The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-07-01
RAILWAY PASSES.

RAILWAY PASSES.
The wires told US the other day tina
Mr.. Charles Francis Adams, Jr-, presi
dent OF the Union Pacific railway com
pany. was examined by the Senate
Interstate Commerce committee, anC
some of his statements were reported
but nothing was said OF an importan
part OF his testimony. We refer to tina
concerning free passes. Mr.. Adam:
thought it would be good thing j
Congress would pass law prohibiting
the issuance of passes, The greatest evil
that railroads have to contend with. ;
He went on to say. ''fhe Union Pacific
is giving away no less than $1,000 worth
of transportation a day. about Copper
cent. being for employees of the COM
pany. Passes issued for the seven DAYS
of the past week aggregated $4,000.
Ever snee.he BECAME president he has
been trying to cut down The number of
passes, but Is met with the argument
that if he does it loses business for the
road. Passes mix up with politics and
business so that they have become a
great nuisance. Passes Inake.a favored
class, and are issued SO extensively that
IS per cent. more is CHARGED to persons
who pay fare than if there were no
passes" a p
Mr.. Adams is. undoubtedly excellent
authority on the subject, and the evil OF
which he complains is an ugly enc. but
it occurs to US that neither Congress
nor the Legislatures should be applied to
for the remedy. There are States where
the Legislatures have dealt with the
trouble, emily to learn how easy 1t is
for the railroads to defeat the
law, and how persistently they will defy
the authority which says they must not
issue passes. We have in mind a case
where the State act prohibited the giving
of passes to anybody except officers and
employees of the railroads. but there
was no diminution in the number. of |
passes issued; Congressman, govern
ment and State officials, newspaper /
men, and friends and relatives of the
railway managers, Travelled on passes as
employees" of the company, some
times as inspectors" of the road, and
again as agents" being transferred"
from one point to another The law
was failure, because the railroads per
sisted in defeating its purpose.
The cure of the evil lies with the rail-
-OadS tbomcoIuoo NEr IT, - |
the contrary Notwithstanding. But
the cure cannot come through
maintaining favored class. There
must be a total abolition of the
pass system, and if this is followed by
reduction of the rates to correspond,
there will be no loss of business"
through the refusal TO give free trans
portation. If Mr.. Adams will give that
$14 900 a week which is now bestowed
on the favored few to the travelling pub
lie, he will find that the road will lose
nothing. Let him cut off the passes and
reduce the cost of tickets 16 per cent?
the amount that those who buy these
tickets have to pay extra because of the
passes, and his road will gain rather
than lose business
The truth is. the railroads are most r
interested in retaining the pass system.
They know its power, and understand
how to use it to their advantage. They /
realize that. corruption is large if not t
a controlling element in the affairs of Q
this world, and are acquainted with the I
fact that through corruption and bribery U
they can bring more benefit to them
selves than through Hprightness and n
square-&ealing. A pass is in the Q
nature of bride, though men
who accept them do not like La
to be told so. If it is not d
intended as bride. it must be clear ts
gift, and nobody viii say that railroads
and railroad men are more than Others
TO give something Cor nothing. h
Charles Francis Adams, Jr., as a pri- in
yate citizen without ambition for place h
and caring nothing for The good will of T
the chairman of the House con mittee Il
,n railroads, and never expecting to see in
Dr. be brought in contact with mem A
Der of the Cabinet, does not send to OF
hose men the price of ticket on the th
Union Pacific railway, yet as president he
If that company he sends passes to the ne
;abinet ministers. to Congressman, to dt
members of State Legislatures, TO gov
rnors of States, to officials generally,
o newspaper men, and TO persons. of &c
influence who can possibly be of service vi
D his road; he either wants to silence th
heir enmity or win their good win. 1t gel
J this pass system which enables the II
ailroads to do such outrageous things. to
nd passes are largely responsible for
ne exorbitant rates that the public has J
, pay, for somebody must pay for tie go