Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1916-04-26

To diScharg" the locomotive driver
was not enough. 1t sought to pros
ecu,e him in the courts. The issue
became poIitira'; powerful factions
were aroused; bitter personal bat
tie was wa~ed auh eventually the
engineer was acquitted. But be-
fore the smoke had cleared away 1t
had surrounded no less Il parsonage
than the governor of one OF the
greatest States in the Union In
fact, it was one o. the prime fac
tors that led to his renewal from
office under charges few months
ater.
Baked in its desire to punish the
crime that had been committed,
this railroad wisely sought to pre-
vent a recurrence of SO dread
thing. 1t turned toward Rule G"
and began enforcing that regula-
tion as it had never before been en-
forced. Now. Rule G, "a every
good railroader already understands,
is a clause in the book of operatir
rules, common to all of the larger
railroads, which seeks to treat the
entire question of the use of liquor
by men in the service. 1t forblds
the railroad employee either to use
liquor or frequent the places where
liquor is sold. When first written,
not so many years ago, 1t was
thought that the railroads would
have hard time enforcing the rule.
1t was predicted that Rule G would
soon become dead letter. Yet the
reverse has already come to pass.
The standard book of operating
rules has ceased to be known as
Joe Miller's Joke Book" by the
railroaders. and Rule = goes.
TEXAS BANS CARD PLAYING.
A great many States have passed
| laws against men drinking on the
trains except in the dining cars or
the buffets. A good many of these
States do not make this exception.
The Texas statute is particularly
stringent. 1t also prohibits the
cards on trains. 1t was only three
years ago that I was travelling from
Denison to Dallas when the con-
ductor came in and stopped game
of solitaire with which mid
dle-aged lady was shortening her
journey.
very sorry, ma'am," said the
conductor quietly, but I'm only
doing it in your interest. Last
week the constable came aboard at
c. and arrested two drummers
who were playing seven-up in the
smoker. y
But the news agent just sold
me the cards." protested the pas
senger.
The conductor smiled softly, but
he did not change his ruling.
Very sorry" he repeated, but
you must remember that it is his
job to sell his wares, not to inter-
pref the laws"
1t is partly because of this in
crease of State legislation against
drinking on railroad cars and partly
because the drunken passenger is go
much of nuisance to his fellows
that so many of the railroads have
! entirely abolished the sale of liquor
upon their trains. The Pennsylva-
MIA, you will recall, is one of these.
A while ago it took a further step
and said tbatit was about to abol-
ish liquor selling in its terminals as
well as in its dining and buffet cars.
1t has not yet put this determine
tion into effect, vet it has made
large efforts and no small sacrifices
to be consistent with rule &.
Fer the Pennsylvania finds that
it must maintain its own hotel at
Altoona, where its shops are loca-
ted. Its officers are forever going
to the town, and they must be COM
forlably housed and fed. The COM
pany's hotel---the historic Logan
House adjoining the station---does
both. If the Logan House had
bar, it could be operated at profit.
But then the railroad could not be
fair to itself It's 10000 employees
at Altoona could thrust Rule q in
its face. The Pennsylvania prefers
TO be consistent. So it runs no bar
in the Logan House and loses
$50, 900 year. Yet it would not
permit itself to be called merely
idealistlc. 1t is merely following
an instinct Of good railroading. 1t
is trying to be consistent.
Consistent" shifts the traffic
manager of big railroad when he
reads this. Il can say word fol
consistency"