The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-16

officials of Southern roads hold at least
six meetings a year In New York, one
or two in Chicago and others at diff
ferent cities or resorts between the Po-
tomac and the Gulf Traffic officials of
the large systems are seldom at home
seven days consecutively, Many of
them are usually accompanied by a sec
retary or a chief clerk. Abolish passes
and their fares will amount to a con-
siderable sum, not important to the
long lines, but a considerable drain on
the small companies.
Commercial freight agents and trav-
cling passenger agents use more free
train transportation than any other set
of men. They frequently ride 5000
miles month, but they win not aver
age more than 5000 miles. With eX-
change passes in their pockets, they
will jump 200 miles to solicit two car-
loads of freight or half a dozen passen-
gers, Cut off the passes and personal
solicitation of business will be reduced.
However ii is not likely that this will
cause any material reduction in the
outside or as some call them, the out
lying agencies" These agencies cost
the roads $4,000 900 a year. EXpendl-
sive as they are, they cannot be discon-
tinued until the entire territory is di-
vided or apportioned, as is done in
England, where the roads do not solicit
business at ALL Unles sotherwise .di-
rected by the shippers, railways Will
deliver traffic to their preferred con-
nections. The courts have decided that
the roads have the right to do this any
way, even over the protest of the ship
pers. AS there are more than ninety
routes by which freight may move be-
tween New York and New Orleans, it
can be seen that the soliciting agent
n fiald IN a
The discontinuance of exchange
passes will require presidents to buy
eighteen full fare tickets when they
take private cars over other lines than
their own. Naturally this will restrict
the movement of the private cars which
win be a relief to the larger roads and
especially to those which enter the
great cities.
When all exchapge passes are discon-
tined, the roads will probably
furnish mileage books to each other,
keep an account of the mileage used
and settle balances in cash. Travelling
representatives will be required to use
the mileage sparingly or at least for
no personal trips, 1t has been estimat-
ed that the average soliciting agent
does not travel more than 1000 miles
a year. and that $4,000 would pay for all
his transportation. A company with
fifty outside men would not have to use
more than 0,00O worth of mileage for
it's outside men in year, and that sum
would not be felt by a company able
to maintain so many outside men.
Railway managers agree that the
greatest abuse of the pass system is
in the political department. Politicians
must be conclliated and pass Is fire.
quently the price of peace. Public otf1-
cials often become insistent and re-
quest passes not only for themselves
and members of their families, but also
for constituents. New York, North
Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi pro-
hibit their officials accepting railway
passes. The anti-pass bill Is familiar
in many state Legislatures. Occasion
ally, some one proposes that the roads
be required by law to furnish all pub
lie officials with passes. After New
York forbade the roads to issue passes
to public officials, the latter demanded
them for their friends, and this was
a greater evil than the first. Many
roads maintain a political department.
They have found that they must have
influential friends to protect them
from harsh legislation. The pass Is
believed to have power to remove pre-
judices. Refusal to give one, may
cause trouble Mr.. A. b. Stickney
president of a Western railroad, testi-
flying before a commission, said that
he had found it good policy to be liber-
al in issuing passes to public officials.
He related an incident of western
sheriff, who upon being refused an
annual by one road, summoned TOUR
of it's most prominent officials TO serve
on a Jury and they were kept in the
service of the court two weeks.
That the roads are imposed on In the
name of charity is beyond dispute.
Thousands of passes are given TO ap-
plicants who are able to pay fare,
but who relate a pathetic story ana
appeaI TO the general passenger agent .
svmpathy. A weil-dressed woman or
excellent family called one day on n
general passenger agent ana stal-
ed that she had been elected dele
gate TO some convention in a olstant
eity "The fare for the round trip Is
s95 dollars" she said. II need new
hat This one is really too shabby,
YOU win admit, TO wear there. i can
not afford to buy ticket and new
hat too, and / want you to give me
a pass.
senator Chauncey Depew tells of
former classmate looking seedy ana
dissipated, who called on him and re-
ouested pass to Albany and return.
Mr.. Depew inquired upon what ground
replied that he would explain after he
got the pass. When it was handed to
him. he said that he was going to Al
bany to deliver an address before the
Y. M. C. A., ON "EIow to Make Money"
Another applicant writing to gem
eral passenger agent, said: Il have
never had the pleasure of meeting you,
but my brother-in-law rents a house
from you on H street" Then fol-
lowed a request for transportation
worth $35.
A Western road was sued some years
ago by man who had been given
pass. During his trip he contracted
fever from a family with whom he
stopped and he asked for damages
from the company on the ground that
If he had not been given the pass he
would not have taken the trip.
Shutting off exchange passes will add
something to the earnings of the large
companies at the expense of the small
ones which heretofore have been get
ting much more out of the pass sys-
tenn than they have ever given.
Public officials and politicians must
travel and they and their constituents
viii constitute the bulk of the new pay
passengers. These with shippers, and
the legion of people who now obtain
passes on account of charity, or on
personal grounds, will not travel ex-
ceeding 400, 000 600 miles. 1t is calculated.
This al two cents mile, will yield $S,-
600, 900.
Aside from this sum of money, the
managers consider that their COM
paniss viii be benefited in that by
reducing the volume Of free travel,