Brothers to come and try to make the Order popular, and remember what it stands for and how it is protecting you and your family. There is no organization under the sun you are more beholden to than the O. R. C. So Brothers put your shoulders to the wheel and help it along. Our General Chairman, Brother Burke, gave an excellent talk along this line at our election. We were pleased to see Brothers Saylor, Bender and Zane. Call again, Brothers, the latch-string is always out at Division 5. Baltimore, Md. CORNELIUS CURRAN. Judge Not. How do we know what hearts have vilest sin? Many, like sepulchres, are foul within, How do we know? How can we tell who hath sinned more than we? We think our brother hath walked guiltily, Dare we condemn the ills that others do? Dare we condemn? Their strength is small, their trials not a few, God help us all, and lead us, day by day. We cannot walk alone the perfect way, Since I have been a member of E. A. Smith Division 146, O. R. C., we have had no correspondent to the Journal, and at our annual meeting, held November 1, the Brothers elected me to fill the place, for which I wish to thank them one and all. Division 146 has been very prosperous in every way. The Brothers are all wide awake and seem to take hold in every way possible to help the Order. In fact, take Division 146, located about midway between two terminals, and taking into consideration the number of conductors under our jurisdic tion, compared to others, it certainly stands in a class by itself-first in number of members, second in prosperity and financial standing. We have taken in seven new members in the last few months and expect to get more in the near future. We were favored with a visit from our Third Vice-President, Brother Clark, on November 24, for which occasion we called a special meeting, and can safely say in behalf of Division 146 that words are inadequate to express our appreciation of his visit, and we hope he or some of our other grand officers could visit us often. It seemed to put life and courage in all the Brothers who were able to see him and regrets in those who were not able to be present. On December 6 we held our installation and took in three new candidates, besides the regular business. We were honored by the presence of visiting Brothers from Divisions 237, 122 and 413. Brother Parant, of Division 413, did the installing. After the meeting all repaired to the banquet hall where festivities and refreshments were served at the expense of the Division. We had as guests of honor, Mayor-elect O'Connel, our division superintendent, Mr. E. A. Smith, who holds the distinction of being the only living person after whom a Division of the O. R. C. is named, also Mr. Carter and Mr. Vaughn, agents of the N. Y., N. H. & H. and B. & M., respectively, who all gave a lecture; also Brother Parant, of Division 413, who holds a position with the railroad commissin, gave a nice lecture when called upon by our worthy toastmaster, Brother Garno. Our annual ball will be held on January I, 1909, which we hope to make a great L. M. RAWLES. success. Fitchburg, Mass. EDITOR RAILWAY CONDUCTOR: Cotton Belt Division 251 held its annual election Sunday, December 6. With the support of the members we feel confident of prosperity this coming year, as the Brothers made a wise selection of officers, and hope the other members will continue to attend the meetings regularly and assist with the important business which comes before the Division each session. The General Committee representing the Cotton Belt system convened here this week and adjusted business of importance. Brothers J. H. Cheshire, of Corsicana, C. E. Sparks, of Waco, J. H. Commander, of Commerce, and H. G. Hawks, of Pine Bluff, were before the officials and seemed well pleased with the cordial treatment received by them. Pine Bluff has a Division to be proud of, and it is to be hoped the benevolent spirit which has been very noticeable, will continue to exist. W. D. FERGUSON. Pine Bluff, Ark. The Hell-Bound Train. (Reprinted from CONDUCTOR of January, 1907, by request.) Tom Gray lay on the bar room floor, To dream that he rode on the hell-bound train; The passengers made such a motley crew, As the train dashed along at an awful rate, 'Till the clothes were burned from each quivering frame, And in the distance there came such a yell"Ha! Ha!" croaked the devil, "We're nearing hell!" Then, oh, how the passengers shrieked with pain, Then Tom awoke with an awful cry, His clothes soaked with sweat and his hair standing high; Then he prayed as he never prayed before To be saved from hell and the devil's power, EDITOR RAILWAY CONDUCTOR : I do not remember of having written to our valuable Journal since you became its editor, and would not now, but when I joined the Order, over thirty years ago, I did so for the good I could do it, and have been pushing hard ever since and I enjoy the work, especially once a year when we have a public installation and the sister auxiliary joins and furnishes a banquet. Say, C. D., is it not fine to have a square meal once a year? Well, I was honored by being chosen installing officer on the 13th, and our auxiliary, Division II, furnished all and footed the whole bill-how is that for high? Also had a fine intellectual program, and it was a social success-a large hall full of Brothers, Sisters, families, and friends. It is not necessary to speak of the qualifications of our officers, when I tell you, as Acting Chief Conductor during the election, I received only one nomination for each office, re-electing each Brother to succeed himself. Your humble servant was again honored on the 20th, when East St. Loius Division 386 requested my presence as installing officer, and in a public and joint installation with their auxiliary, installed their officers, and again one of those square meals that makes a feller mad that he cannot eat more. They sure made a success of an intellectual and social love feast. Brother Ray was re-elected Chief Conductor, which speaks well for him, and they are meeting with marked success. Sister Stone installed the officers for St. Louis and East St. Louis Auxiliaries, and she does her work without any halting or without a ritual. It makes me ashamed, but she says we did fine, which makes us feel good, and we all parted in P. F. Allenton, Mo. D. I. FURBECK. EDITOR RAILWAY CONDUCTOR : pay Some very interesting letters which appear in the November CONDUCTOR, namely, the remarks of William C. Brown, of Brother Chas. Tolman, Division 36, and Bill Davis, of Division 7, as to the mutual partnership which exists between employer and employe, the betterment of labor's condition, and the success which has attended the ceaseless activity of the Texas legislative committee, contrasts very strongly with the comatose and dormant condition of the legislative committee here in Massachusetts, and, in fact, throughout New England, where too much law, as made by our state solons, aimed against the railroads without any check or protest from the organizations, has made the membership the freight in defending their contracts, and in paying the additional expense incurred by the several general boards of adjustment. Here in New England, true, the commercial depression was a factor to some extent, but had the legislative committees of the New England states been organized, a note of warning could have been given, and an organized protest made against some of the pernicious legislation which has been enacted. The officials would not have asked any monetary concessions from their employes, and articles which were inserted in the various contracts as safeguards, namely the mileage limit, the one cent a mile clause, and some of the elastic clauses would not have been stretched to the limit to make a balance to offset the legal expense, and so the railroads robbed Peter to pay Paul. No, I am not defending the railroads. I wish to show that there must be a more determined stand taken by the several organizations in legislative affairs in the future to prevent a repetition. The interpretation of the federal laws, regulating interstate traffic and railroad investments, as interpreted by our various state legislatures, is about on a par with some of our local officials and time clerks when presented with a copy of a new agreement or schedule. Benjamin Franklin once said, "Plough deep while sluggards sleep, and you'll have corn to sell and keep." To quote a remark from the address of William C. Brown, "Whoever injures the railroad, injures the employes as directly and more seriously than he harms the other partner, the own r, for our interest is greater because we receive the larger part of the road's earnings." Come, Brothers, wake up, pay more attention to your interests; read the handwriting on the wall. I wish to impress upon you the importance of having an active, live, legislative committee throughout New England, conversant and in touch with each other, ready in the field when business resumes its normal condition, and be in a position to aid and assist the Eastern Association to obtain the standard wage. Do you want it? Well, get together and help. Springfield, Mass. ADIEN E. MCGIRR. EDITOR RAILWAY CONDUCTOR: The election over, we are now ready for the new year. Mt. Lowe Division 503 re-elected the old officers to the man, with but a single exception, which speaks for itself of the harmonious feeling which exists among our ninety-three members. The officers feel that this, their second term, carries more honor than their first election, and I am sure they will strive even harder as they grow older and stronger, to do even better in 1909 than in 1908. There exists among our members a most admirable trait, which was noticed and commented upon by a visiting Brother at a recent meeting. He said: "I notice when your Chief calls upon one of you to fill the chair of an absent officer, that you go to the bat without a moment's hesitation." I assure you, boys, our Chief appreciates our every effort. Since my last letter, Mr. J. H. Dodds has been appointed assistant superintendent of the San Joaquin division. We are more than pleased at his appointment. Mr. Dodds is a conductor of the old pin and link school and knows just what we have to contend with nowadays. He is a broadminded fellow who will meet us fairly on any business proposition, and is worthy of the very best service we can give him, and I feel safe in saying that there is not a conductor on the San Joaquin division who does not realize the fact, and each and every one of us will put forth our best efforts to help him make a success of his undertaking. Brother H. S. Kinch, trainmaster at Mojava, being transferred to Fresno, Cal., Mr. W. W. Speakman was appointed general yardmaster at Mojava; a well earned promotion, and the right man in the right place. Business seems to be steadily on the increase with us and an occasional man is hired. All are working. Brother C. E. Myers, who has been on the crippled list the past three weeks, is out and around again, and will soon be ready for duty. Brother A. E. Carne, of San Diego, was found wandering through the alfalfa fields of Bakersfield a few days ago, apparently lost. He was taken to "El Cameno Real," and shown the direction to Fresno. The Brother was well shod and I dare say he has reached his destination ere this. Brother Geo. Trefanier is indulging again in his favorite pastime of shooting flying fish from his gasoline launch in the deep waters around the Santa Cruz islands. Los Angeles, Cal. J. E. CARNES. EDITOR RAILWAY CONDUCTOR: Boston Division has just started off on a prosperous year with a good membership and a very encouraging treasury. We are taking in new members now and then so that we feel very much encouraged, especially when we have a large attendance at meetings. Of course some of the members have to run on Sundays, but they drop in whenever they can. Our committee on arrangements for our next convention in Boston next May has commenced work in earnest. Passenger and freight business has been fairly good of late, and the boys are feeling all right over future prospects, and we are very grateful to our General Committee for their work. We have had a mild winter here in the east, no snow storms to speak of, and generally fine weather. The action of Judge Wright, of the District of Columbia, in regard to Gompers, Mitchell and Morrison, has caused quite a stir here in Boston in labor circles and is looked upon as an injustice and a blow to every labor organization in the country at the present time, and we all are awaiting developments. Of course we hope some means may be adopted by which the imprisonment part may be abolished, and even if they do have to serve time it will open the laboring man's eyes to take more interest in politics and go to the polls and vote for the man who will protect his interests instead of looking for graft which a majority of them do. J. FITZGERALD. Boston, Mass. Boomer. I longed to be a boomer, And roam throughout the land, Put all my baggage on my back, My trade it is a brakeman, I've learned it through and through. The most important roads I've worked upon, In rhyme I'll tell to you. On the old W. Va. Central Is where I got my start, I hired there as a greenhorn, At night when I was flagging On the little West Side Belt. I next worked on the Union Until I drew a pay, Then, like all other wise guys, I switched cars on the Cotton Belt, With the best of railroad men; And the Western Maryland, I worked a ten days' notice out But the B. & O. was the only place a few, On the C. H. & D., the B. R. & P., I worked on those not mentioned here, J. O. DICK HARVEY. EDITOR RAILWAY CONDUCTOR: The correspondent of Division 310 has been silent for awhile, but it does not follow that business has been at a stand-still. Meetings are held regularly and are well attended. At our last meeting we honored the Division by making that moving spirit of every good work, Brother George Cranmer, chairman of our local grievance committee. He has that peculiar enthusiasm in any movement for the betterment of conditions, to enlist aid from whom he will. If a worthy Brother is sick and needs assistance, no sacrifice of time or comfort is too great for Brother Cranmer. On October 20, the L. & N. road decided they could run their business on the N. O. & M. division without the assistance of four conductors in the passenger service, your humble servant being one among the number. Fortunately for Brother Alfred and myself, we had policies in the Conductors' Protective Association, of Detroit. After a futile effort to have us re-instated, Brother Cranmer secured the payment of $500 to each of us in full payment of our claims against the association. We received our checks December 18, so we can present smiling faces for the Christmas season, and say God bless Brother Ross, Brother Cranmer and all the rest who helped to give us this lift. I cannot too strongly urge all conductors, everywhere throughout the country, to take advantage of membership in the Protective Association. With $500 in one's pocket, it is much easier to get located in another line of business without delay. The prompt payment of our claims will gain many new members from this part of the country, and will give me a forceful argument in talking up the association. In season and out of season, I shall let no opportunity pass to speak in praise of this great benefit to conductors. Brother Ed. Franelich has been sick for some months, and is still unable to be on his run. D. P. BAKER. Mobile, Ala. EDITOR RAILWAY CONDUCTOR: This is the first time that Division 446 has ever come forward with any expression in your columns. We are located in Atlantic City, the Queen City of the Atlantic seaboard's summer resorts. If one would visit each of the O. R. C. Divisions found in this domain, bounded by the sun-kissed shores of California in the west, Canada, with her great northwest, on the north, the Gulf of Mexico and Mexico proper on the south, nowhere would he be accorded a greater degree of welcome than here at Division 446, on the rock-bound coast of the Atlantic, on the wave-washed shore of old Jersey, in the east. This resort, as you know, has an atmosphere which in itself breeds cordiality and good fellowship. Just being elected to the office of Chief Conductor, and Our membership being small, it is my desire in some way to create an enthusiasm which will increase our average attendance at our meetings. The writer invites correspondence in this regard and will be pleased to hear from any Division which may at some time have been in a like situation. Having been elected to this office as a personal tribute by those within whose power its award lies, one should be complimented, and accordingly a successful administration is desired as a record upon the retirement of its present incumbent. Secretary Taft, upon his inauguration as President next March, cannot feel more deeply the trust imposed in him by a nation than did I on the occasion of my in Once more Division 450 is enjoying a pleasant and prosperous season. We had the election of officers on Sunday, November 15, with a large attendance. Every one looking to the interest of the Division, we picked the very best men for our officers. Brothers, if you want your Division to be prosperous, you must stand by your officers and assist them in making it so. It is impossible to have a good Division if you do not attend the meetings. Try to start out with the new year and be down to the "hall" every meeting day. Everything is working along nicely, and I see no reason why we should not have a prosperous year. Business has already picked up on the road, the boys are going and coming every day, and everything seems to be working all right. So line up, and if you are not on the "sunny side," get busy and come over at once. Alexandria, Va. O. L. MUNDAY. EDITOR RAILWAY CONDUCTOR : Well, the national election has passed, and whether the result is satisfactory or not, there is at least one feature of its passing that should be pleasing, and that is, when we pick up our morning or evening paper we can find something in it to read besides the endless and disgusting mud-slinging. If one could believe one-fourth of what he reads about the various candidates for office, irrespective of party, and no matter what ticket he is on, he would be so fully convinced of the crookedness of all of them that he would be satisfied he could not vote for any of them. They would be more fit as candidates for "prison stripes" than for any office within the gift of the people. However, it is all over, and let us hope for the return of the "prosperity" that has been promised us and that the many Brothers who have had to suffer reduction may get their old runs, or better ones, back again. Speaking of elections, reminds me that we have one of our own, that is, the annual election of Division officers. I presume practically all Divisions have had their elections before this. Speaking for my own Division, we had ours on November 15, and a very good lot of officers was chosen. To show how little of friction there was in the choice, I will say that the "tellers" were instructed to cast the vote for the entire Division for every officer. This was something that had never happened before in Buffalo Division 2. There was at least one choice made for which the Division is to be commended (?) and that is the selection of their "Journal correspondent." In selecting the undersigned as their representative (scribe), I presume they took into consideration the fact that they would have more control over him by legalizing his infliction on you, but they, at the same time, overlooked the fact that they were assuming responsibility for his conduct. Heretofore in all my writings for the CONDUCTOR, I have been practically a "free lance," responsible to no one except my own conscience and-the editor. But now it is different. If anyone should have a "grievance," or think they have, for what I may say or leave unsaid, they should not "kick" against the editor-he is blameless. Brother Graves, your letter in the November number is good, every word of it, but the one topic above all others that you touch upon, and the one that should sink the deepest into the hearts of our readers and be remembered the longest by them, is your remarks on the "drink evil." Too much cannot be said on that subject, particularly to railroad men, no matter what branch of the service they may be in. There is no class of laboring men, or officials for that matter, that should keep more clear of the "liquor habit" than railroad men. Too many bright young fellows who think they can take a drink or let it alone, finally wind up in a drunkard's grave. They undoubtedly can "let it alone," if they commence in time, but so many of them don't, and before they are aware of it themselves, they have formed an appetite for it that is well nigh impossible for them to deny. The only safe way is to let it alone while you can. have all seen thousands of confirmed drunkards, men who had sunk below the level of a beast; men ruined morally, physically and mentally. How many of them do you suppose took their first or second drink with the intention of becoming drunkards? Not one of them. Every one of them was once the man who could "take a drink or let it alone." So I say again, LET IT ALONE WHILE YOJ CAN. We Brother Graves, that "nut" you say Brother Veritas gave me to crack, and I overlooked, relative to what the "good old colored gentleman said," was no "nut" at all. That was only an illustration to show what disaster might result, if we "all thought alike." I have heard that old saw, with variations, ever since I was a "kid." Permit me to illustrate by putting myself in the place of the "colored gemmen," mentioned by Brother Veritas. 'Sposing about the time I was edging up to Mrs. N—, several other very attractive young fellows, |