Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1906-11-22
THE ABoLITIoN or PASSES.

January ]. This means that even the
trunk lines will abolish the exchange
system By which one railroad company
permitted The officials of another con-
PAW to travel over its lines free OF
charge.
After January the southern railroads
will also fall into line and the little
pasteboard will not be printed and dis
tributed as heretofore. The southern
roads may continue to maintain an eH-
change lisi
The Southern Railway Company will
lead in relegatiug the pass system to the
rear in Southern territory. 1t is also
slated that the western railroads, which
did not tall inio line this year in abolish
ing rasses, will adopt the policy OF "no
| passes" on January l.
Railroad managers have come to the
conclusion that the exceptions under
the no-pass clause of the law would en-
able them, if they chose, to vastly extend
the present practice. Ons railroad man
ager says the pass clause makes "a
favored class out Of 81, 200, 600 OF the
| IS, 600. 900 inhabitants of the United
States" inasmnch as that proportion
of the people in a pinch might be crowded
in under the various exceptions as
follows:
Officers of the railroads aud their fam
lilies, agents of the railroads and their
families, employees of the railroads and
their families, sttorneys of the railroads
and their families, physicians and sur
geons ia the employ OF the roads and
their families, female nurses who served
in the civil war, ministers ofreligion and
their families, inmates of hospitals and
eleemosynsry and charitable einstitutions,
destitute and homeless persons, destitute
and homeless persons transported by
charitable societies and their necessary
agents employed in such transportation,
inmates OF the nationel homes or State
homes for disabled volunteer soldiers for
former Confederate soldiers or former
Union soldiers or sailors Inmates of
soldiers and sailors homes, including not
Onlv those who ever entered, but those
who "wOuld be alone to enter,' if they
felt so disposed, and those on their way
to friends after being discharged from
the homes. Persons who are either
travelling with some live stock or going
to travel with some if they can get the
lob. Lab0rers who are going from one
place to another, where they think they
can get an increase in wages. The Cul-
| berson amendment would not have the
slightest effect upon the railroads if they
chose to issue free transportation. The
amendment says that the railroads "may"
issue passes in certain cases. Fortunate
ly for the stockholders of the company
the amendment does not say that passes
"must' be issued
IfOpe really wished to realize the wide
scope Of the exceptions, all he has to do
is to imagine what kind of rush would
| be made to the railroads for free trans
portation if the railroads we're compelled
to issue, instead of merely being given
permission to issue, free transportation,
according to the Culbcrson amendment.
1t would he very slow person, indeed
if he wanted to travel, who could not
show that he was member Of some Of
flee, employe, attorney, physician OF the
railroad, or that he was laborei who
wished to better his condition By going
elsewhere, or a nurse, or, tossy the least,
that he was destitute.
1t was agreed that the amendment,
which was designed to limit the amount
of free passes, would practically not limit
them at sli, because the railroads do not
now issue passes TO millions OF persons
who would be entitled under the Culber-
son amendment to them.
1t will cost the national government
about 81, 900, 900 annually to be virtuous
on the SUBJECT of railroad passes. AS
soon as the rate bill passed by the Senate
went into effect the passes given 10 gov
ernment employees we're withdrawn.