The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-08-20

is apparent hoWevor, no oNtsneaNS
arg ir'. Mt Is needed 10 81 nv the neess-
sity for active wits IN ms7 who, mere
L. by misplacing switch. ignoring
n 81 raj, or misleading o telegram,
csi Kill hundreds OF people. Yet, as
aircnuy said, American railroad man
arement twenty give years ago, prac-
tisal,. ignored the dangers OIL drink
LINK Here, again, the in1a' lal pnint
lsrSeiv explains their awGtc l,iy, RS
DAMAGE suits are heco ming more ard
more expensive. The roa'tJ gradual
" installed afr brakes, block signals.
and ler safely appl'a Ece3 finally.
reaching the hdman e,7 he1'. thew
al)2isd rules against ale ,ibl nut
ever Nilhsm II. BALDWIN. one Of the
pioneers IN this reform, oeiisved that
they could enforce on,y .hs miliest
lutes ~ the men are ordarel not
CiH,%," he said, they Will Just in
lulgo r. a little extra pr Dttn"y ut our
txrcnsn The most thet could 20
aoped TO-. he believed, was "a pre-
hthit drinking in working hours. At
first the railroads merely placed this
limitation on their men, AS this regu-
lation only scotched the evil, the rail-
roads. perforce, began interfering
with the personal liberty" OF their
employees Not only must an employe
not drink in working hours: he must
not drink at all In some cases the
applicants had to sign the total-ab-
stinence pledge before entering the
company's employ. Rules penalizing
a visit to a saloon with dismissal soon
became a general rule. But railroads
which went to this extreme soon found
mselves facing a curious dilemma
They prohibited their men from visit
ing saloons. yet they were conducting
saloons themselves-that Is. they were
serving liquors In their dining and
club cars. Several OF our greatest
railroads.&c. Pennsylvania. for ex-
ample-met the issue in the only
honest way This In why the thirsty
traveller. asking for his customary
cocktail IN the dining cars. is polite
ly Informed nv the colored gentleman
that mo drinks are sold on the train"
american railroads." says the Rail
way Gazette, have become one OF the
greatest and most effective temper
Ance orga nizations in existence" There
are probably 2.000. 900 railroad en-
ployes today living under the strictest
prohibitory regulations Recently an
other large company discharged one
hundred and twenty-six men who had
committed this offense. But the rail-
roads are fighting tho evil in other
WAYS. They fit up club rooms for
tltTtt ii1'Ht inv Ntii'ltt III tIcNEi'' hf'lFIAt
Of tho Railroad Y. NJ. G. a. Is really
part OF tho campaign for sonriety We
may reasonably doubt whether State
prohibition prohibits In Kansas and
Maine. there Is not the slightest doubt
that Industrial prohibition does pro-
htbit on our railroads, Intenperance
among railroad employees is now prac-
Ically unknown.
The most ardent temperance on
shUsiast does not show greater hos
tiii'y to the use Of alcohol than Ameri-
cas- captains OF industry at the pres
ont moment Take, for single Illus
traton, our greatest industry, the
steel trade. | have before me mass
Of letters from nearly one hundred
and nifty manufacturers of iron and
: stcol They include the greatest con-
Germs In the country; many OF tho
constituent members OF tho United
States Steel Corporation are repre-
scented. In these letters the respon-
sthle officials give their policy on the
drinking question, and express Their
opinions as to It's practical success.
j Through them all there runs the
same tone; the opinion is unanimous
that drinking, even In moderate
amounts, decreases efficiency, increases
i accidents, and is altogether democrat
/ tZing TO the workmen and to the
plant, All these orporations-great
concerns like the Illinois Steol COM
pany. the Carnegie Steel Company, the
American Steel and Wire Company
the American Tin Plate Company, the
American Manganese Steel Company
the American Car and Foundry Com
/ pany, the American Bridge Company,
to mention only n few, are now con-
/ Quoting a great campaign against
Edyinking. Already they have cleaned
Vp conditions that existed only half
dozen years ago. All have clint
mated from the steel tnduttry that
youthful Ganymedo who was once its
conspicuous ornament--old Ben
Franklin's "ale-house boy" who regu-
larly rushed the can" in working
hours, for the refreshment regarded
| az essential to Industrial efficiency
and Contcntment
These steel mills will now "hre" In
SANITY any man who drinks In work
ing hours Many are wedding suit en-
ployes who stop on their way to the