Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1914-09-04
RAILROAD ORGANIZATION.

ROAD ORGANIZATION mace 10 the American AoSOCi"
ton of Railroad Superintendent at their annual
meeting in New York City the other day, Captain
R. V. Taylor, vice-president and general manager
of the Mobile & Ohio railroad, gave ~utterance to
a number of sententious truths whose sound sense
should appeal to the sentiment of the heart and
to the judgment of the mind Of men of conscience
and character in all the walks of life.
Defining organization as "a union of individuals
for the accomplishment of a definite purpose" ne
expressed the idea that railroad organization -
as he used the term, means the bringing together
in systematic order men and material necessary
for the construction, maintenance and operation
of steam railroads, the ultimate object of which is
the transportation of man and goods from place
to place with the greatest safety. the greatest
dispatch, and the greatest economy"
Again, he affirmed, 'the power and prestige OF
any railroad organization must be created by the
effort of the men who make up its rank and file.
while on the other hand. each member of both
rank and file should receive power and prestige
from the name and character of the organization
which he has helped to create.
That is an aphorism which happily expresses the
very essence of esprit de corps without which no
organization can even approximate perfection.
Whenever the employees, each and all, of what
ever rank or grade. can be made to understand the
definite purpose of the organization of which they
are component parts and can be impressed with
the fact that its success is dependent upon the man
ner in which they meet and discharge the duties
and responsibilities devolving upon them in thei
particular spheres. and the individual can be per
suaded that he will receive power and prestig
from the name and character he has helped t
create for the corporation for which he works, the'
self-interest and self-respecting pride, as we'll a
pride in the organization of which he is a member
will appeal to him and tend to develop the best
that is in him to serve his road faithfully and there.
by promote his own and his associates best inter
est.
The speaker further said: I'm the creation Of
a railroad organization, the fact should never be
lost sight of that while the orderly conduct of bus.
mess through recognized channels and through
classified divisions of forces is necessary, the man.
aging man should never permit any delegation of
authority on his part to destroy a direct and posi-
tive relationship between himself and each one of
the individual units under his control"
Thus paving the wsy for a conclusion, he aptly
added: After an organization has been drawn
together, discipline becomes the most important
factor in converting it into a living force, for an
organization, no matter how skillfully created, not
governed by wise rules. or even by wise rules en-.
forced, must soon lose its effectiveness. In admin-
istering discit line, courage and consideration. firm
ness and fairness, should go hand in hand. and the
fact should never be lost sight of, that as long as
we deal with human agencies, we must consider
human imperfections. Weakness in the applica-
ton Of discipline brings the management into con.
tempt while extreme harshness creates a feeling
of resentment scarcely less destructive to the best
organization"
Upon that, as factor in winning success, Cap.
tain Taylor. laid great stress. What he said was
so we'll said. so logical and conclusive in establish
ing the soundness of his reasoning. and so applica
BILE to prosperous business management in ever,
field of human endeavor where large interests arr
involved and the employment Of many men is re
quired. that it is a source of regret to the BEACol
that its space is too limited to admit of a quotation
in full along that line.
He made it clear that without discipline, an,
that of the right character, there would be want
ing the sympathy, enthusiasm, devotion and jealou
regard for the honor of the body as a whole which
unquestionably, compose the sine qua non to tn
best achievement in great enterprises.
1t is these things, dependent upon discipline
which we will group and call the animating fore
of the collected body. 1T (this animating force
is to the organization" as Captain Taylor, in a
eloquent, we'll rounded period, declared, what tn
spirit is to the body; it is all persuading and eve
present. 1t acts alike upon the highest and low
est; it makes the president of an organizatio
speaks with swelling pride of his officers and h
men; it makes the call boy at the round house co,
pIe himself and the president together under tt
common word "us;" it makes the road ma
uroud that he furnishes the safest possible trae
for the least possible money; it makes the static
man tha ward man. and the train man. anxiol