The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-12-19

as in the case Of railway officials and
certain groups of employees.
With these statements as premise,
and in view of the campaign rebates
and determinations of all kinds, it
follows, to be consistent, that the dis.
tributlon Of passes by railway compa.
MES should be prohibited If all pa.
irons Of the railroads are to have
measured out to them "a square deal"
But the inconsistency of the general
public is at once apparent when such
policy is announced by railroad
company, as was the case the past
several weeks following definite Of.
fetal statements that the Pennsyl.
yarla and its affiliated lines, the New
York Central, and other Trunk Line
railroads, would abolish the issuing
of passes after January 1, 1906. OF
course all passengers who do not re-
ceive or expect to receive a railway
pass denounce the pass evil. A few
of those who do travel on passes rec.
ognize the evils of the system and IA
vor remedial measures. But the great
majority Of those who use passes are
so controlled by self.interest that
they do not recognize that at bottom
! the Influences at work securing ia.
vors for them in the form of passes
are in others denounced and decried
as graft"
The growing evil of the free pass
policy is evident to any close observ.
er OF social conditions. From officials
identified with a railroad company,
who should properly receive free
transportation, the use of passes has
insensIbly spread throughout not only
the officials own Immediate family,
but to the families of relatives, to the
butler and the maid and, in one In.
| stance the writer is familiar with, to
friends of the railway officials but.
Ter. schoolmates Of the sons Of rail.
way officials also travel on passes,
The evil is just as serious when ap-
piled to the newspapers, 1t is COM
monty believed that all newspaper.
men travel on passes and while this
Is not exactly the case 1t is not far
from the truth. In nearly all lmpor.
t1nt newspaper Offices there is mum.
ber Of annual passes made out in the
name Of particular Individual but
used generally by all star m0mberl
whether travelling on newspaper or
RSgSoRnl business or pleasure. Some.
tines treads OF repprte1N travel al
passea occurred through the Ro1IIb
Per. Nearly all the leasing GAily GltI
weekly journals OF tho OUantry r6eoa
nlgo ana deaounOo in thstr editorial
columns the Widespread evil Of heo
transportation and Jet In the sane
nAA Derhapa that carries that par
tfculAr Issue Of the iusrAAl 70 thsirI
Subscribers goes 4 letter from tia
buSlROOO manager to the railway on
ClAl requesting FREQ transportation to-
the extent Of ten. fifteen or atty an
nual passes.
Some Of the MOr conspIouOU.
AbuSes
What Is perhaps the most serious
= al &O abuses Of the pass system
is to be found in political eircleA
omltting reference in detail to gov,
ernors, State representatives in legis
latures and State oHlelAls generally
throughout all the States who travel
on passes, and merely mentioning
that this Is also true to a large extent
with many Federal ofaceholders and
Representatives In Congress, 1t is de-
sired here TO call attention in par.
tisulAr to the evils Of the pass sys.
tenn as Viewed in political circles In
our large cities. In eysry important
city hundreds and even thousands Of
oficeholders, councIlmep, etc, not
only secure passes from the railroads
for themselves but they eholp-up" the
railway company for passes for their
friends and watd.heelen We we're
lately told Of an instance where rel
atige d q powerful ciiy boss vent e
j 6iiT 6iic nitea 7