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Have'3a
rv l j Til
Their Train CretfiM
went over barf tor alcohol from Mil road men a
data Is the fact that whan it"fcam to purchasing
censes along the Northwestern lin -a numbnr
saloonkeepers thla year Concluded that their bust)'
would not bo sufficiently profltabl to engage
longer.
?'
A HEAD-ON collision has occurred be
ynf tween the whisky bottle and the rail
roads of the. country.
Railroad men, casting critical glances
over the thousands. miles of tracks, are
unanimous in declaring that the roads are in
very much better condition than they were be
fore the collision happened.
It's more than a mere figure of speech,
this head-on collision. When the Chicago and
Northwestern Railroad 'went dry" on New
Year's Day, what is believed to have been the
greatest swear-off in history took effect, 2$,
ooo employes of that big jystem Incoming
total abstainers.
Then, a few weeks later, a smash-up of
the bottle occurred on the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad. Third Vice President Potter, head
of the operating department, issued an order
prohibiting all employes having anything to
do with the direction or running of trains,
from using intoxicants at any time, when on
or off duty. Thousands of men on that im
mense system were affected.
All over the land railroads are frowning
more and more upon the use of intoxicating
liquors by their employes. A new chapter is
being written in the histbry of the remarkable
prohibition wave that is sweeping the Country.
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Only a few wreka elapied befora an oecurrenca
lowed which waa as "startling as In Northwest
movement. George L. Potter, tblird tJ? president
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, "promulgated 1
rule: .. ' ' :r"'--
Employes nf the Baltimore isd OhW iRallread h'
anythln to do with tho direction or-running-., of trnl
will not be pvrmlttad to ut lntoxlcama-at anr Hr
herraftr Either on or off duty and no ;pron nii
uh bevtraite will be employed. Vnd.0 oirvumstauG
will esceptiwna a made. I , i v.fit j J. Y':,,' ,
And, when universal curiosity, Jmaiide4hU ,r
sons for an order more drastic than' any avar appl
to an organisation, he explained:, i:5"' t;1; !.
"It la believed by the tnanagamen of ;tb toad tl
this is an important step in the effort'to reduce ac
denta to the minimum and to raise the efficiency of 1
servloa and the safety of patrons; In, travel to I
highest standard."
The order applies to dispatchers, trainmasters, e
C26i tAlt -C)3:Jooji Aar Jisi6 o&f-
if l ' i win
I i ill l s L
;'i I
i r
IT 13 MERBXT, that the railroad appear to hava
taken "a recent lead In Inalatlng upon either total
abstinonca or the most temperata kind of living on
tha part of all employee.
In fact, their flght against alcohol goea back many
years; bu now. with a victory, after repeated defeats,
that is ai&wlng in its thoroughnaaa, thoy And tham
aelvea indorsed by other enterprises and other classes
' of men to an extent amasing even to tha most ardent,
opponents of tha drink habit.
It seems aa though a wldt wava of abstinonca from
liquor, Impelled by tha tremendous local agitations that
have a wept counties and states for tha last year, la
flooding the country, gathering up man of various call
ings not only singJy, but In groups of thousands. And
the callings are as diverse aa hava been tha tastea of
humanity for Its forma of alooholio stimulation.
So tha railroads are far from being alona in tha
triumph of their collision with tha bottle Yat so com
plete and imposing has been that victory that Its mag
nitude makes it ovarsnaaow an ma oiners. nri ,
X. Jones, chairman of tha National rronioiuon yow
ralttee, has put tha situation most tersely:
"There are a million railroad man In tha United
States under what amounts to a practical ruls of total
abstinence. ;
"Our statistics show that the following roads, other
than those mentioned lrt recent news Hams, hava
stringent rules against tha use of intoxloanta by em
ployes, and all provide severs penalties: Duluth, South i
Chore and Atlantlo, Grand Trunk, Central Vermont,
Malna Central, Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo, Interna
tional of Canada and others."
For over a month preparations had bean made fof
the great swear-off among tha Chicago and Northwest
ern employes; all along tha lines tha pledge had' bean
circulated. It la believed now that In time avary man
employed, no matter In what capaolty, from and to and
of tha 7000- miles of road, will become total ab
stainer. , ' -
In Omaha tha effect of the movement was pro
nounced, and may, perhaps, be cited as . typical of tha
changed conditions in other railroad canters affected,
At least 1000 railroad men who reside there, or reach
there on runs, are now among tha abstainers.
OLD PLACE LOSES PRESTIOE
" 'Jtoehrlg's iMace,' known for years by avary train
man was rtt hloflvn. nl nfl.rtlniilB.rtv tA thnaii run
ning In and out of Omaha, aa tha railroad man's re
treat, is a thing of the past," says a dispatch from that
city. "Famous for a generation as the 'catoJi-as-oatch-can'
for the hungry brake twister and the grisslad en
gineer and fireman, where they might get a whola
meal and a glass of beer for a nickel, it baa lost Its
prestige. -
"Andy Roehrlg's famous hot soup and wienies and
cold lunch, held out as an Inducement to the thirsty,
have been upplauted by steaks, chops and 'ham
and.' 'They have gone on the water wagon, every
another's son of them ' he declared. 'There is only one
thing left for me, and that is to serve them plenty of
Missouri river water. I am going out of the saloon
justness next month.'
"Roehrlg's experience Is not unlike that of many
Oiner bbiuuiihocjjoi wuu i. a bti cat nicMurv nave ae
nnnded on the Dutronasre of railroad men In Omaha.'
and In towns along the lines of railroads entering tha
city. While this swear-off started with the trainmen
on the Chicago and Northwestern, It "has spread in a
most remarkable manner to other. trainmen In Omaha
until, as Roehrig puts it, 'they ara all on the-water
railroad men have considered It an Indication of mental
and physical weakness to admit that a temperance
pledge was a requisite to total abstinence,
"In the case of. the Chicago and Northwestern men,,
it is not doubted that the world-wide reform spirit'
actuated them to a great degree In their swearing off;
perhaps a bigger factor was an ultimatum from the
officials of the road that with tha annual reduction of
forces temperate men would be retained In preference
to those known to Indulge their appetite far intoxicat
Ing beverages.'' . '
That this reformation was in a great measure due
Jo. the. Influence of Frank Walters, general manager of
the Northwestern Hoes, there can be little doubt.
Speaking of the swear-off, tha general manager said:
SAFE AND SANE
"We are trying to operate a railroad safely and
sanely, that's all. I waa In Washington, January 1,
and read the news of the 'swsar-off first in an eastern
paper. Of course, I was pleased, but I, must admit
that I had nothing to do with the circulation of pledgee,
and I presume 11 was simply a unanimous decision
to join the increasing, throng of teetotalers.
"Our line, like others, reduces forces stout Jan
uary 1, when business Is slack. We always give pref
erence to non-drinkers, other things being eijual. Just
at this time men with Jobs are doing their beat to
hold them. I hope the action of our men will enable
tha soad to boast of an army of employes In tha train
service who are total abstainers."
Operation of great railway systems has kept
abreast of the times, and comparatively young men.
educated to modern methods and familiar with tha
requirements of the vltlcal traveling publls, have re
placed many officials of the old school who heeded
only matters which had to do with the paying of divi
dends. Anxious to bring the service up to tha highest
standard of efficiency, these younger officials have
realised that Inebriates in the train servloa formed
the worst menace not only to the safety of the trav
eling public, but to econorclce In freight traffic as well.
1 The Chicago and Northwestern Issued periodical
bulletins threatening employes found Indulging In in
toxicating liquors. These bulletins became nor and
more drastlo, until summary discharge was threat
ened for -any employ caught entering or loafing
around a saloon er known to keep intoxicants la his
home.
Toward the close of the year the officials gavs out
the announcement that, with the annual reduction of
the force, temperate mn would be retained In prefer
ence to those known aa indulgent of their appetite
for Intoxicating beverages.
A reduction of the force occurs annually, and tha
announcement of the company'a preference for" sober
men has long been a regular feature of the year's
close. But this year men with employment have felt
a peculiar unwillingness to run the risk of losing It
Just then- the Omaha Y. M. C. A. made a fervent
campaign for new members th4 local manifestation
of the remarkable work which the association has
been doing for the Improvement of the morale of rail
way employes of all classes. It was a sign of the times
that the new membership secured numbered between
(00 and 100 men.
It was then that John Btubsn, yard foreman,
thought of an effective method of keeping together,
asfe from discharge, the crew of men he was accus
tomed to work with and liked to well to see any
member suffer in a wage out -
"Boys," ho told them, "let's all swear off-a gen
uine, all-wool, yard-wide swear-off that will put every
one of us in the strJot T. A. B. elass and, I hope, keep
very one of us on ths payroll." 1'
He had no need to argue or persuade. They saw It
so quickly that It was all over axeept the awearlng.
When they happened to mention their good resolu
tion to other trainmen, th, enthusiasm for temper
ance amounted almost to a mania, 'Everybody swore
Off. The Chicago and Northweatarn example set going
the men of other roads, until Anally th modest John
fituben movement grew Into tha greatest New Tear
resolution on record.
A COMMERCIAL ASPECT
There ! a. commercial aspect to the phenomenon
that Is singularly enlightening whan Ha bearings upon
tha railroad liquor trad at considered in their na-tlon-wld
ramifications and IN tha light of the state
ment of Chairman Jonas, of th prohibition commit
tee: "Those 1000 men who hav quit spending their
money In QmsJha saloons -are conservatively esti
mated to hive spsnt $1000 a day for liquors. With .
the railroad man, every day Is work day, and the total
In a year, for Omaha alona, amounts to $365,000 saved
by the men for food, clothing and bank accounts.
"Equally significant of the amount of cash that4
gineers, firemen, brakemen, conductors, yardmen am
all employes having anything whatever to do with thi
handling of trains.
With resolutions and Iron-clad prohibition ringing
the country East and West, and with stretcirts of Sa
hara waste at which the traditional camel would eh
In the South, there has been needed only som systen
by which every man on every Job on every railroad
should be made amenable to rules of employment an
discharge so rigorous that the Intemperate, habltua'
or spasmodic would be debarred from a foothold.
It would appear that financial Institutions are soon
to follow the examples set on these railroads, ' Th
'Fifth Avenue NltrenirBgnwrf-Ntwxkljas issue.;
thla list of prohibitions to Its employes:
Ten must not drink any Intoxicants with meals la
public rectaursnts. '
You must not enter any saloon. - " -rrrm-
Tou must not enter any gambling house), - - ,
Tou raut not enter any poolroom. ,
You mint not visit any race track. . '
You must not enter any bucket-shop. , ,
Tou must not speculate. ..." . ,. ' '
You muat not attend prise flghte. ' " :
You must not hav vicious companions. .
You muat not frequent Broadway resorts of baown
conspicuous where the great white Ushta blase.
Nor is indulgence regarded In the samp leni?nt
light as formerly In other vocations. Th actor who,
while on duty, 1 observed to hav passed the sharp
line of complete sobriety Is ruthlessly dropped froi
the cast by the great majority of American managers.
Even a "star," with a goodly portion of his "manager's
capital dependent upon his completion of an engaR'
ment, may not offend often and those . who run air.
risk of overindulgence in liquor are as few nowadays
aa locomotive engineers- who drink. , ,
Smml CMkJreD'Wfeo Have
5mei mm fSs?
" h ::'"" ......... . ... y a sj
s$ 111
1 : . . - - im
MMA LAWRENCE 1"
"Yen'in."
nil i i . i an
j "now mucn ior ia$ Daak tan wefck i
"Five cents." . f
"Why, Emma! Thpt makes your bank ac
count $5. You will get interest on your savings
from today on."
In more than a thousand Bchoolhouses, in
more than a hundred cities, in more than a score
of states, dialogues of this kind go on every Mon
day morning" between the teachers and nearly
200,080 scholars who are tt thrifty owners of, ac
counts in the School Savings Banks, amounting to
nearly a million dollars.
Within ft generation, children hy the hundreds
pf thousands have been launched from tho public
schools into the world of hard reality with the
priceless habit of regular saving instilled into their
minds. And an old gentleman a very kindly old
gentleman who is still Jiving and laboring for
the advancement of this simple and wonderfully
efficient training of American youth in the prin
ciples of economy, if responsible for it 'all.
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bt .:: ;k' .;usw. -.saw si
flMs, nxW5 iwr J I
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wagon.' - .
f "John Studen, yard foreman for the Chicago arid
Northwestern, is given credit for having originated the
abstinence movement. Whether or not thla is true, it
Is certain that, once the movement waa started, Its
J growth .was spontaneous, and many thousands of dol
ars which, up to January 1 , were being spent in aa
loons are nfl w going into other channels of trade.
-;fo railroad has ever operated without an iron-clad
rule against the use of Intoxicating liquors, but many
IS name Is J. II. Thlry, and his borne is In Lonsr
Island City, Ivnk .Island, where, twenty-two
years ago on March 16, 1885 be succeeded In
establishing m the city schools the first School
Savings Bank in the United States..
It is the most interesting development; of th aa.
Ings bank idea since, In the 0rst grappiQ with th in
cubus, of poverty that weighed down, upon England
and the Continent, Mrs. Priscilla Wakefield of Totten
ham High Cross, in Middlesex, inaugurated. In 1801
her epochal "Friendly Society for the Benefit of Worn
en and Children." -
Mr....; Thlry, who la verging 0f . upoq fourscore
t - - .
years and ten. Is the father of a brand new baby whom
he hopes to live to see a depositor in on of th banks
h-founded in Long Island City's schools long after he
waa old enough t hava been a grandfather. If any
man ever deserved Such a reward It is Mr. Thlry.
He was some 5 years old when his unselfish efforts,
to accomplish something fof his country in a manner
that should hav permanent value after he should pass
away, came to their first, modest fruition.
, Th child's weekly deposit may be on cent; It may.
Jfrfary, fbzsrrder cffieJcftoo?
be ten whatever sum has been saved during the week.
When th pupil's savings amount to tl, a bank book is
given.
Except in cases of sickness or of removal from th
city, deposits cannot be withdrawn until tho amount
reaches $ J, and then only on the second Monday oj
every month. Deposits of $S or more bear regular In
terest. ' , , ' 1 -
Withdrawal of money from an. account can b ef
fected when It Is indorsed by the presence of the child's
father or mother, and the signature of the school prin
cipal.; DuriDg the summer vacation, th cashier of th
funding bank la empowered to receive or pay moneys
In. accordance with the rules, 'requiring identification
wher th .cbUd depositor Is not personally known to
him, precisely aa he does with tit "grown-ups.". -
First enthusiasms ' have waned at times, and, fre
quently where success was most signal, th rivalries of
local banks have brought about the discontinuance c"
th system In a whole city.
But the report compiled by Mr. Thlry when th sy
tern was twenty-twoyears old in HOT ahowed .thi
puplls of 1098 schools in 113 cities in twenty-two Stat :
have saved a total since the introduction of the sys
tem of 83.486,514.48. of which 84,75,87.2 . has been
withdrawn, leaving a balance of 8S09.817.8I owned by
177.972 little depositors. t t , "
These have succeeded to the lesson of. economy
taught the long processions of children now developing
Into prudent men and women. The high proportion of
depositors is apparent when their number. 77,979, it
compared with the total number of children in attend
ance at the 1098 schools-500.7f7. '
All parts of the North share in the benefit, and tit
idea seems to hava apread nearly stralghtly westwai
with some moderate expansion on the sides of tin
movement.
In Long Island City, where it was begun, .then
were 3200 depositors when Mr. Thlry compiled h'.f
figures, with 837,312.80 to their credit.
ARRESTING POVERTY"
At Le Koy, in Minnesota, thirty out of the 150 pup I'
in a school that opened its bank in 1907 started with
fund of 862. The 265 stations of th New York fun.-,
founded in 1888, with 61,114 children out of 150,000 ir -gaged
in saving, trad 8110,980.05 in their books, with
history of 83,003,262.28 of total deposits, and 232,2i.J .:
withdrawn. &
These are crude, although not meaningless, flgur
Their best Interpretation can com only from the in.,u
whose disinterested patriotism has made them the Im
posing realities they are, So here la Mr. TMrys t
lightening comment:. . .':" jav.. ..
"The rspldlty with which extreme poverty tnu!
piles it victims Is one of th startling fact in
aoiencej The publlo srhoola, acting upon every ri
must ii-th great publle agency for h arrest et t
evil. If every child could be trained tJ sve as w
as give tha knowledge and habits which assure I
earning power, much would be done toward, suvm
the very poor front temptation and suffering. ,
"School Savings Banks hav already yielded !
lent results and, at tha earn time, have lifipiu
cheok and prevent pauperism, crime, prodlgtiiity o
various vices, and lead children to th roaa of th.
and frugality.;;., -, --vw
.."The united effect of th pracMfal lesr,n of f' r.
and economy ta srtlear ing out of th intntut .
cues which open upon the moral faculties.
; ''By th ennobling power of trutu revpull f i i
dren and by good surroundings, some uplif t i t
J heir thoughts and purposes toward that if-.f i
nduatry and rational enjoyment whicti n;ik. a i
lives It , a satisfaction t himself iJ Li
oclty." . . 4