The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-18

 use or ride on a pass, but they have passed penal statutes for it. and will say to you. gentlemen, when l first went into the office of district attorney for Mississippi, the worry of my life was the vain effort to obey the laws of the State of Mississippi. found that if insisted upon obeying the law I was going to be almost ostracised in that State. if they did not actually tear tfp the railroad track. I know of no State in the Union, where officers of the State absolutely demand and re- quire a pass as they do in that great State. where they are prohibited both in the Constitution and in the statute. The clerks of the courts, the judges,
 and the sheriffs, the Federal Judges and Federal marshals and the Feder- al clerk always require passes on ev- cry railroad that enters the state, and it is directly under just such 8 consti-
 tutional provision as you propose now,
 and so far as the influence of the rail-
 road is concerned it is greatly magni- fled when they demand and accept those favors which are unlawful. As long as it is lawful. the officer can be ! independent of the railroad, but when they demand it. (and as l said to the gentlemen
 I have never heard of a pass being issued except under pressure direct or | indirect. They are very much more sensitive to influences than when it is given to them without that pressure | and demand. and without its being un- lawful If I believed it would accomp-
 fish the purpose. if believed that it | would stop the issuance of passes, that
 it would destroy this improper influ- ence, l would be in favor of it, but even If you enforce it to the letter it would not do any good If a man who goes to the Legislature and wants pass he is going to have 1t. He may pay his transportation to Montgomery
 and he may pay his transportation
 Dack to see his friends and family. He
 may not use the transportation then, Dut gentlemen of the Convention, when
 the General Assembly adjourns if he
 has been a good friend to the railroad.
 and the law is turned loose on him, he Is going to ask that railroad to show its gratitude by giving him a pass, after he has ceased to be an off,
 cer or the State of Alabama, and in
 gratitude 1t will be given. So I do not
 believe that the amendment will ac- complish the purpose intended, and
 that Is to destroy the influence of rail- roads With members of the Les jiature.
 IT you can devise any plan which
 would prevent the use of passes to se- cure improper influence with legis-
 lators. I would gladly join you in IF | but l do not care to join in a mere
 matter of grandiloquence, a mere pre- | tenSe of purity, which will not reach the evil for which it is designed MT. Pillans-I desire to ask my dis | tlnguished friend whether a member
 Of the Legislature ceases to be q State
 onlcer and member of the Lezisla-
 ture on the day of the adjournment
 of session of the General Assembly. MT. Smith (Mobile)-I think not hut | do not think one or two years cs
 cancel our obligations to those who | have befriended us.
 | MT. Pillans-Next, whether his expe-
 rience as railroad man is that rail- roads are very prompt to issue a pass
 10 man after he ceases to be a pub | lie officer?
 MT. Smith Mobile)-Through my of- | f1ce, yes. No pass has ever been is-
 sued unless it was for past favors and
 no pass for such favor has ever been | refused.
 MT. Watts-I am heartily in favor ol tnis amendment. l want to go | further even than the amendment of the gentleman from Jefferson. and if
 l could get his consent, and the con- sent of this Convention, would like 10 oner a substitute, which he has in
 his hands. and which covers the whole question, so that We may test it once
 and for all, and have 1t applied to ev- | cry one.
 | MT. White-I will ask unanimous
 consent of the House to offer this as a
 substitute for my amendment.
 The President-The gentleman asks | unanimous consent to withdraw the | hu
 thereof to offer the substitute sug-
 sested by the gentleman from Mont gomery. Is there objection?
 There being no objection, the sub- | stltute was read as follows:
 | Any person who, while holding of-
 flee in this State, or in any city or
 county thereof, including members of
 the General Assembly, solicits or ac-
 cepts for himself or another, or uses.
 any free transportation, or transpor-
 tation at a less rate than is open to
 the public generally, issued or grant
 ed by any corporation, or any officer
 thereof. shall be guilty of misde-
 meanor and upon conviction of such offense forfeit his office.''
 l MT. Long (Walker)-I will ask the | gentleman from Montgomery if he will
 not accept an amendment, providing
 that no person in this State shall ever use railroad pass?
 MT. Watts-No, because I do not think that the public interests are like
 ly to be affected in that way. MT. Long CWalker)--If a public man, | not an official, were to accept a pass, would 1t not influence that man here | after if he became an official? MT. Watts-But the object of this is that 1t shall not influence the man While he is in office.
 MT. Jones (Montgomery)-I will ask | the gentleman if he cannot accept this amendment, as I am in hearty sympa-
 thy with his amendment: Provided,
 that this Section will not apply to any | person who at the time of his election was an officer, employe, or attorney of such common carrier?"
 MT. Watts-I have no objection to | that.
 MT. Foster-I object to it. MT. Jones (Montgomery)-If that
 substitute is the only thing before the
 House l offer this as an amendment. The President-The gentleman from Montgomery (Mr. Watts) has the floor,
 and offers a substitute to the amend | ment, which reaches the limit of par
 liamentary procedure. Mir. Watts-We had in the Constitu-
 tion of 1875, and it has been the law
 of this State ever since, a provision
 that free tickets or passcU should not
 be given to, or accepted by public of fcers, but 1t has had no effect what
 ever. What l want to see done, if it is I l.