The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-07-23
1.-THE RAlLROaD3wAR.
COmnenGs Thereon.
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SEDALIA, No., July 10, 1875.
EDITORS EMPoRIA NEWS Dear
Sirs: In your issue OF the 10th inst,
you devote nearly q column to sour
railroads." and as a portion OF your
venom reflects on the department
which have charge OF, wish to say
to you and the public, through the col
umns of your paper, that the whole
statement In regard to the ticket office.
Is base fabrication. quote frem your
article: at Is openly stated on the
street here that the removal of the
ticket case OF the NJ, X. & T. road
from this place was the result OF q
"bargaln aud sale'' between the two
companies to rob the people OF the
benefits of fair and honest competition
that Is, that for a monied consideration
the NJ, X. & T. has virtually with
drawn from the contest here for its
share of the ticket business
l am well aware where all this
trouble comes from, and the author
thereof will have to answer to me In q
court of justice for the ISLANDERS he has
circulated, and caused to be circulated,
against me. For some time Mr.. III. Z.
Norton had case of our tickets In his
Office in your city, and duriRg the en-
tire time Of his keeping them, it was
one continual wrangle between this
line and the A, Il. e. s. F., on rates.
Norton could not, or did not, get any
business (or at least but moity) with
out cutting rates. Another thing, his
remlttances were from one week to
two weeks behind, and the proceeds of
the sale o n, X. and Il. tickets fur
nished him a capital to do his business
ON, e, one weeks sales (he reported
weekly would furnish him O few hum
dred dollars, which he would invest in
his business, and use his second weeks
sales to pay his first weeks receipts.
Matters kept getting worse with him,
and business continually falling of, /
deemed It expedient t. abolish that Of
fice aud try and do all our business at
our depot Office. On the 18th OF Feb
ruary last, Mr.. Norton received in
structions from me to close the Office
and sell no more tickets from that date.
On the ID day of March (before our
travelling auditor could reach there to
settle mp with him) he purloined two
first-class tickets from EmporIa to
Philadelphia, from the case, and sold
them, appropriating to his own use the
amount, SS4.70, and our comptroller
informs me IL has not been settled at
this date and that Norton still owes
the passenger department that amount
am aware that this man Norton
has stated that sol out this business
and received the sum of $1,000 there
for, and other equally absurd stories,
and repeat, he must calculate, at no
distant day, to pay the penalty of so
gross q SANDER. So much for Mr..
morton"
Allow mo to quote n little further
from your article. "We know the NJ,
u ~ n raNr ~ a
town and that those who want to traV-
el that road have to buy them out at
the depot, half a mile from the business
part of the city; we know that the
healthy competition for the sale of
tickets, which we had all last season,
does not now exist"
Now, Messrs. Editors, the passenger
that bought ticket In the uptown Of
flee on the NJ, X. & T., had TO go to
the depot any how to take the train
and l am quite sure they cOnld always
find our gentlemanly and Obliging
agent, Mr.. Watson, always ready and
anxious TO furnish them tickets, and SO
far as possible, truthful information,
should they desire it. AS TO healthy
competition, allow me to ask you, How
many of the good, solid merchants of
Emporia there are that would like to
see a continual cut of rates? / think
In your canvass You will find that they
would rather have regular rates at fair
prices, than one rate to-day and an
other tomorrow, so that in reality
they could not tell how to buy their
goods, as Mr.. Smith might buy to-day
when freight rates were 81 90 per 100
lbs, and Mr.. Jones tomorrow only 80
cents perl00 lbs.
AS far as the passenger department
is concerned, / can assure You that
nothing shall be left undone that is
consistent to satisfy the most fastidious,
and ] think thai / am warranted In
saying that you will lind, on fair trial,
that the future management OF this
line will advocate this policy-that
what is of advantage to the interests
of its patrons, Is to their advantage,
and we hope on further acquaintance
you will like us better.
In conclusion, ] will say, Judge not
harshly lest ye be Judged and further
that was In your city on Monday, the
18th -four days before your article was
published), and arranged To place q
ticket Office up town, and a good re.
liable, honest man will have charge o
affairs there, and hope with his hell
and yours, to east u little oil on the
troubled waters and thereby make 4
profitable for all of as.
Very truly yours,
THos. DORWIN,