The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-02-11
LEGISLATORS AND PASSES.


This pass 'Questioc il again agitat;ug
the Legislative mind in q number Of
States. IL has come to the. front in nu-
ncrous legislatures during the past
twenty years, and some OF them h;tSc en-
acted laws prohibiting the acceptance of
railway passes by any legislator .oc other
State cilicial. Ju some c. the States an
anti pass section has been put intc the
constitution, f5lt it is reported that this
provision is generally ~iaded.
South Carolina is opc of the common
weu.ths whose Legislators are ntw wres,-
ling with tltis chrousc troubles but lis,
stvtnge to sly, not q movement for the
passage OF sxi anti-psss bill, hIt for the
repeal of M act of that kind which has
been on the statute book for numbw, of
years. Tie ColuK,bia State vigorously
opposes the pending bill. It can find no
vjenablc theory of moralS or government
under which che railroads should bc eN-
pected tt transport, free u charge, the
members of the legislature. who, it says,
are thett ;dGeS Of the railroads in al mat
tiers of controvers y between them and the
people. The Site SUBMITS that, If the
roads I'VE the legislators passes sponta-
neoustr, the gift constitutes a favor
which che recipients willaot forget wEer
the tir,c for Judgment clmes. On the
otEer ,nand, the Columbia paper urges
that II the passes are given on request, il
amoGats to something il the nature of
blW:i,mail, because tie roads cannot
aTorEl to breed resentment by refusal
Any judge who--Hccerts II gift from IL
litiGcnt whose case he j, to decile is Ia
bic to impeachment. The Stateis not far
wrong in applying this principle to the
pass question. 1t is :rue thas she lcGis-
l,f- =. ~ n
all questions between the railroads and
the people. The reascns which called for
tkeonactment of t4lc'Houth ONNolinn anti
pass law are equally iforcible against :he
pro- osed repeal.
In the Wisconsin, Legislature Il bill is
pending for the prohibition Of passes to
legislators and all otl.er State officers. 1t
is'e1 old acquaintance, having shown up
in previous sessions and caused great
@0yiety. The Peoplf of the SS;.te demand
the passage 'of the measure with even
more earneStness thaS1 they displayed two
yen-s ago. II was IN issue in the recent
CRIT paign, for TIE friends OF N,e bill went
into the Repubiican-Sta ate COW ention last
summer and se;2ret, the 'adop ion Of I'm
| anG.-pass plank rs II section Of the plat
| four. The Republican .meis.ters Of that
| owe whelminGly ReSublcan o|egi slature
;s,e, therefore instructed AMI pledged to
| pns0 the bill. BEo now, as two years ago,
| the. are strongly d;sinclined 80 comply
| witt the popular demand in skis respect.
| The Milwaukee Sentinel remitk.s the law
| Imai-ers of their obstruction, ard submits
| that, if they can iguoYe so plain n man
| date, sit will seem,i,li, for OH people of
! thc-State to cherish definite convictions
With the idea 81 havins; them executed by
their supposed servants. ~ lshingtort
! Post
| ftr.vill not tse lung >before oh, legisla-
tive, Tree pass swiH CIT a figure in Vir-
giniG politics. During the last,lession OF
the Nirginia S4-seiIrbl5 thousand mile
railway pass hooks GOULD be h,it al lbi
tura is the lneInbers without ia )ney and
apparently without, price. Some of the
railrna,l lobbyists an order to mske sure
of carr ing their t,alariee actually went
among the memla?A of tie assoc blv and
solicisdi the privilege Of presenting mem
crs witt Thousand mile looks aid, dis
gustinc Ms it may tS2pear, in tnany in
stances they found .,,n OPEN doc and IL
cordial .eception. later an the session
the sasI.e lobbyists We're buttots holing
.,membe1s ana explaining tke greaz bless
i-ngs to h5w from a re rtain Sill, il .nact-
I'd, then before the assem-. ,ly, aiMl the
z rcat daS.scr that lh-ked in n certain
05her bill that il enacted ould z,tari
railroad construction and w,"k great
hardship al enterprise that had done so
100, ch To develop the s1-xte. The leas Sla-
tis, free pa is dangerous and degrading.