The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1881-12-15

Ills Il al wf0ne. W course, w lone
M any passes M MI ofe ilsncd those n
The habit Of receiving them m In tic
favor of Tho roads will demand them and
Ijpsny feel aqgfIoyed II they are
Not obtained lIut ought the roads Ia
issue any free or "dead.head" tlokcts2 Is II
business or isit right to selcos man here
aud man iboro, public man or Journal
lst, and stocking his pockets with free
passes, place him under obligations TO the
corporation whether II go right or wrong,
and then compel the laborlng man and the
poor immigrant or the cripple to pay
cents per mile tor every journey he may
maker We answer most emphatically, II
is not, and II is high time that
the whole bunging system were
abolished. As It is, if pass is issued
to legisl, tor or a journalist or any one
else he can ask for family pass and then
for one for each or any Of his employees OF
friends, or his cousins or his aunts, ad in
finitum, and the company dare not refuse,
and cannot find the line where distinction
practceis an imposition upon the road and
in the second place, il is of corrupting
tendency. If either Of these propositions
be true, and both are 10 great extent, no
sane man can doubt, the issuance of these
passes should be stopped. An honorable
man accepting the pass, as. the custom
prevails, cannot but feel, if he
be called upon either as legislator or
journalist or otherpublic character to act
where the interests of the road is involved,a
certain degree of gratitude that too often
perhaps compels silence where he would
otherwise speak or neutrality where he
would otherwise act. The influence ex-
erted upon him is indirect, it is true, aud
he feels it only remotely, but the natural
impulse arises unconsciously to assist IL
but negatively those who have belriended
us, though it be ever SO slightly and the
corruptng influences accomplish Their
work. This may be so or it may not,
but the opportunity is there,
and it is this that should
be carefully guarded against.
But above all, such practice is not business.
Services are expected from papers and
others, either directly in advocacy OF GER
tain movements or remotely by the sup
preston of certain facts for which the pass
is no adequate compensation, and on the
other hand those are dead-headed who are
never of any consequence to the road This
matter should be placed upon identically
the same footing us other lines of business,
and every man who goes over a
line of railway ought to be COM
PEELED to pay the exact fare,
and receive no favors not granted
to another, and the roads should be made
to pay as are others for whatever service
they may require at the hands of newspa-
pers or others. A course such as this
would obyiate every difficulty, remove con-
fusion and sweep away opportunities for
corrupt practices as well as prevent jealous
les and animosities that too often create
serious trouble. The public, those who
enjoy the dead system, cannot suffer
from change in this respect, as those
who have any right to ask such fayors have
such right simply from the fact that they
have been, are, or can be OF service to the
roads, and in such case would receive the
appropriate pecuniary remuneration for
their assistance, instead of dead-heading the
corporation. If parties have no right to
demand the pass they have, Of course, no
cause for complaint upon its withdrawal,
Il :, al. |, dc
have no cause to fear injustice upon any
occasion from any honorable man or jour
nal by reason of the fact that such man or
journal is entirely free from obligations
to the management, and pays it the full
price for its service whatever that may
be- A journal of any responsibility
or influence will treat all questions affect
ing the interests of the State or railroad or
other corporations or individuals as justly
and dispassionately without compensation
or favor as with it, and so with a man Of
honor. The enmity of all others is harm
less, and the animus debating the ~opposi-
ton or criticism is most generally patent
upon its face. There is, however, but one
way to remedy the matter, and that is posi-
lively to refuse the issuance of any free pass
to any one under any circumstances, exceptit
be, of course, to the employees of the road.
But the rule must be made of universal
lest greater confusion and
contention arise. There is no reason
why a railroad should be treated by
a journalist or others differently from any
other business enterprise, apG by intelli-
gent, thinking people indeed II will not he
OF course, how this change is to be effected.
must be left to the roads themselves, who
know best their own affairs, but we appre-
bend it could only be done by the
concerted action of the leading lines, as no
one would desire to comm ence alone so
z reat reform, one calculated, indeed, at
first 10 provoke, perhaps, severe criticism in
certain quarters. But that such concert of
action will soon be taken. and the abuse
Topped off, We earnestly wish for the benefit
Of both parties in the transaction.