Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1884-04-02
TICKET SCALPINC.
The DemOraliZing Effect on Rail
Road Employees Of this Cues
tiOnable Business.
From Philadelphia Press.

From Philadelphia Press.
The developments in the recent trials
of railway conductors in Philadel phia
and elsewhere for embezzlement bring
to light new feature in the so-called
business Of ticket scalping, and explain
very clearly one of the principal reasons
for the crusade which is being waged
by the railroad companies against the
gentry whose boast it is that they can
discount the standard rates of the COM
panies. There was for long time an
element of mystery in this peculiar
traffic, which 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 seal lper de-
rives some of his support from some of
the various links, large and small, of
the longer lines between distant points.
AS matter OF course, rates by the
various lines between important CEN
tres must be uniform, and the longer
lines, by reason Of their greater length
and time of transit, could not, and very
properly so, hope to obtain any consid-
cradle proportion of the through traffic
save by the operations of the scalpar,
who buys for the intending traveller
who falls into his hands a regular ticket
by one of the longer routes, sells 1t to
him for a dollar or so less than it cost,
collecting a bonus from several OF the
short lines composing this route as a
re ard for diverting the traveller from
more direct lines, and pocketng fair
profit on the transaction, although the
passenger may not be fortunate, as the
greater length Of time consumed on the
trip, and consequent increase in cost OF
meals and sleeping accommodations,
may more than cover the saving ~ the
cost of the ticket and the traveller has
no compensation for his lost time.
But this and other operations which
the scalpcr is wont 70 consider "Ieglti-
mate" would scarcely explain the
magnitude which his profits must as
sumo to maintain him in the traffic, nnd
these late trials furnish the information
necessary to complete a solution of the
mystery. The testimony showed that
the railway employees retained the
tickets collected from passengers and
sold them at nominally low rates to
the scalpers, who rc-sold them to the
travellers at a discount from standard
rates, the companies thus carrying two
or more passengers on the same ticket
These disclosures emphasize with
painful clearness the moral character OF
the scalping enterprise. For years
past it has been the aim of railroad
companies so to adjust their rules and
regulations as to relieve conductors
from even the slightest imputation OF
dishonesty, Whether this has been
from motives of self-intcrcst or not. ia.
immaterial to the point st issue. The
result has been apparent in the esprit
du corps and the m0r0ie of their en-
ployces The feeling that, in view of
the safeguards thrown around them,
they were above suspicion, has
wrought a remarkable change in this
class of employees, aud has made the
position Of railway conductor highly
honorable, as it is a responsible and eX-
acting calling. But just as this condl-
ton of things has been 50 happily con
summated, u new element Of evil arises,
and it is not strange that amongst such
host Of employees some should be
found willing to listen to the tcmptingS
of the scalper, and become eventually
his willing but guilty tools.
In the cause OF morality, and IN be-
half of an important and deserving class
of railway employees, we can cordially
endorse the efforts of the transportation
lines to utterly abolish this traffic,
which has long been n misdemcanor in
this State, and we earnestly hope that
the various States will speedily take
cognizancc of the growing evil and, by
/ statute similar to our own, put the
scalpcr under the ban of the law and
compel railroad companies TO redeem
for cash, from passengers, their unused
or partially used tickets. la the mean
time the traveller will do well to con
slider whether he can conscicnti0usly
MD the scalpcr or incur the risk of rid
ing on q stolen ticket