St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-24
FORCING A FIGHT.
Vanderbilt Accused of Driving
Opposition Lines Into
Rate Cutting.
Transporting Stock to the Fairs
New Time Table on the
LIS ii. Division.
Denial of Rumoreil Sale of the Illinois Gen.
trail Road to the B. & 0.
Company.

Vanderbilt Forcing the Var East
Bound Passenger Rates.
The indications are that Mr.. Vanderbilt is the
individual that is causing all the disturbance in
the passenger rates in the east. 1t was stated
only few days ago in these columns that prom
inent railroad men were of the opinion that the
reason why the Northwestern gave notice of the
withdrawal of its Sioux City g. Pacific business
from the Western Trunk Line association was
done to give Vanderbilt an opportunity to get up
a war in order to buy back certain stocks at q
low price that he had but short time before
sold at d high price 1t looks now though
this was So 1t is now asserted onslvery good
authority that he is not only trying TO bring in
new war among the western roads, but that he
is also endcavoring to drive the roads into fight
on east bound freight and passenger traffic.
Since Aug. l, when the passenger pool expired,
the Vanderbilt roads, especially the Michigan
Central, have been charged with more or
less Irregularities. During the last few
days it transpired that the Wander
bilt roads had in their hands large blocks of tick
cts, which were being sold at largely cut rates,
and it also leaked eut that the various steamship
agents in Chicago had issued circulars to their
agents that they are prepared to pay 81 commits
sion on all frst-class tickets via Michigan Cen
trail or Lake Shore and New York Central. These
acts Convinced the other roads that the Wander
bilt lines were trying to force flight. The fact
also that Vanderbilt had lately given utteran ce
to one of his periodical interviews in the New
York Tribune claiming that the Erie and other
competing lines had all along been cutting rates
and that his roads had not been noticing these
things as long as the other roads did not go too
far, created the suspicion that Vanderbilt meant
mischief. Excitement was caused Friday in
eastern railroad circles by the discovery that the
passenger officials of the Vanderbilt roads had
held conclave at Buffalo week or two ago, at
which a campaign against the other roads was
outlined and adopted, and the doings of the Van
derbilt roads since then were the result of that
action.
At that secret conclave in Buffalo there were
present Mr. Meeker, general passenger agent;
Mr. Richards, assistant passenger agent, and
Mr.. Jerome general agent at Chicago of the New
York Central; Mr. johnson, general passenger
agent of the Lake Shore; Mr.. Ruggles, general
passenger agent of the Michigan Central, and
Mr. Gallup, general passenger agent or the Bos-
ton Il Albany The meeting, it is claimed, re-
solved to commence an aggressive warfare
against the other lines, but that 1t should be
conducted so as to force the other roads toTde-
clare open war against the anderblt lines. zone
of the agreements said to have been made was
that commission of not less than SIS on tickets
from Chicago to New York should be paid to
scalpers, steamship agents and others. Upon
the return OF the passenger officials from Buffalo.
it is claimed the Michigan Central issued $780,
600 worth of mileage book tickets, Chicago to
Buffalo, which are ma ked as having been issued
on account of the Chicago Ne'0s Letter, and it is
also claimed that conductors have been instructed
to make no inquiries whether holders were MEM
bers of the press or not. These tickets, 1t is
said. are in the hands OF scalpers, who are said
to be selling them for two cents a mile or less
which makes cut of from "a to IS on each trip.
The New York Central, it is claimed. also filed
scalping offices with blocks of tickets which are
being sold at S. from Buffalo to New York, which
is cut of 50 from the regular rates
When these facts became known the passen-
ger officials of the anti-V anderbilt roads held a
meeting to decide what action they should take
| in the premises No definite decision, however,
was reached but they were fully convinced that
decisive steps have to be taken at once to meet
the competition of the Vanderbilt roads. Start
| ling developments will no doubt DE made within
a dav or two and il is quite certain that one OF
the severest passenger wars ever fought between
| The eastern roads will be inaugurated.