Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-01-08
A GOOD EXAMPLE.

The DEMOCRAT has frequently exposed
the system OF giving railroad passes to
officials The evil is great one and to
it as much if not more than anything else
the country is indebted for the land grants
to railroads and other evils of similar
nature. 1t is merely an indirect system
OF bribery. "A day or two ago the DEMO
Graf had an article on the subject, in
which it was urged that the Governor
make recommendation to the Legisla-
ture on the matter. Whether such
recommendation will be made cannot
be known until the Governor delivers his
message to the Legislature. In this matter
of passes Delegate Voorhees, of Washing
ton Territory has set very good example
by introducing bill into the House to pun
ish by fine of not less than $500 nor
more than 81 900, any railroad officer who
issues free passes to any employe OF the
United States. This is an excellent be-
ginning and it is to be hoped that the
bill will become law This bill should
be so amended as to make it cause for
impeachment for any United States
official to solicit or accept free passes
on railroads. If Government officials
have not a proper sense of what be-
comes public officer in the matter
of soliciting or accepting railroad
passes, the law should make them recog-
nize what is proper and improper in such
things Any man who is in the employ
ment of the General Government or of
the Territory, or any county cr city in the
Territory, who will accept a railroad pass,
whether such pass is for one trip or an
annual, is not a fit person to be public
officer. That is broad statement, but it
is true one For Government officials
to be riding on railroad passes is for Gov
ernment officials to disgrace the Govern
ment We remember case in which
person was appointed to a petty Office
under one of the courts, and as quick as
he got the appointment he made applica-
ton to the attorneys of one OF the railroads
of the Territory for a pass. Among the
very cogent reasons he advanced why he
should have pass was that there was
not enough money in the Office, and as it
involved considerable travelling he
hardly felt justified in taking it unless he
could get a railroad pass. The attorneys
of the railroad very promptly and prop
erly told him that they had not urged
him to take the office, and if there was
no money in it they advised him to not
accept it. 1t is pleasure to record the
fact that he did not get pass. The
whole system of giving passes to public
officials is pernicious and wrong and it
only tends to bring public officials into
disrepute and contempt; and when the
officers of the law are brought into disre
pute and contempt, the consequence is
that the law itself is more or less
brought into disrepute and contempt So
long as public officials will solicit or ac-
cept railroad passes, for just so long will
the public service be wanting in
that tone and high standard which should
accompany the public service of every
government to place it above the re-
proach of being a mere system of job
berry. We sincerely hope that Governor
Murray in his message will urge upon
the Legislature the necessity of passing
such laws as will make it impossible for
public servants to ride on passes, and
thereby lift load of deep disgrace
from off the Territory