The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-08-18

York and several other States. A sim
liar provision should be in every State
Constitution. There is no excuse in
any member of a legislature taking a
free pass, as he is one of the few eff
GERS expressly provided by the State
with mileage, and the SUN allowed is
enough to pay his actual railroad fare
to the State Capitol and home again not
once only, but several times. Yet the free
pass is the railroad lobbyists strongest
pull A railroad eff 3ial has been heard
to defend it on the ground that he
could influence many a man by a free
pass to whom he dare not offer money
direct" In the last North Carolina
legislature a bill TO forbid free passes,
copied from the provision in the New
York Constitution, was introduced
and tavOrably reported by the commit
tee, but it was not allowed to pass, being
stolen from the files no less than three
times by some railroad lobbyist. A
legislative investigation resulted in the
desired delay and nothing more. The
bill had been drawn by myself, being
copied from the New York Constitu
ton, and g we'll known railroad eff ,ial
called on me IN person to secure the
withdrawal Of the bill. On being told
that the bill had not only been prepared
by request, but hat 1t was in the in,
terest Of honesty and honest legislation,
he used the following language which
may be pondered over by all honest
men, outside of North Carolina as we'll
as within its bounds. Said he:
1T might as we'll be Withdrawn. 1t
can never pass. The fellows that come
here to the Legislature are always anx-
ious to be raped with a pass. There is
A, Gaming a prominent mani why,
on yesterday he asked for a pass for
himself, his wife, his sister, his two
children and his aunt, and do you think
such ID cattle as that will vote against
free passes2"
SUCH CATTLE AS THAT.
"Sucb cattle as that" is the opinion
railroad men have of legislators who
are to vote on their measures and yet
take railroad money in the shap9 OF
free passes. Now is the time the people
should discriminate and see whether
they are sending railroad cattle or men
to represent them in the legislatures Of
the several States.
If proper care is taken, legislatures
IN the several States can be elected this
fall, as we'll ga a Congress, which will
give a bona tide hOnes5 reduction il
railroad charges, 50 material in amount
as to Sop the manufacture Of million
aires, necessltaCe moderate salaries fOl
railroad Cfti Gals, the dropping of rail
read ownership of newspapers and
Hobbies and which shall restore pros
perity to the wealth pr Cducers of the
land. All this can be done by electing
legislatures that will not be humbugged
or lo5bied, and that will faithfully cul
rates do WI to the legal limit Of 6 pei
cent. or less on the actual worth of the
roads without trimmings" for nigh sal
aries, Hobbies and other expensive gear
CONTROL BY LEGISLATION
In Wellman's case, 143 U. Reportss,
the court says that the power Of the
Legislature to cut down and fix all rail.
road charges lis not ~euOservient to the
discretion of the railroad corp 2raticn
which may by exhorbitant and unrea
sOnable salaries, or in some other i'm
proper way, transfer its earnings into
what it is pleased to call Operating ex
peneee,'" In other words, the salaries
and other railroad expenses being col
lected out of the people by one of the
own creatures, their representatives, il
| legislature assembled, have a right tC
supervise and pass upon all railroad
salaries and expenses when they come
to fl the reasonable rates the railroads
shall be allowed to charge The people
have the relief in their own hands.
In the South one great railroad sys,
tenn has been more considerable Of the
poverty of III people than the railroad
! commissions, ard has Itself presented
! the public voluntarily with a reduction
of 33B per cent. on their rates. Another,
still more liberal, has granted q reduc
! ton from their former high rates of 81
per cent, though it has been Charged
l know not how truly-that the latter
at once procured from a judge an in.
junction against their own h~beralIty.
If railroad commissions will not give
the people the benefit of an order re
duciDg rates, thery should at least be q
racket and pawl" to prevent their go
! inr III again The rAIr I'D clmnanies