Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-01-19
RAILROAD PASSES AND PUBLIC
OFFICIALS.

Throughout the entire country there is
a feeling of hostility to railroads. At
times this feeling is unreasonable, and
much of the agrarian legislation against
railroads has been the result of this feel
ing The majority OF people are far more
influenced by their feelings than by their
reason. There is conviction abroad,
and this conviction is more or less well
founded, that the railroads Sustain very
considerable lobbies at every State and
Territorial capital during the session of
the Legislatures This is most apt to be
the case when there is some railroad
scheme to be engineered through a Legis-
lature or there is danger of adverse
legislation. The influence OF any
lobby for any purpose is bad, and
always throws suspicion upon all
public officials dealing with them.
There is no railroad lobby in Utah Terri
tory, but there exists here system OF
giving railroad passes to public officials
that is as bad and pernicious as lobby.
We believe there is not member of the
present Legislature, who has had occa-
sion to travel on the railroads during the
present session, who has not travelled on
a pas. They travel on trip passes, but
the Federal officials of Utah Territory
that is, the more prominent ones-travel
on annual passes when they travel on the
railroads. We cannot say what Federal
officials hold annual. passes on the rail-
roads for the year 1886, but we know who
held them in 1885, and presume the same
officials hold them in 1886. 1t is a highly
improper thing for any public official to
accept a pass. The moment public
official accepts a pass, that very
moment public official throws
himself open to just censure
and suspicion. If public official rides
on railroad without pass, he pays mis-
fare, and that costs money. Wherein is
the difference between accepting money
and passes from railroads? There is no
n
railroad bill into the Legislature, and who
also accepts passes from the railroads, is
not fit to deal with the matter of rail-
roads. The Executive to whom such a
bill is presented for approval, and who
accepts passes from railroads, is not fit
person to approve or disapprove such a
bill. A Judge who carries railroad pass
in his pocket is totally unfit to try case
in which railroad interests are involved,
although that Judge may have the learn
ing of Mansfield and the integrity of
Marshall. Judges who so debase them
selves as to accept a pass from a rail-
road would do well to study and
emulate the example of Cazot, the French
man who, occupying the first place in the
Judiciary of France, resigned his position
when a case involving the interests of
one of the railroads of France came be-
fore him, and the reason why he resigned
was because he held few shares of the
stock of said railroad. Cazot's reputa-
ton was too dear to him to permit him to
do anything that could in the remotest de-
gree tarnish that reputation. Here indeed
was judge, and would that there were
more like him. Public officials should
be like Caesars wife-above suspicion.
Let the Legislature enact a law making
it crime for any railroad official to give
or offer to give public official pass,
and make it crime for any public
official to solicit or accept railroad pass.
The public will then have more conf
dence in their officers. A sense of pro-
priety and dignity should forbid public
officers to accept passes, but if propriety
and dignity dc not forbid them to accept
"favors,'' the law should.