The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-10-05

senger fare only about one-third as
many people in proportion to population
ride on railroads in this country as in
England.
/ note In your proceedings that in
your meeting four years ago, Mr.. Cole
Of New York, stated that in his state
even then the statues required all rail-
roads charging over two cents mile to
sell 50o-mile tickets for SO, good on any
train, in hands Of the owner, any men,
Der Of his family or firm or employe,
with the result that the roads were SELL
ing ordinary tickets at that rate or
under.
RATES NORTH AND SOUTH.
Instead of passenger rates being mod
crate and alike to all, they range from
(and were only reduced to that point
by the railroad commission) down to
one cent on some of the Northern rail-
roads, the average being about two
cents. The charges for passengers are
thus distributed:
I. To the influential, as newspaper
editors, politicians, public ofacials, rela-
tives of railroad managers and the
wealthy free passes-which means that
their Sare is paid by adding the cost of
the rate charged the poor and unin-
fluential.
2. To those with secondary influence,
like commercial tourists. employed by
wealthy firms, reduced rates are given,
upon the 1.000-mile ticket system
which is simply a device for the
interest of the fare paid in advance, is
no consideration to the corporation, but
the required lump sum cannot be con-
veniently raised by the average man.
3. To ministers of the gospel who
will come under obligations to the rail-
roads by special application therefor,
permits to buy tickets at reduced rates
lock is sought to be put on their in
fuence.
4. AS an outlet to public disaffection
at high rates, lower rates are granted as
special favor to conventions, COM
mencements and the like, and the
wealthy hotel owners are conciliated by
low summer rates.
8. Lastly, the great masses Except
on special occasions) are taxed the high
est rate possible; Of those least able to
bear it, the utmost is exacted. For all
this system Of favors and special privil-
eyes, very low permanent rate, with
out exceptions for any occasion or to
any person Except railroad employees
in the discharge Of their duties), should
be substituted, with no difference In rate
except that justified by difference in
accommodation.
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 met wide public condemn
alton. Eight great states have put in
their constitutions provisions against it.
making 1t forfeiture Of ONCE for any
of1ce-holder to take q free pass. The
interstate commerce commission has
repeatedly stated that free passes are
forbidden In all Interstate commerce,
among states forbidding 1t by statute,
North Carolina did so In 1891. In that
state tho railroads absolutely ignored
the statute. 80 much SO that find that
<ha nho& ~ fhn
railroad commission stated to your con-
vention q year ago that 100000 free
passes were issued annually in that
state, and this was seven years after
the act was passed. All during these
years. in spite Of the law, the railroads
had carried that 100000 of the rich and
influential free, by adding the cost of
their riding to the tickets of the poor
and uninfuential Since then the law
has been enforced by q fine of $1,000
being laid in two cases (out of, it would
seem, 900 violations). I see that
Van Ost in his work states that one
fifth of the passengers in the West ride
free-that is to say that the other four
ffths pay for their riding.
HAS 1T 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 in justice, but Judge Cooley, in his
address before you, to which have al
ready referred, intimated that it had
merely become secret-like freight dis
elimination 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
of making one portion of the COM
munity (and those least able to pay for
themselves) pay for the free riding of
others, there is the leprosy of the free
pass system being the most shameless
| and most widely spread system of
bribery of public officials and others
having or supposed to have influence
with the public. Beginning as dis
tribution Of transportation to servants
of the state, at time when often the
state owned. or had largely aided in
the construction Of railroads, its evil
| tendencies was not at first generally IN
| derstood. If abolished utterly as 1t
should be railroads could by that fact