The news & observer., 1905-12-28
II FEAR THE GREEKS BEARING
GIFTS"

GIFTS"
1t is well to take with many grains
of allowance the news sent out with a
flourish that the great railroad mag
mates of the North have determined to
put stop to rebate-giving in all forms
land to cut off instanter the issuing
of free passes. The sudden conversion
may have a reason behind it and may
not last longer than the adjournment
of the present Congress. There are al
ready laws forbiddng the giving of
free passes by the State and Federal
governments. The Federal statute is
openly violated by the men who en-
acted it and the judicial officers should
enforce it, and the North Carolina
statute is evaded by employees tick
|ets'' and like ways of whipping the
devil around the stump.
Does anybody seriously believe that
the Pennsylvania and Baltimore and
Oh.o Railroad, which recently re-
ceived from Congress a gift of three
million dollars with which to build
depot in Washington City, are going to
cut off the Congressman who voted
them that subsidy from free riding?
Not on your life. There never was a
palmer misappropriation of public
funds than to take three million dol
lars of the peoples money and give
if to those rich railroads to build a
union depot If there had never been
h
bill would ever have been considered.
And now, are the legislators who gave
that bonus to feel the touch of ingrati-
tude by being made to pay for riding
on the railroads entering into WASH
ington? Are these great railroads, now
that they have gotten the three mill
lion dollars, to be ungrateful to those
who voted it into their pockets
Unless you can read between the
lines. that is the formal order that
is to go into effect shortly. But why is
the order issued unless it is to be
obeyed? Two reasons have been sug-
gested: 1. The open violation of the
law, now that the people are aroused
over railroad wrongs, is dangerous 10
the roads. Besides taking passes might
give members of Congress trouble.
3 The railroads are tired of issuing
passes indiscriminately to members of
Congress, some Of whom ride on the
passes and do not feel thereby COM
pelled to vote as the railroads desire.
They wish to put an end to rldlng
such ingrates, and therefore VIII With
draw all passes But does this mean
that Congressmen who "Stand in with
the railroads must pay or walk? Not
at all. Those who are needed by the
railroads will be furnished with thous-
and mile tickets so that they can ap-
pear to be paying while they are rid
ing as much free as ever.
Whenever the transportation mo-
nopoly voluntarily cuts off rebates and
passes to favorites and legislators, and
adyertises the fact that they have
grown virtuous and law-abiding. look
out for the Trojan horse armed with
men and measures that will give them
control by indirection. 1t is we'll to
fear the Greeks bearing gifts.
Since the above was written a cor
respondent of the New York Times
living in Rochester, relates an incident
showing how the free pass purchase
of legislators operates. He writes:
Some three months ago a man who
owed me $40 asked if l would ac-
cept a pass to New York and receipt
his bill / accepted his offer and re-
ceived the pass the following day. He
said: Il went to Senator -- and he
gave it to me- Inquiry revealed the
fact that Senator - had furnlshed
him with fifteen passes in six months:
Now this man is only one of small
army of political workers who share
the same privileges. l still have the
pass. and if the roads professions OF
mass reform aren't the usual annual
bluffs, | will take pleasure in sendlnS
it to the proper railroad authorllleS
with my compliments.
1t pays the railroad to own such
Senators and it can buy them cheaper
with passes than with money. ina.
is why railroad magnates evade the
anti-free- pass bill. Asked why he
didn't favor a law against free passes
a certain railroad political manipuia-
tor said "It is the cheapest way IN
the world to buy legislators silence
executives, and bias the judiciary. A
pass will buy or silence or negative the
efforts of nine men out OF every ten
who accept them, and we cannot af-
ford to quit giving them either directly
or indirectly