The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-05-26
AS Contemporaries View
The Railroad Pass Matter.

The Bombay Advertiser accuses The
Journal of playing to the galleries
in its opposition to the railroad pass
system. If our contemporary would
just point out where a newspaper can
possibly profit by opposing the pass
system, or if it will show where the
galleries" have anything to offer to
compensate the newspaper for the loss
of the railroad passes which practi-
cally every paper in the country, The
Journal included, has used from the
beginning of railroad service, its
charge would look more sensible.
We note also that the Punta Gorda
Herald thinks that those who oppose
the exchange of transportation for ad-
veTtising are liable to the suspicion of
being moved by dog-in- the manger
policy" This means of course that
those who oppose the system are I'M
able TO get passes themselves and
therefore don't want anyone else to
get them.
To both of these foolish charges,
The Journal pleads not guilty. 1t has
benefited by the railroad pass sys-
tenn as much probably as any paper
of its class in the country. 1t has
used railroad passes with the rest of
them and has never, within its recol-
lection, been refused pass when ap
plication was made for one. 1t does
not think it was ever corrupted by a
railroad pass nor does it charge its
friends, the Advertiser or the Herald,
with being susceptible to corruption
thereby.
The Journal simply stands on the
proposition it has always advocated,
viz: that the railroad pass SYSTEM is
wrongs against public policy-and
that being the case it sees no reason
why the law should permit railroads
to issue newspaper passes while pre-
venting them from issuing passes to
anyone else. For its own part. The
Journal wants no privileges-no mat
ter how profitable they may be
which are denied to any other person
or institution in the community.
Under these circumstances it is
rather discouraging to have any con-
temporary make the charge that The
Journal is either playing to the gal
leries" or playing the dog-in the
manger act.
The discussion so far has related to
railroad passes. For the benefit of
its critical and apparently over
righteous contemporaries, The Jour
nal would like to call their attention
TO its position on the matter of street
car passes. The subject is one which
has never been mentioned in these
columns before. There is no law
against the issuance of street car
passes to newspaper or anyone else,
Yet several years ago. The Journal
voluntarily turned in all of its street
car passes and has not used one since,
although having more than once been
rendered the use of pass privileges by
representatives of the street car COM
pany. When these passes were turn
ed in, The Journal Immediately raised
the wages of every employe who had
been using a pass. so that no en-
plOye should lose anything by the new
policy.
Here was an opportunity for the
gallery play" which our Westville
contemporary talks about had The
Journal been the character of paper
that plays to the galleries.
In all Of this pass system discus
sion, however, it is refreshing to here
and there find a newspaper that takes
a reasonable view of the matter. The
idea of giving up its old-time railroad
pass leads nearly every paper Co make
wry face, but the following from the
Mariana Times Courier ought to put
the pass hangers-on to shame The
Times Courier says:
Why all this fuss about allowing the
newspapers of our state to exchange
advertising space for transportation
over the railroads? We thought the
newspapers of this state had long
since ceased TO swap advertising for
any kind of old junk. Some years
ago about all the business the aver