Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-01-24
ABOLISH THE FREE PASS

Hon. Paul Morton was right when
ne said that there were many reasons
given for the issuing of passes by the
railroad companies, practically all of
which were bad excepting only the
one applying to employees of the rail-
road companies or dependent mem
oers of their families. The railroads
Ire public service corporations and the
freight and passenger transportation
which the railroads furnish to the pub
lie constitute service which belongs
20 the public as right on absolutely
equal and impartial terms to all AS
.. fundamental principle, the public
service corporation can have no right
10 discriminate in selling its service
20 the nublic. AS a matter of justice
and right, the free pass has no founda-
lion upon which to stand The federal
government has taken the right po-
sition in prohibiting the issuance and
acceptance of passes for use in inter-
state travel. 1t is now up to the leg
lslatures of the various states to sup
plement and complete this legislation
by prohibiting the use of free trans
portation within state lines. The
legislature of Iowa made a beginning
Z
Its last session, but the law did not go
far enough. Instead of confining the
application of the law to members of
The legislature and public officials and
delegates to political conventions, the
law should be made to apply to every
citizen excepting only railroad en-
ployes and dependent members of an
employees family, and even this excep-
ton should be carefully safeguarded
SO as to prevent abuses. No one
should be considered a railway en-
ploye excepting one who gives all of
his time to the services of the reilroad
and passes for such employees should
be confined to the lines of railroad
on which he is employed. The
interstate commerce commission has
interpreted the railway rate bill to
prohibit the railroads from issuing
transportation in exchange for adver-
Using or any other. service, article or
commodity, excepting cash. While
this decision has raised storm of
protest in some quarters, yet we be-
l1eye4s the commission Isl, rightatif the
spirit and intent, OF the law is to be
carried out as2it should be.
The whole transportation problem
should be one of exact equity, fair
ness and impartiality as between indi-
Viduals. II should also be worked out
with entire fairness and Justice to the
railroads. The essential thing to do,
and the first thing to 10, is to effec-
lively prohibit and abolish all forms
OF free Transportation Require every
Body to pay and pay alike for what
they get. Then it is for the
legislature or special commission to
determine after careful investigation
OF conditions comprising density of
population and amount of business per
mile done by the railroads in this
state, just what is fair and equitable
rate Tor passenger service. If such a
rate is determined to be 2 cents a
mile. then let a law be passed MAX
ing cents mile the maximum rate
for transportation within the state.
II 1T is determined by careful investiga-
tion that this rate viii not return
reasonable profit to the railroads, then
the rate should be made higher.
The first essential however is for
the state to SUPPLEMENT the legislation
OF the last congress by passing law
mat will absolutely prevent discrimi-
nation as between individuals, that
will henceforth prohibit the issuance
and use of free transportation within
the state and then adopt a maximum
rate OF charges to be made by the rail-
roads that will return to these corpo-
rauons fair, just and equitable pro-
tit on their investment.