The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-10-30

The mass question viii not down, ana
the people are likely. to make 1t one on
the strong issues in the next state cam
paign. There Will be a demand Tor
law to make all railroad passengers pay
fare alike, and that fare reduced TO two
cents per mile.
The Marion Headlight discusses the
pass question in its current issue, anu
incidentally it makes a few remarks con
corning the use of passes by It's neigu-
Dor. Governor Hoch. It strongly con-
dennis the practice of some-nahy' III
fact-newspapers of accepting annual
passes in return for advertising space,
NO account being kept Of either.
This is certainly poor practice.
Many country editor neglects his BUS
mess and spends money in running
about the country solely because he
has a railroad pass in his pocket. If he
charged railroad companies the same
rate for advertising that he does his
home merchants, taking his pay IN
transportation if necessary, but con-
Quoting it on business basis, he
would be far better off, and the rail-
roads would not have so much of. their
car space taken up by passengers who
pay them no fare.
But the passes given to newspapers
are only a small amount of the total
deadhead business. Public officials and
persons of influence in every county
are given passes-Or hold UP the rail-
roads for them, for railroads are not
anxious to give out free transportation
except in certain cases.
Here is the Marion papers view Of
the pass business:
Railroads are built to earn money.
1t costs money to haul passengers. If
one-third of the passengers ride on
passes, the other two-thirds pay for the
third who ride on passes.
carr Taylor, who is the attorney
for the Kansas railway commission,
says that 'if every passenger paid
their fare the railroad could afford to
make the passenger rate two cents
per mile. This means that when you
see a passenger train of six cars two
of them are for those who pay no
fare, and it also means that when you
buy a ticket for Sc that you have paid
50 that others might ride free.
Governor Hoch made the state
ment some time ago that he paid ten
times over for every pass he received,
in advertising in his paper. This
would show very bad business meth
DDS If the statement was correct, but
it is not correct. Governor Hoch has
passes on practically all the roads in
Rock Island and the Santa Fe. He
does about $25 worth of advertising
for each road, and rides perhaps five
times that much on each road. He
has an annual pass and can ride all
he wants to; besides his family and
office employees get passes. No pass
is limited as to number of miles you
can travel, except trip passes, so that
when anyone carrying a quarterly,
semi-annual or annual pass says that
he pays for 1t, his statement is not
correct. This is the arrangement
most editors make, and therefore you
don't get much help from the news
papers to have an anti-pass law
passed.
Let the railroads withdraw all IA
vOrs from the newspapers and within
a short time we would have an anti
pass law and two cent fare. The
granting of a pass is not d favor by
a railroad but is simply collecting too
much money from some passengers
who pay nothing.
I'VE do not wish to be understood
as criticising Governor Hoch more
than other officials or newspaper
men. Practically every official in the
state gets a pass. The city attorney
of this little town can get a pass for
the asking.
practically all reforms are brought
about by the press but the press is
subsidized and the people are liable
to remain in a state of sleepy acuui-
escence on this question for some
time. because there won't be much
agitation Of this question without the
help of the papers,