Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-08-08
ABRAMS CASE IS
DECIDED AGAINST
PIN" RAILROAD
Pacific & Idaho Northern
Must Cease Using Dis
elimination in the Issuing
of Half Fare Permits.

The public utilities commission hand
cd down an order late yesterday after
noon directing the Pacific & Idaho
Northern Railway company to cease
discrimination in the issuance of
passes to ministers of the gospel,
and gives that road 20 days in
which to comply with the order.
The ruling is Of interest to the
clergy of this state. H. H. Abrams was
the plaintiff the railroad having re-
voked his ministerial reduced fare priv
ilege. He carried the case to the COM
mission alleging he had the right to
the same rates as other ministers of
the gospel.
What Facts Are.
The macts that led UP to Abrams
complaint are briefly as follows: AS
a minister he secured from the Pacific
& Idaho Northern Railway company
clerical half rate permit. He was at
that time in charge if ministerial work
at Indian Valley. During March of
the present year Abrams became iden-
titled as a member and representative
of the Farmers Union of Adams county
engaged in a movement to reduce al
legged unjust and unreasonable freight
rates charged by the railroad and that
in pursuing the work outlined by the
Farmers union 1t became necessary to
file a complaint with the public utili-
ties commission and publicly criticize
Z. NJ Heigho, president and general
manager of the road and incur the
displeasure and illwill of the company
and its president. Abrams alleged in
his complaint that Heigho took him to
task for his activity, endeavored to
bull doze, coerce and influence him to
withdraw the complaint before the
commission and thereafter cancelled
his clerical permit.
After setting forth the facts and
pleadings in the case and in reference
to the commissions attitude on the is
suance of passes, the commission states
In its opinion ruling on the Abrams
sase:
lndorse Commissions Stand.
"Soon after organization Of the COM
mission, we, believing that the public
sentiment of the state opposed to the
granting Of passes or free transporta- :
ton was becoming more emphasized
as reflected In the statutes adopted by
successive legislatures adopted the poll
Icy of refusing to direct common car
riers to grant free transportation to
any state officer although such power
was conferred on the commission by
the public utilities act. This action
brought severe condemnation of the
commission from certain quarters, the
critics under the guise of patriotism
and devotion to the states best inter-
ests. putting forth the specious argu-
ment that the state was the loser oil
great sums of money by reason Of hav-
ing to pay railroad fares for its Off
GERS Be it said, however, to the credit
of the people generally that they en-
dorsed the action of the commission
and took the side of eliminating this
evil, an evil which the interstate COM
merce commission has recently char
acterized as, "A menace to the insti-
tutions of free people, and to which
public sentiment is almost universally
opposed"
Religious Classification.
Relative to religious classification tbs
commission says in part:
"To what extent Government may gc
in the support and protection of re-
ligion, with safety and propriety is
SUBJECT WuicH mas eliClteu unucn con-
trariety of opinion with statesmen and
publicists. To what extent the State
of Idaho may go in granting privileges
to ministers of religion who are dis
seminating and intoxicating religious
thought and precepts, it is not our pro.
vince to determine; the fact that the
legislature Of the state has deemed il
wise and expedient to adopt the policy
of permitting the privilege in question
to be granted to ministers Of religion
is sufficient for our deliberations, and
beyond this we shall not extend them
1t has been determined by many courts
that a Inpisla tive claasihca tinr q .n,.n.