The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-19

The Ticket Agents Making Life I'm
pleasant for the Merry Scalper.
Why Division superintendent Should
Watch the Everyday Customs
of Their Men-Last Years
Wheat Crop-Oth-
er Items.

Teere IL again some wild talk abont intro
uciIg that Kansas City agreement in In.
dianapolis. This is an agreement whereby
a LEGAL agent found guilty of rate cutting
forfeits the sum Of s., but u does not seem
that there is any real need for such an iron
cad contract st the present time. All Lines
sre maintaining rates.
1t looks as If the railroads in this section
Of the country were destined TO lose enor-
nous amounts OF money each winter. Cold
ayes bsve put them TO great expense and
frouble this winter add the food old n
isst year. Il would not be at al strange il
lie Ohi0 we're 20 get ont OF its banks this
year. but the railroads are better prepared 10
core With an overflow nov tasn they we're
IN so.
s.. Louis paper says that both the Bee
Line and Yandalia road are cutting passen-
ger rates to Kew York and Philadelphia. 1t
is said that there will be trouble before the
end OF the week and so all roads are proyid-
Ell with rebate blanks ready to run into the
field in case OF general cut. Travellers may
lie going from 81. Louis to New " rk for -
before Saturday. The Vandalia people say
that the Bee Line brought the war about, bat
tie latter won't have it that way.
IN speaking of rear collision on an East
srn read which was caused By the enginesr
of the following tram running faster tnan
the rule allowed, the Railway Gazette says:
'sThis ought to serve as a powerful enforce
Bebt OF the lesson which 80 many previous
accidents have taught, that the everyday
customs OF the men should be the subject or
Inc careful study OF the Division Superin-
isndent. Toe fact that rear collisions are
Lot generally million.dOllar affairs, but
ara simpy items in the re-
pair account, should not blind directors
10 the simple truths that superintendents,
if they are really to superintend, must have
tine 10 know all their sub0rdinates init
matsly, that IN emergencies men may be
expected 10 act up to just so high q stand
ard as they habtually do, and no higher;
and that however imperious a rule for
emergencies is, there is no certainty of
large body OF men living up to it except by
systematic and periodical investigation, Tor
the purpose of discovering beforehand ex-
actly how well they understand 1t and how
faithfully they really intend to follow it.
Thus there are Just two parts of the
country where an unusual amount OF traffic
will be or has bean afforded by last years
wheat crop, the Pacific Coast and the West
eTn tier of States in the Upper Mississippi
Valley. The latter require more miles of
transportation by rail than any other
wheatgr0wing district in the world.
They have q fifth more wheat than in
1888, two fifths more than in 1882. aud more
than twice as much as IN 1881 or earlier
years. On the other hand, the leading wheat
growing States further cas-. Minnesota
Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan and Ohio, which even last year
produced half Of the entire national wheat
crop, though they produced a fifth
. per cent less than in 1892 Is
per cent. less thsn In 1880, and Is per cent
less than in 1879. Mean while there has been
very great increase Ia the railroad mile age
OF this territory, and the wheat traffic per
mile OK road must in many cases be very
much less than IL many other years of mod
crate production. 1t is, however, TO the
advantage of several of the railroads in this
district that they have to cary a large
part Of the product of the territory west OF
them, where the increase IN production has
ieen large.
1t begins TO look as II the local agents in
tended to make life unpleasant Tor the
scalpeis. 1t viii certainly be a good piece
of WORK II the former can only induce the
foreign roads to discontinue the practice of
paying CON missions to the so-cslled reduced
rate men, and there is every indication that
they will succeed ia their efforts in this
direction. They have already sent letters 10
the General Passenger Agents of the most
important lines that commission scalpers,
explaining to them the evils which result
from this mode OF securing business. The
afors said General Passenger Agents are also
requfst ed 70 become members Of the ass0cia.
ton recently formed b. the indianapolis
SCENTS 1t is generally conceded that passen.
ger rs ties can be we'll main teiDed II the Sos D
commission business is Fqueched Natural
ly enough the scslpers do not think So and
one Of them, with grin O. his face said;
The local agents are getting very yirtu01s
all 81 once. Il makes me weary u near
saem talk about want TO sse rates main
aimed and all OF that sort of business. This
Few scheme they are working up Is for the
benefit OF themselves, not for tue railroads.
When the foreign roads step commissioning
as, If they ever do, they will make several
dollers extrs every week, for the commission
money viii then be paid 20 them" local
agent gays that If they succeed in cutting OF
the scalrers revenue from this source the
number Of local scalping shops will De re-
duced. Probably one will be able TO stand
be pressure" said the agent IN conclusion.
The Iocsi association will recsive answers Ia
their letters 20 the foreign roads some time
next week, and viii hold mseting to take