The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1878-01-25

bonds of officers of Greene, Jones and Jasper
counties. Referred
BY Mr.: Wilson. To reduce the fees of
Circuit Clerks in certain cases. Referred.
FREE PASSES.
BY Mr.. Hoyle. To prohibit free passes or
tickets 10 public officers on railroads. Read
twice.
Mr.. Hurt moved to table the bill. Lost by
the following vote:
EAs--Messrs. Allen, Applewhite, Angus
tus, Bailey, Baker, Ballard, Bean, Bizzell,
Cunningham of Marshall, Cunningham of
Monroe, Denham. Dockery, Gallagher, Ghol-
sou, Goodrum, Gwin, Henry, Hogin, Hurt,
Lewis, Lid1ell, Marshall of Carroll. Marshall
of Warren, Martin, MaGehee of Wilkinson,
Mckenzie, Nets, Montgomery OF Marshall,
Montgomery of Oktibbeha, Moody, Parker.
Pegram, Perkins, Pintard, Reed of Choctaw,
Reid of Coahoma, Richardson, Seabrook,
Seal, Stands, Spght, Showers, Tarver
Tison, Tucker Wall. Warren, Washington,
Young of Calhoun, Young of Panola-54.
NAYs-Messrs. Bassett, Bird, Brown,
Bunch, Catchings, Cook, Cooper, Dabney,
Davidson. Day, Dean, Dozier, Eaton, Erwin,
Farmer, Field, Ford, Gibson, Gilmer, Glass,
Gordon, Hall, Hampton, Hatch, Heathmau,
Hicks OF Kinds, Hicks of I azoo, Hill, Hoyle,
Johnson, Key, LLsk, Magee of Franklin,
Marshall of uolmes, McCollum, McSwine,
McWhorter, Miller of Copiah, Miller Of
Pamela, Moore, Nelson, Niles, Num-, Rainey,
Redhead, Roane, Boberts, Robinson scott
Smith, Spinks, Stamper, Trest, Whitaker,
Wilson, Wood-57.
Absent and not voting-Messrs. Aldrch,
Clay, Edwards, Farley, Libby, Love, Nc
Lean, Ramsey, and Street,.
Mr.. Hoyle moved to Indefinitely postpone
the bill. Mr.. Stands offered an amend
ment, providing that the law should not ap-
ply to judicial or State officers.
Mr. HOyle said: L regret that have not
the speech that this subject demands. 1t is
bill the passage Of which is demanded by
our constituents. Gentlemen say the pre-
senting to public officers oftree passes is only
a courtesy. 1t is strange, Sir, that this cour-
tesy is only extended to those who are en-
abled to repay the courtesy In kind. Why
should the railroad eXpend so much, if it
did not expect to accomplish something
thereby? In view of the fact that they are
exemp pit from taxation, etc.; in view of the
fact that when we attempt to regulate the
tariff rate of freight, etc, we are met by
arguments as chartered rights, bankrupt
court. and mortgaged property. | think that
it is not unreasonable that the people whose
| servants we are should demand that we pass
the bill. / do not say that these officers
could be brbed, but that we, as public
officers, should so raise the standard and
dignity of the Office as to be above mere sus-
picion.
Mr.. Spight opposed the amendment and
the BILL (Reporter could not get his re-
marks.)
Mr.. Gibson favored the bill.
Mr.. ROane favored the bill and opposed
the amendment. He said:
Mr.. SPEAKER-I am in favor of the pas
sage of this bill. | was here in this hall
during four long, weary years of Radical
misrule. During that period, the railroads
IF ha oSl In fn M pu FL
at the hands of the Legislature, and during
that period the Legislature was flooded
with annual free passes over each railroad
in the State. 1t may be that those passes
had no influence over mem bers but it is a
STRANGE coincidence that the railroad in
f1uence of the State was supreme in our
legislative halls during that period, and all
kinds of schemes met with hearty sup
port from those who held annual passes
| from the railroads. The Judges of our
| Courts frequently are called upon to decide
controversy involving the interest of the
citizen against the railroads, and in those
decisions provoke criticism from the citi-
zens of the State. Let us remove our
| judges and legislators from the shadow of
| such suspicion or criticism. In the muta
| tions of political parties in this State, the
same rulers that are admitted by all to be
corrupt, may come into power in this State
again, and if they are met with this prohib
| itory law upon the statute books, we have
once influence for evil removed.
| Mr.. Hurt opposed the bill. He said: !
agree fully, Sir, with the gentleman from
Tippah and the gentleman from Claiborne
I think the time of this House can be better
| taken up than in the discussion of questions
| of this kind. / have too high a regard for
| the members of this House, the judiciary
and our State officers to suppose for mo-
| ment that they could be influenced by such
a paltry consideration. The passage of such
| bill would imply that the members of this
| House would sacrifice the interests of their
constituents for the small consideration OF
| their railroad fare to and from the Capital.
| For my own part have never accepted a
| tree pass for being member of this body.
nor would |, and | take it that the other
members occupy the same high ground. ]
desire, Sir, to place myself on record as be-
| ing opposed to bringing this imputation
| upon the members of this body. | hope,
| therefore, that the motion to indefinitely
postpone will prevail.
Mr.. Martin opposed the bill. He said: /
| am as Jealous of the ncroachmentS, of these
| great corporations as any member on this
| floor; learned it from the warning words
| of the great Chancellor Kent, but / learned
also from the same great author, that the
| purity of representative bodies in this coun-
| try rests with the people themselves. If
| any member of this body forgets his duty
| to his constituents, or legislateS injuriously
| to them in DenalI OF these corporations, Dir,
| it is in the power of the people to retire him
to the shades of private life. Sir, have never
| received free pass from any railroad in
this State; If had it would not prevent my
doingsmy whole duty, nor influence in any
manner my action in this body. 1t is true
that Lord Bacon says, ''that every man has
his price" But, corrupt as it is conceded
that he was, he placed his integrity at a
] high price. Have we fallen SO low? Have
the members of this body become so cheap,
| that their action in this House can be infiu-
enced by the paltry consideration of a free
pass? / think not. Sir, this body consists OF
the intelligence and most trusted represen-
tatives of the people; it is not composed of
| the material that assembled here in 1873. The
| men that compose this body are men above
the influence of any corporation, no matter
| how powerful. / cannot agree with the
gentleman from Lee, that these corporations
have and can influence any body cOnSti-