The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-06-26
. OPINIONS.

Powell are speaking themselves
hoarse oyera the evil effects which
prohibition has brought to the coun-
try, the one while the New York City
Bar Association was in session and
Justice Clark. an invited guest, and
the other while the Georgia Bar AS
ISOLATION was in session in SAVAN-
NAH, a bar association not being
thought much Of by these interpreters
of the law unless there is also a bar,
it is interesting to have light on the
subject Of, prohibition, and what it
is doing, from practical men, who do
not attend bar associations.
The Manufacturers Record which
usually goes to the bottom of things
when it starts, and which usually
gets information from people whose
information is reliable and which
has a practical value to US, has late
ly. taken up. the matter of the effects
of prohibition with the railroad pres
i.ents Of many railroad systems of
the United States, and in its current
issue, gives US the statements and
opinions Of these officials.
Everybody knows that for years
the railroads were the first prohibit
,tionists in the country having had
rules for years that men should not
operate trains while under the inffu
ence: of Intoxicating liquors, rules
that Intoxicating liquors should not
be drunk while on duty, while some
of the. railroads have required that
train employees should not drink Ii
quor whether. on or off duty. The eff
feet of these. rules in preventing ac-
cidents, coupled with the aid of pro-
hibition in enforcing the rules, and
thus lowering the per cent. of acct
dents on the railroads, is given in the
statements. of the railroad officials,
which we copy:
Carl R.. Gray, president of the
Union Pacific System, Omaha, Neb,
writes:
!"1This rule is rigidly enforced and
there is. no question but that it has
been of the. very greatest value in the
elimination. of the majority Of acct
dents. It's. enforcement has been
greatly aided BY the adoption of pro-
hibition in localities and s~tates,. and
later by the Federal Government"
G; E. R, barlow, president of the Buff
falo & Susquehanna Railroad Corpor-
alton, Buffalo, N. Y, is equally as
firm in his conviction of the value of
Prohibition, when he states:
prior to the adoption of the
Eighteenth Amendment, we had re-
peated occasion to discipline employ
es for the use of intoxicating liquors,
sometimes because of such use while
on duty, and sometimes because of
the frequenting of saloons while off
duty. Since the Amendment became
effective, we have had only three en-
ployees disciplined for the violation
of the rule quoted. We have not TAX
en- any formal expression of the views
of employees, but our operating Of
fcials are firmly of the opinion that
practically all Of the employees r
in favor of the strict enforcement of
the rule as essential to the safety of
employees, of the public, and of rail-
road property"
W. R.. Cole, president of The Nash
vile, Chattanooga & St. Louis Rail-
way, Nashville, Tenn:
81 am of the opinion that the strict
enforcement of the rule forbidding
the use of intoxicants by employees
has very materially lessened the num-
Der of accidents in train operation"
w. R. Scott, president Southern
Pacific Lines, Houston, Tex:
"The railroads were also the first
in making a drive for temperance
among their employees and insisting
that was a requisite that must be
observed on the part of all concern
ed"
w. H. Beardsley, president Florida
East Coast Railway Co., (Flagler
System), New York City, writes:
uY xl:-l 4lasa - ~ l1,It Sbof