The Story of a Dark Plot; Or, Tyranny on the FrontierA.L.O.C.
History
The Story of a Dark Plot; Or, Tyranny on the Frontier
A.L.O.C.
Smith, William W.; Temperance
"There are, unfortunately, many questions upon which the public
hold different opinions so strongly that they are virtually
divided into opposing classes, and it is impossible for any one
prominently and publicly to advocate either side of any of these
questions, without immediately raising a strong feeling of
opposition in a considerable portion of the community, who take
the opposite side. These questions are of different kinds,
religious, political, social, racial, etc.; and it must be
apparent that no matter how well founded any person's views may
be on any of these questions, if he devotes himself energetically
to the promulgation and advocacy of his views at public meetings,
lectures, etc., he will without fail antagonize a considerable
section of the community. It is, therefore, apparent to every
business man that any person who adopts this course at once
renders himself less useful than he would otherwise be in any
position (such, for instance, as a station agent) in the
employment of a Railway Company, whose main object must be to
increase its business from every possible source, and who must be
careful not to antagonize any portion of the community upon whose
patronage, as part of the general public, the success of the
Company depends. Illogically, and perhaps unfortunately, there
are many persons in every community who hold the employer
answerable for the public advocacy of the views of the persons in
his employment, even when disconnected with the business of the
employer. This ought not to be the case, but as undeniably it is
the case, it follows that the usefulness of an employee is with
certainty diminished, and perhaps destroyed, when he gives much
of his attention and some of his time to advocating his personal
views at public meetings, lectures, etc., upon either side of any
question upon which the public is divided in the way I have
before mentioned, and this, although he do so only during the
hours of the day when he is not supposed to be in the active
service of his employer. As far as I am able to judge, no
official of our Company, of whose duties one is to solicit and
secure traffic for the Company, could take sides on any of these
questions at public meetings and lectures without impairing his
usefulness to the Company. Taken by themselves, and without
regard to the circumstances, some of the expressions in Mr.
Brady's letters to Mr. Smith are capable of misinterpretation,
and, as I have stated to you on several occasions, do not meet
with the Company's approval, as they do not express correctly its
policy on the subject. There is no doubt, however, in our mind,
as I have already assured you, that throughout this unfortunate
affair Mr. Brady was only intent on protecting the Company's
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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