The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-04-20
r,s,. passes-Ratlroad Officials,

An Injunction issued by the Superior
r,,rt Of Connecticut restraining the New
york. New Haven aud Hartford Railroad
Company from issuing free passes to officials, !
legislators, or employees Of the Genei"'
State, and Loca, Governments is astrac''as
some st.ention. We take It for granted the
sour, is sustained BY the LAW of the State.
such should be tue lsw and tne judgment 10
every State. Especially shonld not @g'sla'
tors he allowed TO pass free over RAILROADS.
They have mtsesyc for their journey to and
from The cac;taa, and that more than pays
the expenses OF steir trps-i.aes their law
IN, travel eafils serving their constituents.
More they have no right to aaS, and more
they shoutd'Eet have.
The deaahesdipg Of legislators, in the
FIRST place. Snduced the dcssee TO 60 of on
pieasurc:tstps and 20 run hone often. sncn
is the tendency 10 absentceism unoer TINS
deac-heasing Of aegisht 6rs that the pubic
interests in maus States haye suffered most
seriously from it.
But the worst effects s. free passes Is TUE
infirssty. or Judgment ctcy bring upon tase
representatives Of the people IN rafkoao
matters. A man wosSd be more or aesS
than ,humacsf he c6rts accept the faFoTs 'oi
raihoad companies and not feel n certak de-
gree Of Blindness or-sratitude eo~aras 1hem
that would occasion a bias OF guog'
xncnt or disposition. In case IN ~hicn
arv one sf them yes concerned. The FAVOR
Is smau, one wouE think; bat wheE repeat
eddy used during the year 4 uay amount &c
great deal in sn impecEssous age. Tht
fsct.;s, that 10 IL, although ffrsited, peTerthe
less g decided step in the direction cs eofrnp.
ton. .If Legislator may sooaTt a gree pass
from a railrodd, why may DE not accept
ress,nisry bcpeEt in some other fertn:' Hhe
principle Is abroad enough to WTrant cue
tal;pg of aaygift. No legislator ought 10
take.a present from any usaa or eerporason
whose Interest,"; or privileges wosA l&eE DC
srousht in review before hfm, and which
might be enaeS ged or restraioed by l'is vote
The act'would be deserving eegere eenalre,
andmlsht,well fix the suspicion OF coHop'
ton. -,
Indeed great corporations hsTe grown OF
hate yearssfar too familiar with iegtsators,
and the people might we'll ioeE iato thscon-
duct of sher representatives in ebis respect.
Free and marked lbera!ities and besplta!i.
ties extended By the powerful corporations
through. their high officials to the law-me-
4ers are Ijustifable grounds for suspicion
that all is not right, and that theTeis danger
that theIreople may be betrayed aud their
laws made to do monopolies and officials fet-
tenipg on the Commonwealth far more good
than they do the people themselves. These
are matters that the people should GngGire
into.
The railroad corporations nave grown i'm
mensely powerful, and are constantly grow
.inemore SO. Great railroad lines ere built by
the money of the people. Through misfor.
tune in some degree, and bad management
in still greater degree, msny Of them have
faller under the control of q few men, who
are rioting in wealth and cnoraeus salaries
that,sre drawn from the hard earnings oil
the people; for, after all, the overgrewn sala.
ries and wasteful expenditures for Improper
purposes out Of the "coatiDgent fand''
must be paid by the public. They are taxed
in-some way tor them.
The subject has grown huge, and ne true
statesman can pretend to regard 1T as of
trtflipgmoment. We say that Legislation has
been 50 subordiuated to the will and wishes
of high railroad officials that laws haze been
passed. for the qualification of the peoI!iur
views nd,.wishes, and sometimes even re.
sentiments, of active and winc- working indi
yduals, whose appliances were used with
discretion.
There is ground for Legislative action on
this SUBJECT. We think it would be proper
10 pass law putting tnnit upon the
Asdead-hcad" business. Railroads. should!De
prohibited from giving free passes to legisla.
tors; and railroad directors should be made
ineligible to the Legislature The Legislators
may say that the Press also should be de-
prived Of free railroad passes. While the edi
tor stands on very different ground from that
occupied by the legislator. we have no obiec
ton to this. We are satisfied that there
would be diminished tendency tC corrup
ton by the general abolition of tie dead.
head system.
The distinction betwesa the people ant
che men they elect to fill pablo places is in
gidious. A farmer in moderate meaosridins
with his'delegate to the Legislature has tc
pay for his tisket,.and beheids his Ge&eg gate
show q free pass. He feels wronged, and
naturally suspects something. He is very
soHe partially, hesbss to the ssad in return
for 1.-The privilege heepjoys Of rssnning to and
fire. whenever he pleases free Of charge Oil
the railroads. 1t IS one way OF betraying
the people. When the delegate dawes hols G
he may say to his constituents as JOIN
MzRaaEL said TO the. people of Tipperary, "
wont.sell YOU" Bullet them irquire. " How
many free passes over railroads haze you?"
1t Will bring blush to the cheeks and some
what ,eomplicate relations.
Away with dead hasdism, abse,ateeism,
and all railroad junketipg and hobpobbiug
with the peoples representatives. They are
all bad-,sery bad-aud open the broad sray
to fraud and corruption.
==-s-rsE=
Science aud ERaud.
The reader has heard of the Emma Mine
fraud, which was, to the serious injury of
the national reputation, engineered by orr
Minister TO the Court Of St. James-Mr.
ScHENCK. Stock to an awAspt largely over