The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-05-11
THE PASS MUST GO


Hon. George W. Berge, Lincoln, Neb.
My Dear Sir: Although / believe the money
problem is UNNECESSARILY the most important oi
the many that confront us-and the that
can be the most easily and quickly solved
realize that every upward step taken makes all
others easier
Undoubtedly, most railroad passes are given
as brides. Yet the givers are so powerful, and
their receivers numerous-and respectable
and the determined opponents to this kind OF
corruption are SO unorganized that, under exist
ing conditions / have not sen how an effective
fight could be made against this prostitution OF
power and privilege. But your temperate yet
powerful editorial Cut Out the Pass Holders"
threw calcium light electric road out ct
the wilderness. In it you say-and say so we'll
that it will bear several repettions:
ITO destroy the free pass system there must
be stringent antipass law. Before an anti
pass law can be enacted there must be selected
and elected an antipass legislature.
Before there can be an anti-pass legislature,
the passholding politicians and railroad political
agents must be cut out of the nominating con-
ventions.
"The free pass is the price the railroads pay
for the control of our politics. 1t is useless for
the newspapers and the people to discuss freight
rate and tax reform SO long as our politics and
state government remains in the control of the
railroad rate r,akers and the railroad tax shirk-
ers. The rail. DAD corporations in possession of
the inner strongholds of politics are guarded on
the outside by the free pass squad To rout
this outside guard is the first duty of the freight
robbed and tax cheated public. The pass holders
can be cut down and their pull on the politics and
government of the Safe cut loose by cutting
them out Of the next county, district and state
conventions The starting point for this work is
In the ward and precinct caucuses The pass
holders can be crowded out Of the caucuses by
the freght-payers and taxpayers The pass-hold-
ers can be kept out of the county conventions
With the county conventions untrammeed by
railroad dictation, district. legislative, judicial,
congressional and state conventions be
manned with honest, earnest and effective men,
who will nominate legislators, judges, congress-
men and state officers free from the freepass in
1uence.
"But the ward caucus iS the field where the
first fight must be won by the people, their
whole cause is lost. If the pass-hoders control
the caucuses they will control the conventions
the nominations, and the government that fol-
lows"
The voter is all powerful at the primaries
and at the polls-but is pOwerless everywhere
else. Probably nine-tenths of the voters who un-
derstand the matter would like to have the free.
pass system cut up root and branch. II properly
organized they could easily control the country
but they will not while dserganzed. Strong
appeals do good, yet defeat is certain until the
opponents OF this special form of corruption unite
against it. But how is such union to be effected?
It seems to me that good way any
will be to unite all people in Nebraska who really
wish the abolition of this evil to meet for con-
ference in some city hall, or picnic grove, on
July 4th next to adopt form of organization and
plan Of operations. Two points are of special i'm
portance:
1. The plan should provide for some kind Of
an organization in each precinct-with district
and state organizations-w primary purpose
should be an agreement that no one shall here.
after be sent to any convention, high or low,
nominated for any Office (no matter how nsig
nificant) who has not given pledge not to ac-
cent for himself or anyone else, any form of
free railroad transportation; that he will do all
hic raouuor to secure the Massage and enforce