The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-01-31
THE FREE PASS MANIA.
What 1t Cost n Newspaper Man to oblise
Friend.

Especial Correspondence.1
CHICAGO, Jan. i;.-"The free pass hab-
1t, said bright young newspaper man
to friend here today, sis one of the
most extraordinary mental Affections I
nave run up against. Its ravages do not
seem to be confined to any one class of
persons. The possession of money is no
bar to it, and under its potent influence
the tlmidest person will seem to be DOS
sessed of face that is entirely metallic.
You understand that in speaking of
victims of this habit I do not refer TO
newspaper men, who are entitled to 90 to
theaters and ride on railroad trains and
steamboats, free if any one is, but who as
often pay their way as otherwise, assure
you,nor OF members oflegislatures or 9th
er official boards, nor of railroad officials
Neither do consider a person victim
OF the habit who is not overburdened
WIN money and occasionally gets rail
ROAD or theater pass through friendship
and thereby saves cash hardly earned. |
THINK can explain my meaning best by
telling OF recent experience of my own
received note the other morning
from friend who had come to Chicago
on business errand that would keen
nm here some days. Besides being n
friend of mine, he is what the newsrath-
erers sometimes call 'source'-that is
he often has knowledge of important and
inside bits of news, so when | read in
his note that he thought l might have
some theater tickets lying about unused.
and that he could use two to great ad-
vantage, L made up my mind that he
must he supplied though as 1 am not
a dramatic critic 1 had none on hand
and no sure means of getting any. NV
first thought was to buy them direct, clip
the corners off so that they should look
like ID. H. tickets and send them to him.
Before Ibid this, however, 1 met the man
who does the theaters for the paper am
engaged on. He said he would get them,
so telegraphed forthwith to my friend
that he would find them at the box Office
of certain theater at O'clock that even
ing.
well, my friend the dramatic man
forgot all about the matter till after 5
o'clock. Then hunted him up, and he
wrote note to the manager of the the
alter, which he said would do rs we'll as
the tickets. couldn't risk any trouble
on the part of my source however, and
SO | telegraphed to my wife that |
couldn't get home to dinner and asked
the critic to dine with me Mt a well known
restaurant. We sat too long at dinner.
and L barely got to the theater with nv
note by o'clock. The box Office was
besieged by line of 70 buyers by actual
count, and fell i'll as the seventy fourth.
Before | had got to the box office nv
friend rushed in, forced his way to the
Office and had lively confab with the
man before | saw him. Finally mt SEQ
l got the tickets, gave them to him and
rushed away To get the $3.50 train to my
suburban home. | missed it by half il
minute and had to wait till 0:l5. got
home at 1915, whole evening gone.
1.-The next day | met my friend the
source, and he insisted upon setting I'D
small bottle. Now, let me give Won
some figures of the cost of those free
passes procured for man who has plen-
ty of money and is not unwilling 10
spend it, but is simply victim of the
free pass habit
Telegram to him.. ~
Telegram TO my wife. Observation-Disclosures. ~
Dinner for self and critic. 2,n
Street car fare TO theater and return. 10
s. 90
81 might have bought the best seats in
the house for 81 and saved my evening,
which was worth at least $40 to he, for
happen just now to be very busy But
the $3.50 spent is not ALL The small
bottle bought by the source cost So. 10.
so that the total cost of these ticketswas
$685..
Of l. ~.
this one. A business man of my nc
quaintance tells me that his young wife,
of whom he is very fond, so much pre-
fers to ride on railroad passes when 60
ing on a journey that he buys them for
her. He is not personally n victim of the
habit-in fact, he doesn't get passes for
himself when he goes on the road, which
he often does-but he knows most of the
railroad officials and has arranged that
when he wants n pass for his wife he
shall send for it, get 1t and be charged
the price of ticket to the same place rs
the pass furnishes transportation to.
"They used to tell a story of Chicago
millionaire who would sometimes spend
dollar in messenger fees to get pass
between points when the regular fare
might be only rs cents. 1 like something
for nothing as well as any one and be
lieve railroad companies and theatrical
people often make more than they give
in issuing passes, but I'm happy to say |
haven't got the pass habit as some of
those | have mentioned have it. Next
time I'm asked for theater tickets by
some one can't refuse Pm going to buy
them outright" j. NJ. DONNELIY.
Drop "a Penny For IA Fire.
A Liverpool hotel has put in some ncn-