The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-08-15

Lubu the SldlulC I0HullOu an 1ulA1OAuS
charging over = cents per mile to sell
500 mile tickets for $40, good on any
train, in hands of the owner, any member
of his family or firm or employee, with
the result that the roads We're selling
ordinary tickets generally at that rate
or under.
RATES NORTH AND SOUTH.
: Instead of passenger rates being mod
crate and alike to all, they range from
3A cents per mile in the Southern States
land were only reduced to that point by
the Railroad Commissions dOwm to one
cent ON some of the Northern railroads.
the average being about two cents. The
charges for passengers are thus dlstrlb-
uted:
l. To the influential, as newspaper
editors, politicians, public officials, rela-
tives of railroad managers and the
wealthy, free passes-which mean that
their fare is paid by adding the cost of
the rate charged the poor and unin-
huential.
2. To those with secondary influence,
like commercial tourists, employed by
wealthy firms reduced rates are given.
upon the 1000 mile ticket system-which
is simply a device for the interest on the
fare paid in advance. is no consideration
to the corporation but the required limp
sum can not conveniently be raised by
the average man.
3. To ministers of the gospel who viii
come under obligation to the railroads
by special applications therefor, permits
to buy ii kets at reduced rates are grant
ed as a favor. Thus a paddock is sought
to be put on their influence.
T.. As an outlet to public disaffectiOn
NJ hTrb ro+D- 1ou-ns ratios nro CrT11nta1 nc
Il special favor to conventions, commence
ments and the like, and wealthy hotel
owners are eOnciliated by low summer
rates.
.. Lastly, the great masses Except on
special OccasiOns) are taxed the highest
rate possible. Of those least able to.
bear it, the utmost is eXacted. For all
this system of favOrs and special privil-
eyes. a very low, permanent rate, without
exceptions for any occasion or to any per-
son Except railroad employees in the dis
charge of their dutieS) should be substi-
tuted. with no difference in rate except
that justified by difference in accommo
dalton.
a change so just. so much to the bene-
fit of the public and the railroads alike.
can not be too soon adopted.
THE FREE PASS EVIL.
The evils of the free pass system, and
the immoral purposes to which it has
been put has me- wide public cOndemna-
ton. Eight great States have put in
their Constitutions provisions against it.
making it forfeiture of office for any of
flee hOlde to take a free pass. The
Interstate Commerce Commission has
repeatedly decided that free passes are
forbidden in all Interstate Commerce
and among States f%Orbidding it by Stat
ute, North Carolina did so in 1891. In
that State the railroads absolutely ig-
nOred the statute, 50 much SO that | find
that the Chairman of the North Caro-
lima Railroad Commission stated to your
convention a year ago. that 100000 free
passes were issued annually in that State.
and this was seven years after the Act
was passed. All during those years.
in spite of the law, the railroads had car
ried that 100000 of the rich and infu-
entail free, by adding the cost of their
riding to the tickets of the poor and I'M
influential. Since then. the law has been
enforced by a. fine of $1,000 being laid
In two cases tout of, it would seem. 100
600 viOlatiOns). / see that Van OSt i'm
his work states that One-ffth of the pas
sengers in the West ride frec-that is 10
say that the other four-ffths pay fo-
their riding.
HAS IT BECOME SECRET?
| do not know how far the corrective
force of public opinion and the enforce
ment of the law have abated
the free pass injustice, but Judge
Cooley, in his address before
You, to which 1 have already
REFERRED intimated that it had merely
become secret like freirht d~iScrimina-
tiOnS) and that it was carried on by the
device of issuing mileage books-fOr
which nothing is paid-instead of free
passes. Aside from the injustice or