The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1906-01-05
ROOSEVELTaBEGAE CRUSADE
GIVEN CREDIT FOR DISCONTINUE
ANCE OF PASSES.
Got 8EOOdy's Opinion That Their Is
suance Violates Interstate Com
merce Law.

Washington. Dec. 5O.-President
Roosevelt is credited with having been
responsible for the action Of the Penn
sylvania and other railroads in al
nouncing that in the future they would
stop the practice Of issuing passes to
members Of congress. politicians and
shippers, and all other persons the
railroads wished to favor with free
transportation.
Reports have it that the president
consulted with Attorney General
Moody and asked him for a legal
opinion on the matter. He was told
by Mr. Moody that under the inter
state commerce act the railroads were
violating the law when they issued
passes, and that, n effect, free trans
pOrtatiOn was a discrimination Just as
much as the payment Of a rebate was
to shipper Since then, il is said.
the president has discontinued the
practice Of accepting favOrs from the
railroads He paid the regular rates
for his special train in which he took
his last journey through the south,
when he completed his visit to every
state in the union.
This explanation Of the action by
the railroads. in which President Cas-
satt Of the Pennsylvania took the lead,
is given by several senators. They say
that it was Immediately after Cas-
salts visit TO the white house a few
weeks ago that the first announce
ment was made that the Pennsylvania
company would discontinue the prac-
tice Of issuing passes Since then many
Of the eastern roads have followed
suit, and at the meeting Of the west
ern traffic managers yesterday with
the interstate commerce commission
it was practically agreed that they
would greauy curtail their transpOr-
tatiOn favors.
In the original interstate commerce
act the term transportation is de-
fined as Including all instrumentali-
ties Of shipment and carriage" In
sections 2 and Of the original act
the question Of passes is covered in the
following language:
That if any common carrier sub
ject to the provisions Of this act shall,
directly, or by any special rate, re-
bate, drawback, or other device,
charge, demand, or collect from any
person or persons a greater or less
compensation for any service render
ed in the transportation Of passen-
gers or property, such carrier shall be
deemed guilty. OF unjust 0lScrlnlIia-
ton"
And in the next section it is further
covered:
THAT it shall be unlawful for any
carrier to make or give any undue OF
unreasonable preference or advantage
to any particular person, company,
firm, etc, or to subject any paTticu-
lar person, company, firm, etc, 10 any
undue or unreasonable prejudice or
disadvantage in any respect whatsO-
ever
Until this stand said by the sena-
tors to have been taken by President
Roosevelt no effort has ever been
made to apply the interstate COM
merce act to railroad passes. The
activity Of the department Of justice
recently in indicting traffic managers
for rebating is said to have con-
WINGED the railroads that Mr.. ROOse-
welt was in earnest when he told
President Cassatt that he wanted the
giving Of passes stopped As they have
been looking for q good excuse for
some time to get rid Of their free lists,
they are said to have welcomed this
chance to cut them of.