The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-16
Transportation Brotherhoods
Issue Statement to Public.
Offer Suggestions to Railroads
for Saving Money.
INDICATE The PASS EVIL
As One of the Heavy Drains on
the Business.
With This Eliminated, S-Hour
Day Would Be Easy.

Cleveland, O.. June 16.-The follow
ing statement is issued by the Trans
portation Brotherhoods.
1t is suggested to the railroads that
an additional way of conserving rail-
road funds would be to discontinue
contributions to campaign funds and
to save the enormous sums that it
costs the railroads annually in the en-
deavOr to influence legislative bodies,
etc.
Millions of dollars are annually ex-
pended by certain railroads in the en-
deavor ito mold public opinion and
to secure the passage and defeat of
laws in which the officials or their
friends might be interested.
An investigation which is now in
progress by the interstate commerce
commission into the affairs of the
Louisville & Nashville railroad, shows
that tremendous sums have been OK
pended for purposes that are not pro-
vided for in the charters of the rail-
road companies.
1t might be assumed that the bust
ness OF a railroad company would be
the transportation of passengers and
freight, but judging from the facts as
brought out by the investiga lions of
the interstate commerce commission,
the ofnclals consider that the business
of the railroads is to provide laws for
ence the election of state and county
OFFICIALS, that are approved by the
railroad officials
Thousands of Passes.
In the course of a single year, a
single railroad - the Louisville &
members of legislative bodies and 9th
er public officials attorneys, newspa-
per representatives and various other
persons, not including officials and
employees of railroad companies, as
many as 1885 free passes, involving
4,577,92S miles of travel, the value OF
which exceeded $130,83e.
The Nashville, Chattanooga & ST
Louis railroad. a subsidiary of the
Louisville & Nashville, during the
involving 7.133,944 miles of travel, the
value of which was $209,420.
The passes issued on account OF
members of legislative bodies and 9TH
er public officials were distributed
among state senator's, Representatives
and other state officials, county and
city officials and judges of various
courts.
These facts made public through
the interstate commerce commission
investigation. are doubtless indicative
| of the widespread abuse of the free
pasT evil on the railroads in differ
ent parts Of the county.
System Is Public Menace.
The commission does not hesitate tt
condemn this practice of the carriers
In well chosen words, the commission
says ''such laws reveal the manner il
which these carriers have dipped int
practically every domain of public ant
private life by the fundamentally o
the free pass. There is scarcely a wall
of life which is not represented il
this procession of recipients of passes
from the federal bench to the loca
politician and the sheriff who sum
monses the jury. The threads repre-
scented by these passes tie thousand
of citizens to the carriers through i'm
proper relations"
1.-The lack of morality reflected b,
the facts here compiled, is menac
to the institutions of free people,
No wonder the interstate commerce
commission strongly recommends tina
the practice of railroads in expendinl
their funds for the purpose of in
fluencing the laws of the country a
well as the abuse. of private car trave
be restricted by the railroads
IF this recommendation were fol
lowed" says the committee, ''by tn
roads there would be less cause TO
complaint as to insufficient revenues
Protection would alone more than en-
able the roads to establish the eight
hour day principle in freight train ser
vice without additional EXPENSE