Ry., but jointly with them. Both roads very kindly contributed their aid to make the Big 4 ball and concert a success. This society event was given in January. Three hundred and fifty souls were seated at the tables, and dear reader it will be left with you!to guess the result. Our guests represented Divisions 2, 13, 16, 17 and 345.

Your author had an idea that he could still shake a hoof, but the schedules have been changed so much that he stood like a Jew dummy, with this one and that one (ladies included) pulling at my claw-hammer to keep me in line. Speaking of waltzes and waltzers, I must say that the attitudes struck by some of our gay trippers reminds me very much of a young gosling pulling grass. This is no doubt all right, but as I am not in the game any more, I have only to take a look and pass on, then have another. Division 27 is making darkness light before them, having had five new members' names added to our directory in the last month. I note in a good many cases recently where the old conductor who was eligible to membership twenty-five years ago, and who is now about to go by the board on account of nearing his fifty-mile stone comes to the front seeking admission into our noble Order. I only wish there was some way provided to make these pay back dues and assessments. Allowing the longevity to be three score and ten, I think I am safe in saying that not ten per cent will reach this figure among railroad conductors. Any member who can take out $1,000 at the age of forty-nine surely gets the best of the benefit department, covering as it does total disability and death. I would like to ask Grand Secretary Brother Maxwell that he at some future date give us the average age at death of members who have drawn on the benefit department.

I will close by referring to the following lines, which no doubt are old to most of you, but nevertheless true: If the veil of the heart could be torn and the mind could be read on the brow, there are thousands we would pass by with scorn, whom we are loading with honors just J. E. OLDFIELD.

now.

Hamilton, Ont.

Editor Railway Conductor:

I find that a number of Brothers are advocating a strict line of seniority. There is something to say in its favor as well as very much against it: because in railroading, as in other professions, some take to it naturally, while there are others who, the longest day they live, will never make good railroad men nor of railroading a success. Then, again, in almost all trades or professions a skilled workman can go to any section and his ability and skill receives its proper recognition by his being continued in his proper capacity as a skilled workman at a proportionate recompense for his services. But it is not so where seniority rules. On the contrary, let him thoroughly understand all about a train from brakeman up; if he wishes to take service elsewhere, does his ability to run a train help him? Not so. He must, if he

wishes to obtain work at all, be content to begin over again as extra brakeman, at the bottom of the list and wait there for the position which should have been his at the start, by right of his ability.

Edmund Burke is admitted to be one of the greatest philosophic statesmen of the eighteenth century, if not of all modern times. Portions of his writings and speeches will always have a place in the memory of every English scholar. Indeed, in few writers can we find distinctions so nice, observations more just or a style more elegant. His great efforts on the impeachment of Warren Hastings will forever identify his name with whatever is great, elevated and just in statesmanship and legislation. From his great work, "Reflections on the Revolution in France," I find the following significant language: "Woe to the country which would madly and impiously reject the service or the talents, civil, military or religious that are given to grace and to serve it! and would condemn to obscurity everything formed to diffuse lustre and glory around a state! Woe to that country, too, that passing into the opposite extreme considers a low education, a mean contracted view of things, a sordid, mercenary occupation as a preferable title to command. Everything ought to be open, but not indifferently, to every man. No rotation; no appointment by lot; no mode of selec tion operating in the spirit of sortition or rotation can be generally good, because they have no tendency, direct or indirect, to select the man with a view to the duty or to accommodate the one to the other."

This is the philosophy of Edmund Burke and it is the highest authority that could be brought to bear upon a question of this kind. It is unimpeachable verity. While I think seniority should be adhered to tentatively; yes, even made the rule, so far as permissible, I also think, to hold uncompromisingly to a strict line of seniority is open to pretty strong and vigorous criticism. It is selecting men by rotation regardless of fitness or qualification. Such a system, and not infrequently the men who profit by it to attain their end, would relegate the finest attainments and most promising talents to the shades of obscurity, thus keeping many a worthy Brother in the background who, should occasion offer, would serve his company with fidelity and ability. F. M. GALLAGHER.

Hinton, W. Va.

Editor Railway Conductor:

The General Committee of the Norfolk & Western system met our general manager in February, with the object of getting a raise in pay, which we did. Every little helps. I don't believe we should ask for too much at a time and not get anything. I believe some of the Brothers are satisfied and some are not, of course. I hope by the time the next schedule of pay or agreement between the conductors and the Norfolk & Western Railway company is made that the Brothers at each Division on the system will elect the very best representative for the board of adjustment. I believe it is bad policy, how

as he would of the proverbial yellow dog. He would go down to these water holes and railroad crossings with throttle wide open. We thought we were a crack crew and would not stand to ever let a train run past the proper point. At O' Fallon, 18 miles from St. L., we stopped for water, prior to a final spurt on the home stretch. Here I walked over to the engine and told Crump to come back to the dog house as I was going to let him down the bluffs to suit myself. Cal said, "if you can kill him I will ride on the engine to see him die." My conductor was sound asleep in the caboose when we pitched

349-H. J. P. Kello

the flock in touch, I will endeavor to describe a speedy run we made in 1875 on that far-famed old pike. I was rear brakeman in a crew on freight between Vincennes and E. St. L.-Hen. Howard, conductor. He was a Brother of Geo. W. Howard, who was superintendent of the west division at the time. My partner in crime was Cal Crump, who was about 5-11 in height, and would weigh almost an hundred pounds gross. We left old Vincennes across the Wabash 8:00 p. m., and in a rain that froze as it fell on our 25 B. O. tin roofs. The water tanks in Illinois are all located down in a hollow, and in order to stop at these we had to make some tall applications of the Armstrong brakes. Mr. Engineer thought about as much of a "rough neck"

over the top of the hill at a 20-mile gait with engine wide open, and it was just getting daylight. I stuck my nose out of side door a few times to have it almost cut off by the ice blast when finally I tackled the game and went aloft to look for possible breakers ahead. When the "Consolidated Grant Sewing Machine" swung around the first curve, Mr. Engineer put out his hand and gave me the slow sign my eyes were in the tree tops. I had knocked the ice from a brake wheel with a pin so could hold on and keep my feet on the burning deck. I did not take up any reefs, so he jerked the whistle a few short and spasmodic jerks. By this time we were down among the short bends and coal mines, and when we caromed to the right at the

Devil's Hole the engineer was in the gangway, hat in hand, giving me violent signs, and Cal was standing on top of coal gate giving me sign to let them go. We sometimes met an extra at Caseyville, about four and a half miles from top of hill, and when the engineer thought of that he gave them the buffalo sign with the whistle until near the east switch, which was on sharp curve to the left and view obstructed by high side cut. When we nosed around the bend at a 45-knot gait Mr. Engineer was down on the lower step on tank and fireman on the other side ready to unload, and looking for plowed ground. Crumps still on coal board with his eagle eye cast ahead over the cab. It happened that channel was clear; we split the town wide open, and the race track was dead level and ten miles to the Mississippi River at E. St. L., and we would have gone clear into it without steam if we had not cast anchor. I will say one word in conclusion: The engineer had too much sand to report us, and the conductor never heard of it at all, and as he is now on a farm at Chanute, Kans., he is safe, so also my old partner, Crumps.

I had a little experience a few days ago that made me homesick. I took a ride with a fast freight crew out on the plains, and at the terminal we tried to sleep in caboose. We were stood on end every few minutes by yard engines shuffling the cut, and at 8 p. m. they started up through a clear track half a mile long, shoving the dog house ahead, one switchman on rear end of tank and other two standing on steps at side doors asking for tobacco, etc. The track was clear, as I said before, but the day men had left six flat cars in the way. When we encountered them there was one jolt of the bell on the engine which sounded as if it had been struck with a spike maul. There were two switchmen sprawling on the ground, while a few of us who were in the hold for an instant were plastered up against the fresco work, then back handsprings were in order, and then all settled down and was serene and we were a conglomerate mess of crew, dope buckets, chains, stoves, lamps, broken glass, curses and kicks. To tell the truth, I had not tried to sleep in a caboose for fifteen years, and it made me so homesick I felt that I wanted to return to the old O. & M. and go to braking by hand for Frank Mattox out of old Vincennes and live on the stale coffee and boxing gloves that Moss and Watson used to fatten us on. SAM STEWART.

Colorado Springs, Colo.

Editor Railway Conductor:

Division 170 is doing well. At our last annual election we filled the chairs with as good a set of officers as we ever had, and by their promises on taking their respective places things should boom. We should by our presence at all our regular meetings help them to still further advance the good work of our noble Order. So come, Brothers, for you don't know what you are missing.

When I listen to the roll call of deceased members and count the names of twenty-six good Brothers that have answered to the call

from above, I think how fortunate we are to be members of such a good and noble Order, and how careless conductors are who have a chance to become one of us and fail to do so; how blind they are to their own interest! Well, maybe they will awake some day. Let us hope so.

In reading over the journal for March I see some very interesting letters from the Brothers, especially the first, relative to the cost of representation of Divisions at the Grand Division After hearing the views of some of the Brothers of Division 170 we say Amen to his views, for such is the case (the sessions of Grand Division) they cost entirely too much money. When we read over the proceedings we find the names of about twenty-five or thirty delegates mentioned. Now, what is the use of the other 400 members? As he says, "Out for a good time!" Why not agitate the district representation and save the expense of these extra delegates? Or, if we are downed in this, let each Division pay the expenses of their own delegates. Let us hear from you, Brothers; it is to your interest.

At our last meeting action was taken on the Chinese exclusion act and the injunction bill, and resulted in a unanimous vote in favor of both bills..

So come

I was just about to send out notices with a reward attached for information of Brothers Williams and Morgan, who left home in the early part of February, but they have just returned, all boiling over with information of their extensive trip of some 9,000 miles over the country. They promised to be at our next meeting, when we are going to kill the fatted calf. out, Brothers, and listen to their interesting talks on the various positions of life of the railroad and conductor in different parts of the country. Members of Division 170 wish to congraulate the editor on the new dress of THE CONDUCTOR. J. A. C. Camden, N. J.

JOINT GENERAL COMMITTEE of the Atlantic System of the Southern Pacific.

2-H. D.

(Cut on following Page.) 1-Geo. Buchanon, O. R. C. 398; French, O. R. C. 383; 3-J. W. Forguson, O. R. C. 76; 4-P. F. O'Donell, B. R. T. Chairman; 5-W. M. Stockwell, O. R. C. 69; 6—F. A. Brown, B. R. T.; 7-J. H. Walsh, B. R. T.; 8-C. E. Butler, O. R. C. 7; 9-Jas. Kelley, B. R. T.; 10-Geo. S. Waid, O. R. C. 76, Chairman; 11-R. A. Gayle, B. R. T.; 12-F. R. Moore, B. R. T.; 13-J. B. Coffey, B. R. T.

Editor Railway Conductor:

March number read with pleasure and must say with perfect candor that our journal seems to be getting better every month. The first article, Employers and Labor Unions, was so ably illustrated that comprehension is easy for any person that will take the time to think. I have always contended that it was for the want to understand the situation which often caused

JOINT GENERAL COMMITTEE OF THE ATLANTIC SYSTEM OF THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC