Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-06-27
A STRONG sPEsrn BIT rxEFEcruAL.


which We commend to all pas. and pros
pectiye legislators liz the Territory o!
Washington.
The need of such a law in Iowa is
terssiy set forth in the speech printed
below. Iowa is gridironed with
railroads. The more railroads the
greater number of free passes. If halt
OF what Mr.. Aldrich ssssrss 10 true, the
army Of dsadhsads in Iowa far outnnm.
bsrs her uniformed militia. The evil ID
80 great that with the abolition of free
passes the bin proposed to reduce the
fare on the railroads half q cent per
mile below the rate now fixed. The bill
was overwhelmingly defeated.
The whole freq pass system is wrong.
No man, and especially no official, has q
right to ride at the expense of others.
He does 50 when he uses free pass. It
costs as much to carry him as it costs to
carry the man who pays his fare, and
the latter is indirectly forced to pay
both fares. The railroad looks for a re-
turn for favors given at the expense of
the public, and too often it gets the
favors at an increased expense to the
public.
Here is what Mr.. Aldrich said:
The great danger which arises from
this American system of official dead
beading comes from its alarming extent.
Every Judge of the Supreme Court of
he United States is an official deadhead.
And not only are the Supreme Judg q
and all other Federal Judges official
deadhe ,ds but the courtesy tax - in
their relatives and personal friends.
linen the Cabinet officers are also bright
and shin ng examples of this American
system, WIN only here and there an old
fogy who don't believe in it. Most of
the United States Senators and men,
uers Of the House Of Representatives
sail in the same boat, with a goodly ac-
eonpanime 1t 0t relatives, friends, de-
pendents, and hangers on. Then go
through the departments and you will
find thousands, most likely thousands,
of people who have no trouble in secur-
aux AiCC Aoii1Oh0 slokADtVOA " SnCAE
homes and return, no matter how dis
tant they may be. Especially is this
true with regard to those officials who
have something to do with the railroad
land gratis. The entire public service
of the ge Ieral Government is rife with
this abuse, which railroad attorney of
this city told me not long ago vas "a
simple courtesy due to POSITION When
ever man gets into a responsible office,
where he has relations with the people
on one hand and with corporations on
the other, it Is due to his position" that
he shall have these favors.
The oil of official deadheadism greases
the wheels of all our State courts. Our
State Supreme Judges draw their passes
upon the hapless conductors with all the
facility of practised hands. Sometimes
when going to court in body, they fire
by platoons! Our District and Circuit
Judges, with only one exception, are the
happy recipients of these ''cOurtesies
due To position" Neither the Attorney
General nor the District Attorneys are
left out in the cold. The wise old pro-
fessional bailiff, especially he who has
become wrinkled and scraggy, and
smoke dried in the atmosphere of courts,
occupies no mean or insignificant place
as an official deadhead. Everybody,
seemingly, has pass except the poor
client. His share is to pay the costs,
and as he has no position he gets no
''courtesieS.'
Every State officer, and every clerk in
every State Office, has or may have the
name placed on the roll of Official dead
heads. Your Board of Railroad Com
are also dsadheads of the
first water. Within the State by law
and out of it BY the courtesy due to po-
sltion," they may travel free with their
families.
Then the State Senators and Repre-
sentatives, the law makers, though to a
more limited extent, come in for these
'courtesies due to position" If the
officers Of the State Senate and House
do not have the same favors they are
themselves to blame. At the opening of
this session an unsuccessful candidate
for Clerk of the Railroad Committee, l
am told, exhibited pile of passes con-
siderably thicker than a'pack of playing
cards. Then there are many county
and municipal officers whose hats are
also "chalked." do not know how ex-
tensive this may be, bat 1t includes in
many instances Sheriffs, County Super
visors, the City Councils and Boards of
Aldermen.
The line of eadheadism-''the cour-
tesy due to position" ends, believe
with township assessors. l am unable
to trace it any further down, but the
trustees of townships and the sub-direc-
tors of school districts may live in hope.
If they can only manage to hold their
offices few years longer. the everwiden
ing circles of free passism may yet take
them in. When heard that the list of
official deadheads included township
assessors could hardly credit it. But
think that any patient investigator In
that direction would be rewarded with
discoveries which would astound him.
do not believe that the generality of
these officers have free passes, but on
some of the roads whore the corpora
lions have laid out towns,a and own lands
and lots, passes have been issued to as
SCISSORS. Not only do all the officers l
have named receive these "courtesies
due to position" but the list includes
many of their friends.
In almost any county seat you will
find men who are influential enough to
obtain these favors year after year. If
one has a case in court against rail-
way company. of course the attorney
against you viii have command of these
instrumentalities to any extent he
pleases, and the instinct to use them in
paving his own way TO professional sue
cess few men have the power to with
stand. If you could look into the pock
cts of the jurors you might possibly find
that they were likewise supplied With
these '.courtesies due to position." The
chances would be that your own attOr-
ney-especially if he had position and
ability-would be also on this free list.
This picture of the extent Of this system
is not exaggerated or overdrawn. 1t
affords topic for study and reflection
worthy of the worthiest consideration.
The Railroad Commissioners attempt
ed to overwhelm me by setting forth
that only small per cent. of railroad
travel Is free. But their assertions on
this point are utterly worthless. Speak
ing Of this subject they say that free
travel is probably" not over two to tive
per cent. They first admit that none OF
the roads keep any account Of this per-
centage. How, then. could they say it
ia probable" except for the purpose Of
conveying a false impressions The New
York Times Says that official deadhead-
q Il