The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1901-07-05
Newspapers and Passes,

/ uSeu against cOnSVllulloilalC uuN6u'
ton and revisions of organic Law
is that once the floodgates are
opened there is no way of controll-
ing the stream and that while ad,
mitted evils may be remedied 9th.
er evils may be introduced. The
convention now in session al
Montgomery is doing more than q
little to strengthen the argument.
That distinguished body seems ia
contain liberal share of delegates
whose ideas of matters and things
could be improved upon without
serious difficulty and whose infor-
nation on questions which they
desire to make subjects of legiSla'
ton is less than accurate. A con.
spicuous instance of this kline
comes to us from Montgomery il
a special telegram that was pub
lished in yesterdays number Of
The Commercial Appeal which
read:
"Mr. Reynolds, of Clifton, in.
troduced resolution in the con
stitutional convention this morning
providing that no newspaper in
this State or representative there
of shall receive or accept pass or
other free transportation from
any railroad company doing bus
mess in the State; that a newspa-
per, in the event that it or its rep
sentative receive or accept and Use
transportation or free passes, shall
be fined not less than $1,000 for
each violation thereof. Mr.. Rey-
nolds based his ordinance on the
grounds that newspapers were
recognized as such great instru-
ments for public good that if they
would feel under obligations to the
railroads"
1t is easily conceivable how Mr..
Reynolds could bring himself to
think that the newspapers Of
the country are biased or bought
up with "free" (l) passes. II is
popular delusion. As matter OF
fact the railroads can buy no ia
vors from anyone with passes ex-
cepting from legislators. They do
not try. If Mr.. Reynolds infor
nation was at all discisive he
would know between railroads and
newspapers there is nothing free.
Each has its regular rate and while
form of ticket is used called a
"pass" there is nothing free"
about it. Every mile that pass is
used is charged up against that
newspaper to which it was issued
and bill is made out for it on set
Element day. On the other hand
every line of advertisement used
by a railroad is charged for at the
regular rate. No newspaper that
is worth advertising in admits to
its columns any free advertise
ments. The newspaper also makes
out its bill at stated times as it
does with its other advertisers and
when these bills are compared,
the difference, If any, is paid by
the side owning it; or, if trifling,
carried over into the next.account.
There is nothing free. For con-
venience of both parties response
bic railroads and responsible news
papers sometimes do credit bus
mess with each other-the one be-
cause it takes time to send off its
bill and have them audited; the
other because it frequently needs
transportation at times when it is
not possible to purchase a ticket.
Any newspaper that can be bought
or biased with something that it
pays full value for would be q
curiosity and Of small value as an
advertising medium.
The legislators deal in railroad
passes, and it acquires no legisla-
ton to continue them in the en-
ioyment of what seems to be a
natural monopoly with them.
One of our distinguished states
men in the Tennessee Legislature
has record of /, 700passes during
ono session, which is no doubt a
record breaker. What became Of
these passes we know not, but il is
no violent assumption to say that
many Of them went to virtuous
people who are glib in charging
newspapers with being bought
up with free passes"
OF these, we fancy, Mr.. Rey-
nolds Ii not. Rather Is he one who
Ill, ,l .e,,,,.aua;valx ;ano.