The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1911-08-03
THE PUBLISHER
AND THE PASS
Railroad Man Cites Case of
Jonah, and Warns Editors
Not to Pay Fare.

The newspaper men of South
Idaho have warm friend in Joel
Priest, industrial agent of the
Oregon Short Line, who is also
an ex-editor Of many years ex-
perience. Priest attends all the
editorial meetings of the south
ern organizations, and sees that
the quill showers have not only
free transportation, but a spec
ial car and ON one or two occa-
sions a special train to carry
them to their conventions and re-
turn.
AT recent gathering of the
Western Idaho Press association
at Nampa Priest delivered the
following humorous address to
the boys, which you may feel
certain was appreciated by them:
| am more than delighted to be
with you tonight. AS L have said
upon numerous similar occasions,
this is indeed the proudest mo-
ment Of my life. The privilege
of standing in this splendid city
hall and talking to an audience,
made up, as it is, of the brains
and chivalry of the newspaper
profession of western Idaho, is
not to be lightly esteemed. That
last sentence, by the way is not
for publication in the western
Idaho newspapers not represent
ed here. All others will kindly
copy.
The subject of passes is old,
yet ever new. / know this be-
cause people who have once re-
ceived passes rarely fail to come
back, and new applicants are
showing up all the time. But
the subject really is an old one,
older than the pyramids, older
than Mark Bates of Parma, more
numerous in it's ramifications
than the sands of the sea or the
children of James H. Wallis.
SO | shall not attempt to cover
my assignment tonight with the
thoroughness it merits. | will, ON
the other hand, merely leap light
| ly from pinacle to pinacle among
the serried crags that jut above
the horizon line of history, leav-
ing the valleys to- be explored by
ADLER, more experienced students
than myself.
Let us go back to the begin
ming. We are told that one of
the lesser prophets was once upor
a time commanded to go upon a
: journey. He didn't want to max
that particular trip SO he under
, took another way of lodging. He
. slipped quietly over to Joppa anc
found there ship just ready to
sail for Tarshish. Tarshish look
n ed good to him and, according tt
the chronicler:
c He paid the fare thereof anC
d went down into the ship" Kind
!, ly note that he paid his fare. Per
q haps cash valuation. This is th'
u first instance / have been able t.
. find after a diligent search, o
II the payment of fare. Of cOurs
" it was a bad precedent to estab
q lish, as subsequent events proved
T. For when the storm arose ant
le the waves rolled high, the sailor
v began to look around for an Of
l. fering to the god of the tempest
le What more natural than the sele
% tion of the man who had paid hi
l. fare2 So oversize Mr.. Jonal
p was tossed and straightway tn
sea became calm.
For many years prior to m
Is advent into the railroad busines
j. | wondered how Jonah happene
n to be selected, out of all the ship
5, passengers, as the "goat." Tn
ID problem is simple enough nov
He was natural born "goat
y because he paid his fare. The re'
~ ord does not show whether or n,
Gu Jonah ever secured a refund 0
he his unused transportation. / a
re inclined to think he applied
" the general passenger agent ,
US the Joppa-Tarshish Navigate
company for it and that son
"a clerk is still trying to figure o.
q, what per cent of the journey Il
eo son of Amittai made in the sh
~ and what part in the whale. T
q didn't last so very long in eth
81. of them.
ne A little farther along in the l
w.
fCont;puad on naga az