Evening star., 1902-02-15

| tween Boston and San FRANCISCO Western
officials meet in Chicago. st. I.ouis Mil
| waukse, st. Paul. Omaha. kansas Citr.
Denver and other cities Officiais of south
ern roads hold at least six meetings a N.af
! In New York. one or two in Chicago and
i others at different cities or resorts between
the Potomac and the gulf. Tra'tic oT!i~itls
OF the large systems are seldom, al hor.c
seven days consecutively. Man or them
are usually accompanied hy a secretary or
| chief clerk. Abolish passes and their fares
will amount to n considerable sum. not inn
portant to the long lines. but quite 4 draln
en- the small companies.
Useful in Business.
Commercial freight agents and travelling
passenger agents use more free train rams
| portation than any other set OF men, They
| frequently ride 5000 miles a month but
| they will not average more than 300, miles
With exchange passes in their pockets
| they will jump 200 miles 10 solicit two car
loads of freight or half doZs II passengers.
Cut of the passes and personal solicitation
OF business will be reduced. However, X
Is not likely that this will cause any ma
terial reduction in the outside or as soma
call them. the outlying agencies. These
agencies cost the roads s11.nn.un a year.
Expensive as they are. they cannot be dis
continued until the entire territory il d-
ViGed or apportioned. as is done In England
where the roads do not snnct business at
ali. Unless otherwise directed by the ship
preferred connections. The courts have
| decided that the roads have the right to do
! tn,s any way. even over the protest of the
SHIPPERS; As there are more than ninety
relftes by which freight may move b,-
tween New York and New Orleans 1t can
Dc seen that the soliciting agent has vast
i,id In the country at large.
| 1fe diScontfnuance of exchange masses
VII. require presidents to buy eighteen full
| fare tickets when they take private ears
over other lines than their own. Naturally.
this will restrict the movement of privat,.
| cars. which will be relief to the larger
roads and especially 10 those which enter
the great cities.
When ali exchange passes are discontin-
ued the roads Will probably furnish mill
age books to each other keep an account OF
| thr mileage used and settle balances in
ci.sn travelling representatives will be
CURED To use the mileage sparingly at
least for no personal trips. 1t has been
estimated that the average soliciting agent
| does not travel more than 3O.u,U miles a
year. and that $1,000 would pay for all his
transportation. company with fifty alI:-
Side men would not have TO use more than
SSoWW worth of mileage for its outside
men In a year and that sum would not b.
felt by a company able to maintain
many outside men.
Railway managers agree that the greatest
abuse OF the pass system is in the political
department Politicians must be conciliated
and a free pass is frequently the price or
peace. Public officials often become Insist.
ent and request passes not only for them
selves and members Of their families but
also for constituents. New York North
carolina, Alabama and Mississippi; prohibit
their officials accepting railway passes II.
antt-pass bill is familiar in many state leg
lslatures. Occasionally some proposes
that the roads be required by law To fur
nsh all public officials with passes After
| New York forbade the roads to issue passes
| to public officials the latter dema uded them
Tor 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 preju-
dices. Refusal to give one may cause trout
bic. Mr.. a. B. Stickney. president of a
western railroad, testifying before COM
mission. said that he had found it good
policy to be liberal In issuing passes to pub
| lie officials. He related an incident of a
western sheriff who, upon being refused an
annual by one road. summoned four of its
most important officials to serve on a jury
and they were kept in the service of til.
| court two weeks.
That the roads arc imposed on in the
name of charity Is beyond dispute. Thou-
| sands of passes are given to applicants who
are able to pay fare. but who relate II
| pathetic story and appeal to the general
passenger agents sympathy. we'll
dressed woman of excellent family called
| one day on a general passenger agent and
| stated that she had been elected delegate
| to some convention In a distant city. THE
| fare for the round trip is twenty-five dol
l
one is really too shabby. you will admit. tn
| wear there. l cannot afford to buy a ticket
| and a new hat, too, and | want you to give
ME pass.
| Applied the Principle.
| Senator Chauncey Depew tells of a
| former classmate, looking seedy and dissi-
pated. who called on him and requested, n
| pass to Albany and return. Mr. Depew IN
| quired upon what ground the request was
made. The applicant replied that he would
explain after he got the pass. When it
| was handed to him he said that he was
| going to Albany to deliver an address before
| the Y NJ c. A. on How to Make Money"
| Another applicant. writing to a general
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 followed a request for
| transportation worth $:.J.
| A western road was sued some years ago
| by n man who had been given a pass.
| During his trip he contracted a fever from,
| i 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 tn the earnings of the large
| companies at the expense of the small
| ones. which heretofore have been getting
| much more out of the pass system than
| they have ever given
| Public officials and politicians must travel
| and they and their constituents will con-
| stitute the bulk of the new pay passengers.
These with shippers, and the legion of peo-
pie who now obtain passes on account OF
| charity, or on personal grounds. will not
| travel exceeding 400 900 Oo0 miles it Is call
culated. This at cents a mile will yield
| $S.00O.OG0.
Aside from this sum of money. the man
| ayers consider that their companies will
| be benefited in that, by reducing the volume
| of free travel there will be more room for
| the pay passengers; the traffic departments
| Will have more control over the freight
| business originating on their lines. rates
| will be better maintained and the roads will
| escape the criticism to which they are now
! subjected for giving passes.
| Politeness, 1T is true must have its origin
| IS a kind heart and desire to please; but
| tact and thoughtfulness and quick wit are
| also essential to good manners.
! 4 very stout hostess. who was entert aim