The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-13
LEGISLATORS ABUSE
PRIVILEGES OF
OF PASSES
President Mellen, Of the
Northern Pacific, States
Reasons for Action of Com
pany in Placing Time
Limit on Passes Given to
Law Makers.

President c.. S. Mellen, of the North
ern Pacific, yesterday gave out a state
ment setting forth the reasons for the
action of the Northern Pacific in put
ting time limit on passes granted to
members of the state legislature. 1t
has been customary for the company
to give out passes to members at their
request, and these passes were good
for one year. Recently the company
decided to limit these passes to the
time the legislature is in session. Pres
ident Mellen says over his signature:
The time limit upon this years leg1s-
lative passes has been in some quarters
so misunderstood that some public state
Inent of the reasons for the same seems
desirable.
For several years it his been Gus
tOmary to issue passes. good in their sew
eraI states. to members elect of the va
rious legislatures. Such passes were a
courtesy, not obligatory in any sense, and
were issued without regard to the pontlcS
of the recipients.
Sometimes in previous years such
passes have<been loaned, without consld-
Grafton or for a cash equivalent; members
have used such passes to the capitol the
first of the week, and left them with
ticket brokers for sale for short trips, re-
ceiVing same back in season for their re-
turn trips to their homes at the end of
the week. At the end of the session the
passes have been sold outright by those
who had no further use for them, and
we have taken them up in the hands Of
improper parties on cur trains. Many
times these parties were poor people, 1g-
norant Of the fact that the passes were
not good for transportation, who had
bought them in good faith because OF
their cheapness, and were In distress IN
consequence. Sometimes travelling men
and wholesale merchants have been mem
brS and have used their passes in their
business to the serious damage of their
competitors in trade. In such case their
competitors have charged US with unjust
discrimination.
Must Protect People.
1--WE have been perplexed what course
to pursue for the protection of our
selves and the community, and this year
thought to limit these abuses by making
passes good only during the session Of
the various legislatures.
I'VE have stated to all who have ap-
preached US that at the end Of the SEES
sion the passes would be extended TO
the end of the year to all who have not
and will not abuse the privilege.
I'VE have not thought it right to dis
criminate between the members at the
outset. Most are unknown to Us.
THE passes are to enable members to
more efficiently serve the state by keep
uents than they would be able TO if re-
quired to pay their fares out of the very
moderate compensation allowed by the
state for their mileage and services.
The abuses sought to be corrected
were confined to no state nor to any par
ticular members of any particular leglsla-
ture, and those who used their passes as
intended were to suffer no disadvantage,
only those who misused them, as time
should show, were to be curtailed in their
privileges.
1--WE submit to all fair-minded persons
that the course pursued is a proper one;
that it casts no reflection upon anyone;
that it, in a measure. mitigates abuses
experience has shown to exist; that it is
intended to protect. and does in de-
gree protect, both the public and the
company from an imposition the past has
shown to be prevalent.
There are many reasons other than
given above why we should be glad to
have the pass business seriously curtailed,
but those referred to were all we had in
mind in adopting our policy this year
regarding legislative transportation.
&C. S. Mullen"