The sun., 1900-06-17
RAILROAD PASS FAV0RS
VERY MUCH REDUCED IN NUMBER
FROM FORMER DAYS.


Railroads No Longer Burdsned IN Carrying
Persons Free-Passes Given Now to Railroad
Men. and Tor Advertising or Of Friend
ship-Passes That Cost More Than Fares.
The Southern men who distributed passes
on q fictitious railroad among the officials Of
various railroads, and asked for exchange
passes. had more nerve than discretion and
have laid Up trouble for themselves. but there
are others. The fakes practised for the pur-
pose Of obtaining railway passes are legion.
but the successful ones can be counted with
out mental strain even BY anindifierent mathe-
matician. The railroad mon have had too
many years Of experience with the pass prob
lem to be caught mapping. often. and 1t Is q
clever scheme that wiles q pass from them
unless they choose to give 1t as business prop
osition or from motives II good fellowship.
The number of passes issued has diminished
phenomenally within the last ton years. since
laws have gone into effect making 1t illegal
to issue passes for the purpose of influencing
freight traffic. and forbidding State and mu-
ncipal officials to travel free; but every road
still carries host Of free passengers each year.
The passes now fall into three classes. those
issued TO offlcials and employees Of other roads.
those given In exchange for advertising. and
To friends Of officials In the spirit in which one
man offers another a cigar. Occasionally y
some unusual and individual case. not in
cuded under these three heads. calls for q
pass but such instances are rare and a. a re-
suit Of long and varied experience the rail-
road men have developed broad and In
elusive scepticism in regard to the innumsrable
demands for passes made In the name OF charity.
Probably thoy turn down some deserving
cases. but railroads are not run In the interests
OF philanthropy, and investigation has al
ways shown more than 90 per cent. of tho re-
quests based on charity TO be fake
The tuberculosis victims whose lives de-
pend upon their having passes to Denver.
would Ill one train week with healthy
passengers. II their pathetic letters were taken
seriously; and the desperate widows whose
only children are dying somewhere west Of
Chicago would wiring the hearts Of the gen.
eral passenger agent II he didn't know that
most Of them were hearty men or women with
out sick child. but with yearning for travel
and dislike for walking. The invalds and
distressed parents usually stick TO the mails.
but the man with a convention TO attend calls
on the President Of the road. Every one in
the once knows the man with a hypothetical
convention up his slesv, HS's a hardy per-
ennial. and. ordinarily. has a gift of language
that ought to bring him an income that would
justify his paying for railroad transportation.
He has been entrusted with the responsibility
of placing some convention which will draw
at lowest calculation 800 delegates. and ne
wants to select a town on the oompany's line
but In order to fulfil his mission satsfacto-
rily II will be necessary for him to run over
the liue and see what the towns offer.
The story varies in detail. ornamentation
and delivery, but the substance doesn't change.
Neither does the story's reception. The pro-
spective convention is hailed with simple Joy
tor is sent to tho passenger department where.
50 he is assured. a thorough Investigation of
his scheme will be mnde. and II his references
tionably be able to obtain transportation.
Nine times out OF ten the man Is lost before
he ever reaches the passenger department,
Then there Is the unadulterated crank, who
demands transportation as his natural right.
Sometimes he is an out-and-out lunatic. Some
| times he Is merely Im?nomaniac; and his
memory, look pale and wan, He flies from
International formation, secrets. and and is an agent of an
secret .oe and i on the rscS q
| crime. He usually trusts 70 correspondence.
fact for which the railroad men are thankful
but once In a while, he turns up In person and
beside him, the convention man Ia welcome.
| railroad has little trouble with Its exchange
Masses They are granted oniy unon person.
| ajlv signed requests from the President, Vice
| President, general manager, or general SUI
| perintendent, of another road. and are issued
only 10 employees actively and solely en-
gagged In railroad service. Telcgrhphic re-
| quests for such passes we're formerly an or
| dinnry thing but the practice provided chance
for confusion and trickery, and now most OF
The great roads refuse 10 issue any passes what
| soeyer on telecraphic requests
Complimentary passes, being matters OF
| personal friendship and intimacy with off,
cials Of the road, give no opportunity for
| fakes: and II is in regard to the passes ex-
changed for advertising that It Is necessary to
| exercise the most care Naturally, q road
| gives TRANSPORTATION only where an adver.
| tiscment would be profitable
| Many of the passes obtained by trckery
and even some Of those obtained In a leg inmate
| son to whom they were issued; but. In many
cases, the road gets word OF the transaction
| and the pass is taken up. II the ticket Ia sold
to a private individual there is little chance OF
detection, unless shrewd conductor. or gate.
| man has his suspicion aroused and investi.
| gates. but IL such q pass is offered to reputa.
| kie scalper or ticket broker, he will either buy
| IL and turn IL over to the road, or will note iu
| number and report to the railroad officials
Once in a while, the pass Is bought by a scalpel
| without a conscience, but IL discovered by one
| of the Trunk Line Association detectives whS
| visit all scalpers to test rates In such q case
the detective buys the pass and sells II to tn,
road that issued it, and the person 10 whom
the transportation was originally given Ia STRUCK
| OF the free list of the road When informa
tion is received at the central office that pass
| has been transferred or offered for sale tn,
gatemen and all conductors are Immediately
warned Of the number Of the pass which Il
| taken I'D when presented
| NV NAL