Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-08-28
The =. Dead Head" System

correspondent of the Boston Journal writes
concerning the late letter of President Moran of the
New !ork and Erie Railroad:
In tnls circular ne makes a savage assault on the
cass eoo[S ana keepers of the principal hotels,
whom Mr. Moran says ride over his road free, With.
out the slightest return any way. The system of
tree passes am not about to defend Let the rule
be adopted. and " editors" and keepers of the
principal hotels' are not the men to suffer The
agents and runners and employees of this same Erie
Road are the greatest suckers and dead heads" in
the country. One of their New York runners has
neen at ohe of the principal hotels in this CITY for
she brIe space of five years. and he has not paid one
cent Another of the employees of this road was
Iaken SICK at The same hotel, and remained there six
months, for which this I" dead headr never paid one
dollar, nor has the road for him. And the bill for
the entertainment of the employees of this road
alone II charged at the common rate would be
five thousand dollars. while the proprietors of
this hotel have never used free pass on thai
road in their lives. The fact is, these men
come TO New York-go to the best hotel-put down
their names as of this railroad or that-have the best
rooms-eat the fat of the land-drink the best of
VINE smoke the best cigars-bow their thanks to
the gentsmanly proprieror," go home fat and four
shIng send their men and cards to the hotel expect
that the people will be directed to their road. and
when the annual meeting comes round, these " dead
head" managers, who have not skill enough TO make
The road popular or productive, smte the hand that
feeds them, and talk about the " free pass system
ny nHlOu euttOrS anu uOleI pTOprle6Ors rlue tree
of charge, and yield nothing in return" Editors
and hotel men are not the that dead head il over
the country
They have no time to waste in such recreations,
while day by day and year by year these editors are
expected to aid the roads and lend them the use of
their columns and as eighty out of each hundred
persons that leave hotels will take the advice of
the keepers of the hotels which road they had better
take, it is demanded that their road be prominent
Let Mr. Moran propose this resolution to the board
at its next meeting
Resolved That the system of giving free passages
TO the keepers of principal hotels, especially is unjust
lnasmuch as it entails upon them the obligation 10
entertain Directors, Agents, Conductors and Runners
to such an extent that the free passage TO some OF
them cost in reality one hundred dollars trip
In one case | know, if the proprietor were to be
passed " dead head" over the Erie Road, he would
have already paid in free entertainment to the agents
&c OF that road five thousand dollars, notwithstand.
ing he never used free pass on the Erie Road.
All the hotel men will aid in the passage of such
resolution and rule to make hotel keepers pay will
be received with delight by them. The doing away
with agents and runners, alias bill. distributors, will
be hailed with satisfaction. They nuisances. Let
the hotel officers be thoroughly posted so that they
may Ee familiar with all changes and acquainted
with the general wishes of the route The traveller
relies upon the hotel officer in eighty out of hun.
dred cases.
Mr.. Moran ought to remember, when he writes
again, to say that the free passage system is deep
in ury to hotels without the road being advantaged
thereby. But let him remember also, that when free
rides the road discontinued, free dinners free
segars, and free puffs in the codmns of the editors
paper go with it, In this age of rivalry, not day
passes that the editorial rooms not dOgged by the
employees of these corporations, to answer some
squIb TO run up stock, to praise this man and
that measure. " Pay here should be on all editorial
doors and On the table of all hotels.