their own well pc
mo and prosperity is absolutely de-
Dendent upon the success Wh1ch at
tends their efforts in this direction. IN
+he communities referred to the pre-
sumption has too long OBTAINED thaS
the interests Of railway employees anu
railway companies are d1ametrlcdIly
Ouposfte to each other In 1acI' the
i1npression has been allowed to pre-
vail that the interests OF the Two are
directly opposed to one another, anu
that what will accrue to the adVan-
tage of the one must to similar ex-
tent be detrimental to the other.
However such an impression nad It's
origin and however long it has been III
the ascendancy, it is quite time thaI
it be utterly, uprooted ana no IonsS-
be permitted to have any place IN pun
lie opinion. In the uprootng OF II,
railway employees themselves should
take the most active part. Ihelr IN IN
terests are so Intimately and VltaIB
interviewer with those of the com
nanies which they serve as to be part
and parcel of the same fabric, one part
of which cannot be Njuriously anecteu
in any way without the whole partlcl-
pating to the fullest extent in the IN
jury suffered. -
railway employees to mould pubnc
opinion in the communities OF Wnlch
they are the most important part III
the manner here suggested. For eX-
ample in any one of these communl-
ties there may be merchants who sup
ply the families of these railway EN-
plOyees with the necessar1es OF l1e.
The success and prosperity or each ana
every one of these merchants are de-
pendent upon the good will of the rail-
way employees and their famll1eS
which are thus served.
Applies to All People.
It must not be supposed for mo-
rnent that what is here said apples
onIv to railway employees located at
divisicn headquarters, and who may
constitute a majority of the population
in the community of which they form
q part. 1t applies with equal force 10
every railway employee. Irrespective OF
the class or community to which ne
may belong, and to every railway Of
fetal within the bounds of the United
States. What is to the interest or one
in this respect is equally to the inter-
est of all, and what must be regarded
as the duty which one has imposed
upoa him must rest with equal force
upon everyone employed in the railway
Industry irrespective OF the capacity
OF locality in which such employment
has been obtained.
Heretofore there has not been real
lied to the extent that ought to have
been the case the community of inter-
ests which obtains between all classes
of railway employees. AS President
Finley of the Southern railway recent
" observed in a communication to a
conference of railway employees which
recently occurred in Birmin CHAM, Ala,
the higher officials of a railway from
the president down, are as much en-
ployees Of the company as is the low
Hest switch tender or section man who
obtains a livelihood in its service, and
not one of such employees can divest
himself of the responsibility and duty
which he owes to the company en-
ploying him.