Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-04-10
TICKET SCALPING.
The DemOralizing Effect on Railroad
Employees of this Questionable
Business.
From the PHILADELPHIA Pres,

From the Philadelphia Press.
The developments in the recent trials
of railway conductors in Philadelphia and
elsewhere for etnbeZZlement bring to light
new feature in the sO-calltd business
Of ticket scalping, and explain very clear
ly one OF the principal reasons for the
crusade which is being raged by the
railroad companies against the gentry
whose boast it is that they can discount
the standard rates OF the companies.
There was for a long time an element of
mystery in this peculiar traffic, ~hich Was
partially dispelled when the methods of
the scalpers were ventilated in the courts
and by the clear eXpositIons of railway
officers on the subject.
1t is apparent that the scalper derives
some of his support from some of the va
riOuS links, large and small, of the longer
lines between distant points. As a mat-
ter of course, rates by the various lines
between important centerS must be uni
form, and the longer lines, by reason of
their greater length and time of transit,
could not, and very properly so. hope to
obtain any considerable proportion of the
through traffic save by the operations of
the scalper. who buys for the intending
traveller who falls into the hands regu-
lar ticket by one of the longer routes,
sells it to him for "a dollar or so less than
it cost, collecting bonus from several of
the short lines composing this route as a
reward for diverting the traveller from
more direct lines. and pocketing fair
profit on the transaction. although the
passenger may not be so fortunate, as the
greater length of tine consumed on the
trip, and consequent increase in cost Of
meals and sleeping accommodations, may
more than cover the saving in the cost of
the ticket, and the traveller has no com
pensation for his lost time.
But tLis and other Operations which
the scaper is wont to consider Us "legiti-
mate" would scarcely eXplain the magDi-
tude which his profits must assume to
maintain him in the traffic, and these late
trials furnish he inform zion necessary
to complete solution of the mystery.
The testimony showed that I g RAJ WY
employees retained the icketS cole ted
from paS>ens Is and so d tacm at nOni-
n Il Rates to til ScalperS, who resold them
to travellers at a discount from standard
rates, the companies thus carrying twD
y ore Passengers on the same ticket.
These diat.lnS rs emphasize lth pain
! fl cI,'.l.lrp,S d, .nJ.s,. iitrL Lr.' Of the
lping nlerprise For years pas,
h ecu The Aim o. .iIirodd ..rag ,I...-~ -,
adjust their rules lud regUi tt.uAs - to
| r II We condI dICtor5 rom e n tne SIl ht-
e,t Hnputatiou of dishonest. Hhetirr
| tIiS has been fro,u motives ot sell iAleTcSr
o. not, Is i'm naterlal To the polut t Issue.
The :esnlt has been apparent IN the esprit
d / corps md the noraleo tneir emp Dyes.
The feeling that. in view OF the SAT-
guards thrown around thin. they " ere
above suspicion, has wrought Il reuarka
| BILE change i'll this class of employees, and
has made the position of railway conduct
or highly honorable. as it is a response
BILE and exacting calling. But just as this
condition Of things has been so happily
lconsunmated, new element of evil
arises, and it is not strange that amongst
such host of emp,oyeS some shOnld be
found vii ing to listen to the temptings
of the scalper, and become eventually his
willing but guilty too 5.
In the cause o% morality, and in behalf
of an important and deserving class of
rail nay employees. we can cordially en-
dorse the effo is o the transportation
lines to. utterly abolish this traffic, which
b s long ueen a misdemeanOr IN this
State. and we earnestly hope that the va
rious ates will spe oily take cognizance
of the growing evil and, by sta, ute SINH
lar to our own, pat the scalper under the
ban of the law and compel railroad com
panies to redeem for cash. from passen-
gers, their unused or partially used tick
cts. In the meantime the traveller will
do well to consider whether he can con-
scientiously aid the scalper or incur the
risk of riding on stolen ticket