Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1905-06-09

BY an Ex-Speaker OF the Legislature Of
one Of the Largest States In the Union.
~(Copyright, 1906, by Joseph b. Bowles.)
Whether q member of the legislature
accepts a bripe when he pockets an un-
solicited railroad pass is a question
which, l think, at least is open to de-
bate. I we'll remember that a few days
after I was first elected a member OF
our general assembly the mails brought
me annual passes from almost every
railroad which operated in my state.
These bits of ~pasteboard, however, were
good only on the lines within the
boundaries of the state and each frank
ly bore my new title.
I accepted them as a matter Of course,
and in acknowledging receipt added my
thanks for the courtesy" Not then,
nor now, did | think | was selling
myself. body and soul to a railroad
corporation" and not once during my
several terms did l permit possession
of those much-coveted evidences of
railroad courtesy" to influence my
vote.
The passes which the newly-elected
house member receives without the
asking are not the passes which the
legislative agents of railroads issue for
the purpose of securing the good will
or positive aid of lawmakers. This may
be news to some people, but the fact 10
there is a wide difference in the char
acter Of railroad passes given public Of
ficials. The ANIMALS sent to members
dirpot frnSp tho ~ fica IF tho pAnpra1 pas.
senger agents are regarded by almost
all members of any Legislature as right
full perquisites to the Office. The habit
of issuing such passes has become .
well-recognized custom, almost. one
might say, an obligation upon the rail-
sOad companies. II the railroads
stopped there we would not hear so
much of the demOralizing influence Of
railroad passes,
But in every state capitol, when a
legislature is in session, are two or
more men whose business it is to see
that the railroads suffer the minimum
amount of harm from the legislature.
These agents, or lobbyists. carry with
them books of passes. which they dis
tribute with experienced discrimina-
ton where they will do their principals
the most good. These men will tell you
that their free transportation is more
effective than filthy lucre in taking the
edge off the legislative appetite. Said
one of them to me:
"You can get a man in line and keel
him there with a railroad pass or two
when a straight offer Of money woulG
make him jump the reservation alto.
gether."
Undoubtedly All immense number o.
passes are asked of railroads by legis
lators, but a very small percentage o
them are issued to the lawmaker him
self. They are charged up to him b!
the legal department of the road, blu
are made out in the names of his con
stituents. The personal and politica
friends and their friends and acquain
talces are the men who place their rep
resentative in the position where
railroad or street car company can de
mand his vote for value received. TIL
respectable citizen, the prominent bust
ness man, the well-known farmer, tn
itdulus DdIhtI, III IHllututldl law z
by asking their member in the legisla
ture to get free transportation for Their
are largely responsible for the dominat
ing influence which railroad companie
exercise over q legislature. And the
all ask him for passes. They come
him from all sides with their miser
able requests. They tell him fatty tina
he can get what they want and the
expect him to do it; and these sam
representative citizens have starte
many a decent man on the road whic
leads to Doodle.
A representative from a city distrit
put it rather neatly when he said to m
one day:
"I've Just got my mail and ten OF tn
most prominent business men in m
district want to graft by proxy The
all want me to get railroad passes &c
them"
This same legislator. talking to n
after a mornings session, said:
"You fellows from the country di.
tricts know nothing of the enormity {
this curse Of railroad passes. Here
am delivered by my honest constituent
body, boots and breeches, to the railroa
companies. The noble electors VIII
sent me here and who howl with al
ger every time the word doodle
mentioned started out to make a Doodle