The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-02-02
OUR HELENA LETTER.
Tie Article Against Free Passes
Adopted,
But the Convention Will Ride to
Wtckes on Free Passes.
Specia! Correspondence Of the MINER.

Specia! Correspondence Of the MINER.
q HELENA, Jan. 81, 1881.
Your daily kilograms from this
city have informed your readers OF
the strife that has teen waged in the
o Convention over the 'free pass" reso.
luton. When it was first introduced
1t was regarded with slight favor,
and being read by the clerk was re.
ferred to the committee on miscel-
l laneous subjects. This committee
seems to have regarded it with no
greater favor, and it was by them re-
ported hack with the recommends
! ton that it be not incorporated into
> the Constitution. But it produced a
keen debate, and several members
declared their unwillingness to have
it thus summarily disposed of. 1t
was maintained that the use of free
railroad passes by State legislators
and other men in the public service
was looked upon with growing dis
favor by the people, and impaired
the public confidence in men who
availed themselves of such "courte-
Sizes" Railroad companies, it was
argued, had an object in distributing
these favors. They were not given
to workingmen and private citizens,
to whom the saving Of fare was an
economical boon. The system,
Father, worked injustice to these
classes, as it was the same expense to
the railroad company to carry a dead
head passenger as one who paid his
fare, and the tax upon the paying
passenger was increased to indemni-
fy the company for those who did
not pay. Then the growing in1u-
ence of the Northern Pacific in the
politics Of u fHt ure State was al
iuded to by some speakers in undis-
guised alarm. A powerful corpora
ton with its line running from our |
eastern to our western border, aud
with a princlpality for it's dover,
must be sedulously guarded against
if we wished to retain it in its proper
relation Of servant, instead Of allow
ing 1t to become II master.
Several members of the Conyen-
ton, with undoubted honesty of pur-
pose, preferred to have the matter ig-
nored by the present body of consti-
tuition makers, and have it relegated
to the Legislative Assembly. But
this suggestion was met by the argu-
ment that the present body was sur
rounded by no misleading influences,
there was no o~bstreperous lobby to
tempt the virtue Of those open to Sc
duction, and now was the time TO
deal effectively and for all time with
the evil.
Mr.. Hedges, remarking upon the
cavalierly report of the committee to
whom the report had been referred
for consideration, declared it had ev-
identity got astray, and he proposed
that it be referred to a special COM
mittee. This was assented to by
some of those gentlemen who wanted
to get the obnoxious thing out of
their way, and a committee of three
was appointed to chew over aud di-
gest the matter. They reported with
an article for incorporation IN the
constitution which was placed on the
General File. 1t was taken up in the
due order of business, was again
keenly debated, aud again rejected as
unfit material for ENGRAVING. upon
our organic law. This should have
given it its quietus.
Tine was when the brains were out the men
would die.
But now they rise with twenty mortal
gashes
their skull, the least a death to nature,
To push us from our stools;
Yesterday MI. Dixon reported a
stringent resolution, as q substitute
for the one rejected, prohibiting the
use of free passes by any member Of
the Legislature. or any executive. ju-
licial or ministerial officer, of this {
state, or Of any county, district,
township, municipal Or other division {
hereof, under such penalties as may I
% prescribed by law, and which l
,hall extend to forfeiture or removal .
rom office. In offering it, he said
hat hitherto he had taken no part :
the discussion of this vexed mat '
or, but he was 20 heartily in sympa- :
by with the principle involved, and t
ne grave doubts evinced by a num-
yer ofhis brother delegates Of the WIS., l.
lom Of leaying it to the disposal OF the
Assembly, that he was d
that some such provision L
'ught to be embodied in the Consti-
ution. This was opening Pandora's g.
OK again. The whole matter was {
rgued over, and although the gen. I
lemen opposed to the proposition u
ombatted it with forcible logic and =
dmirable skill, it was evident the e]
lore the matter was discussed the
it grew, and n convert r. r.
fter another ranged himself on :,
side Of its supporters. On the
nal vote to-day Mr.. Dixon's substi-
lte vas adopted, 90 to II, and a mo- b.
to reconsider was tabled. We v
ave thus embodied in our State =
a provision that forbids :
le use Of railroad. steamboat and -;
age passes, issued as a gratuity to to
len holding public office, and many -
the delegates declare it will be fr
endorsed by their constitu- &c