The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-12
How the state Laws Are
Violated.
Railroad lmpOSitioBS Permitted by The Com
missiuners Of Emigration.
Is the Castle Garden Ring Inter
ested III Ticket Sales?
HOW EMIGRANTs ARE sWINDLED.

The Legislature OF the State OF New York. ten
years ago, recognized the necessity of protecting
emigrants from the swIndling exactions 81 Inc
agents OF railroad corporations and ther agents.
and Of limiting the rates oil iare 10 DC chargeu W
emigTant passengers over reads chartered ny OF
doing business IL TINS State. In order 10 accom-
psh this the following section was inserted IN
chapter 2ls OF the laws OF 1867
SECTION ANY person who shah SELL or cause TO be
sold, passage tic zet 10 any enisranl passenger, at
higher rate than one and cent per m Or shall
any nse r % e ba nail mon q, c
be deemed guilty Of misdemeanoI and be punished by
less than sixty days
The language oi this law s plain, and cannot be
misinterprete6. Any emgrant who apphes for
transportation over any railroad in this State as
an emierant cannot legally he charged by the rail-
road company or It's agent higher rate OF fare
than one cent and quarter per mile, even if the
ticket supplied to him be what is called a "frst
class ticket, or such as will entitle him travel
only by an emgrant train. An emigrant may vol
unfairly renquish his character as an emigrant
AND buy passenger ticket as any other person
wonld at the inll rate OF lare; but the law was in
tended TO limit the rates charged to emgrants,
ana 10 prevent the frauds frequently practised
upon them by the sharks VINO often act as railroad
ticket agents, and who sell emigrants' tickets at
1u rates and fall back when detected upon the
plea that the tickets supplied Tor first class
and not emigrant trains.
This law, IL might well be supposed would be
just such law as the Commissioners OF Emigration
and their Castle Garden employees, whose duty 1t is
10 protect the emgrants, would desire to see
strictly enforced. Under the plea OF preventing
the emigrants from falling into the hands OF the
Philistnes, who would rob them on railroad
tickets and in every other way the Commissioners
decided shat the agents OF the principal trunk lines
should se admitted inside Castle Garden and
should sell passenger tickets 10 enigrants there
instead OF outside. There is therefore no excuse
whatsoever for a violation OF the law we have
quoted above, and the Commissioners Of Emgra-
TO zee that the law obeyed by the railroad
companies and their agents, are still more directly
responsible for its engagement since they have
taken the sale oil railroad tickets under their
special supervision inside Castle Garden.
Recent events have excited the suspicion that
some improper and corrupt combination exists be-
tween some OF the Castle Garden authorities and
certain railroad ticket agents or corporations to
the injury OF the emigrant. The earnest struggle
made by the Superin tendent Of the Depot and
tain Of the commissioners to prevent the exclu-
son OF an agent, against whose admission one
hall OF the Commissioners protested has directed
public attention to this ticket selling inside Castle
Garden, and IL has been asked wnat opportunity it
afforded for making an undue profit out OF the
business. An investigation OF the matter has dis
closed the fact that the emigrants passing over the
Erie Railroad are at the present moment defrauded
on every passenger ticket out Of from thirty to
ninety per cent besides being robbed in an inla-
nous manner upon their baggage. This ras-
cality IL going on under the eyes of the
Commissioners and the superintendent, the latter
Of whom, as the principal manager OF the depot, is
the most directly responsible for the outrage.
list OF the fares charged by the roads represented
III the Garden Is printed for the OF Castle Gar
den, and hencf there can be no excuse on the plea
Of ignorance for this open violation OF the law by
the Ere Railroad Company or for the connivance
OF the commissioners and superintendent in its
tnfraction. We give below the names OF twenty
Jour stations on the Erie road to which emgrants
are ticketed by the agent admitted to the depot
against the protest OF half the Commissioners,
with the distances rem New York, the legal fare
provided by the above law and the fare exacted
from the defrauded emigranrs the latter being
taken from the Castle Garden printed list taking
eject February |, 1s73r-
EMIGKANT