Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1906-08-29

Exchange of Advertising for Railway
Travel Is Thing of the Past, as
New Interstate Commerce Law Is
Now in Effect.
Atlanta, Aug. 28.-With the last
stroke Of II o'clock midnight Monday
night, Georgia, together with the rest
OF the country, began upon a new era
so far as passes and free transpor-
tation is concerned and the death
knell of special privileges was sound
ed.
This great change was occasioned by
the new rate bill of the interstate
commerce commission, which went
into effect at midnight Monday night.
Con1tcttng as many of the provi-
stons OF the new bill may appear, ac-
cordlng to the testimony OF many rail-
road experts, there is no circumvent-
ing the fact that passes and free
transportation Is made unlawful under
the provisions of the new bill. Incl
dentally, the fact that both The user
OF pass as well as the official or
railroad issuing the pass are subject
to heavy penalty under the new law,
makes It practically certain that there
will be q certain and sudden stop in
the request for passes.
From now on, the railroads will
have to pay in actual cash for what.
ever advertising they may insert in
the newspapers while those connected
with newspapers from editor-in-chief
to the newest cub reporter will pay
for their transportation just as the
balance of the public The new law
gives particular attention to this mat
ter and states that no passes, tickes
or free transportation may be grant
ed to newspapers to be paid for in
advertising. Up to this time, many
newspapers have kept accounts with
the railroads and have paid for their
transportation in advertising Settle
ments were made monthly and if the
railroads had used more advertising
space than they had granted transpor-
tation, the difference was paid in cash.
On the other hand if more transporta-
ton had been granted by the railroads
than the sum offsetting their adver-
tising bill, this difference was settled
by the newspapers in cash.
Now all this is changed. Both the
railroads and the newspapers will
have to pay for what they get in cold
cash, exactly in the same way as the
rest OF the travelling public.
That the railroads are very much
disturbed by these new conditions is
evident. This sudden taking away of
the pass privilege means that from
now on all business must be transact
ed on regular business foundation
1t means that where judges of the
United States courts have been issued
annual passes for themselves and trip
passes for the members of their fam
lilies, letters must be written-or have
been-calling in this privilege and
apologizing on the ground that the
railroads were in no way responsible
for the new bill, but on the contrary.
=
were bitterly opposed to its passage
from the start
1t was also stated that these let
ters calling in free passes from edi-
tors, judges, municipal, state and fed
eral officials carried with them sim
cere regrets that this new law neces-
Stated the withdrawal of these passes
from those who had proved their
friendship to the railroads in many
ways for many years.
1t was also reported lhat these let
ters called attention to the fact that
under the new law the penalty was
the same for the person using
the free pass in violation of the new
act as it was for the official or rail-
road issuing the pass.