The sun., 1891-05-24
OUR GREATEST DEADHEAD.
NO CHARGES FOR TRANSpORraTror
M THE RAILROADS.

Guest Throughout the Trip-,,o,.
mittees of Congress Pay Fun Pnrs.
WAsnIHaToN. May 22.-It would be extremo,.
| interesting to figure out the exact co.t =,
| even the approximate cost. OF the tour whit.
the President has Just completed. f,hc Coz,
| OF the railroad travel. dining car service N.
! hotel expenses in San Francisco and ,,has
places where tho party remained over ni,h,
! and the amount of money spent on ,he deco..
! tions. tho fireworks. tho banducts and IN.
other features oflocal celebrations could alh.
added together 1t would make an e,,rcmoi.
interesting exhibit But 1t is not possihi, :.
| make an estimate even OF tho cost OF m.
! Presidents railroad travel. A great deal b..
! been published during the absence O, ,hs
| President and his marty about ,hs
| cost OF the railroad travel and n er.s,
| many statements have apprared ..
tho effect that this or that Republican v,.
paying the freight" George Nj. Pullman
was credited with paying the bills OF the rail
! rond company. All OF the statements war.
wild. No railroad bills were to bc paid. and
therefore. no ono paid any railroad bIn.
When the President of the United States trav.
els ns a citizen and not Q, an oilicial h, IA.
guest OF the railroads. Grover Cleveland wo.
n guest, and all his predecessors were russ,s
Mr.. Cleveland. when the Interstate Commerce
law went into effect. began to pay his fare On
tho railroads. but he did not do SO long I,
was rather ridiculous for the Presidents mi.
vate secretary to walk up 10 the ticket Office a,
the railroad company and buy flve or six frat.
class tickets from Washington to Nsv
York at SO apiece to pny the expense
OF special train OF paror car.
which cost the PENNSYLVANIA Railroad Com.
pany several hundred dollars to run So, s,ts,
a time. President Cleveland abandoned thai
rather sentimental custom and did as his pred,
ecessors had DONE 1t would not be possbl.
for the President OF tho United States. unless
he was n very rich man. to ray for the accom-.
modations which the railroad companies fur.
nish him whom he goes on an extended trim
And any railroad company. for the sake Of IA
own reputation. would not be willing to have
the President travel like an ordinary tourist
1t would take tens OF thousands OF dollars ia
reimburse the railroad for the damage II would
suffer II the President OF the United S,ates
should be injured while travelling on its lines.
1t is to the interest OF the railroad companiea
thei efore. to make the President as secure "A
possible In journeyinR, and it is II g ood adver.
tlsemont for the company to make him a
comfortable as pos sible.
The President is a guest OF the railroad com.
panies by whose lines he travels. and there is
always competition between them for bis
patronage. On the swing around the smaller
circle which the President made last fail, Mr..
Bishop the agent OF the Chesapea axe and Ohio
Railroad. made all the arrangements for trans.
portation. and with one exception there wss
not q railroad on the route covered which did
not strive Tor the privilege OF carrying tho
Presidents party. The exception was com.
pany over whose line the par,y travelled bs.
tween two points on the routr. Another road
running between the same points had offered
to transport the party and 10 furnish
any accommodating that might be needed,
and there was some surprise when the com.
transportation The president , knew nothing S inr
Gnsw s"s H me%Hsr II bs BIS b Rnd ssD a
pnid prom,ptly. But before it coull leach hum
il and recalled it., In no other instance Was an
effort made to collect TRANSPORTATION expenses
The President Of the United States could
q trip likss hat which Mr. Harrison has Just
large amount. The railroads along tbs her r'uis sI
tincressee their immediate business. anu thai
b travelling over their route Is good ahver.
1s 1s s ,hs een S TIT ssoh
line II, i would be hernldsd SO widely that they
offer the Pres dent every accom- mediation, by
errAng, ng their train schedules to ncromlno.
PRECAUTIONS against acciisnt. These pre-.
cautiSns renresent the greater nart
thu ss ssSress and S ;Gn5ER GSo Ra on n ]
ample. when the President went West over
that l line. tho enormous coal traffic Of the com.
possibtity OF q collision, while the tram was
'on and Quincy iailroad In hnniiins G the H patty
nsnses ahead q the @ trim 5 S. Ths snsa0 cost 9
iiding against accident. but the railro d
Beore p Tresiaen @ss on his eeen
rip Mr.. Boyd of inc PENNSYLVANIA Kuiiro.d
ri % who had d the arrangsments for ,hs
'very railroad over which the PRESIDENT might
possibly wish to travel cordially inviting lin
lo,hing Of them. Tho TRANSPORTATION arrange;
y the journey he Lad handed the Presidents
'ill for trnnsrortaii over the route. 1t would
RE p W, re not so wsen hs
,ave tie GoSeEnsns 10 deal With WI" %hon 'HS, iS.
'ennte or tho House, Of Representatives sends
rate our relations with Canada, or the cost OF
he iran nsporlatlon Of meat product. or some
when the select Committee on Relations with
ana IN went 10 DOStnn Two years ago tho
Railroad Comrnny sold them
ull far" tickets from Washington to
,SE Objected s2.s5 each Tor 'sa sea,s eHn'n IN ns
'arlor car from Washington to Jersey
fly. When n Deputy Sergeant -of-Arms Of tho
onate is sent TO serve y subpInR ho buysa
nilroad ticket and pays his sleeping car inre
ks any one ese. 1t is only when travelling
YER the subsidized Pacific railroads that The
government officers travel free. Tho railroad
nd the sleep ing car conn anies always profit
Y the funeral! q u Senator; ! or, example
nd Ohio itailroad collected 81 .553.2} for trans;
he Pullman Car Company collected $3.50
'r the use OF the three cars which the
ommittes occupied. The heavy. charges for :
have cau. ed the sub ttes
the Senate Committee on Territories to
bandon its plan nt going to Alaska this sum.
ier. That WAS the pet project OF Senator
latt, who proposes to take M at the next SOS.
on OF Congress- tho question of the govern.
lent OF Alaska. Mr.. Piatt believes that Alaske
~ have to be made colony OF the United
'ates Gs Algeria is u colony of France. lie
anted to take rho other members OF the com
ittee to Alaska this summer TO give Them
)me idea OF the necessities OF the country
ith a view to converting them 10 his heller
bout It's goyernment. lie prnposed 10
~ .,