St. Paul daily globe., 1885-12-10
PASSENGER AFFAIRS.
General Passenger Agents Refuse to Pay
Any More Commissions to Ticket
Scalpers,
And Ask the Minnesota & Northwestern
to Join Them in the Action They
Have Taken.
It Refuses to Do So, However, Unless
They Close Up All the Scalp
erS' Offices.
The Canadian Pacific to do California
BCSinesS--New Passenger
Rates East.


a very peculiar turn within the past few
days. The general passenger agents have
signified their intention of paying no more
commission to scalpers for business done
over the Milwaukee 81 St. Paul, Omaha
and Minneapolis IL st. Louis roads. As
the Minnesota & Northwestern road has no
scalpers working for it, it says nothing of
the action. Yesterday Assistant General
Passenger Agent Dixon of the Milwaukee
q St. Paul received the following telegram
from General Passenger Agent Carpenter
OF Milwaukee:
Extend to Messrs Teasdale and Boyd our
cordial thanks for their having Joined in re-
storing rates and abOlisning commissions in
Minneapolis and st. Paul. regard it as the
best step thar has ever been taken in the di-
rection of general reform, and assure them
that they shall have no reason to regret having
taken the step, on account Of any action OF
this company or any Of il agents; that II IS
our firm purpose TO n.:ut ain tariff rates, and
not to allow any body any chance to sell tick
cts over our road at a less rate than is made
by our own agents over our counters. In ac-
cOrdance with the instructions given TO them
that we shall take no steps, whatever out
siderS may do without consulting them 1uJly
ana cooperate with them, and you Will be
sure that in no circumstances whatever d
single man connected with this road shall de-
viate one iOta from the letter or spirit Of
those instructions until positive order is re-
ceived from this Office to the contrary. We
mean business in this move, and honestly
hope that the Minnesota and Northwestern
viii Join us and if they do,it will introduce an
era in rairodd-traffic service which will DE the
h&rhinger of better times among railways
than mas ever been known since competition
was first inaugurated.
But there is no present prospect of the
Minnesota i Northwestern Joining the
three associated roads. The three passen-
ger agents. in the hope of securing it, ad-
dressed the following joint letter to General
Passenger Agent Littell Of the Minnesota
* Northwestern:
We have agreed to restore all rates to and
through Milwaukee and Chicago to figures
quoted in ST. Paul and Minneapolis rate sheet
from and after Dec. 9, 1885 and pay no COM
mission whatever to brokers or any one else.
Agents must not divide their Eastern com
missions with any one, so that no one can buy
q ticket over our respective lines for less
than rate sheet rates. The above also cancel
the special rates from Chicago east, as they
do not appear in said rate sheet. We raise
the limited rates TO St Louis via Chicago to
$l8.75 first class and $1525 second class, with
one day limit in addition to day of sale. We
respectfully ask that you restore rates to
tariff, as ABOVE, and request the courtesy Of
an early reply.
To the above letter Mr.. Littell replies as
follows to General Passenger Agent Teas
dale of the Omaha:
General Passenger Agent Boyd of the Min
neapolis st. Lonis. and Assistant General
Passenger Agent of the Milwaukee & St.Panl
Gentlemen: L beg to acknOwledge the re-
ceipt of your joint communication of the Sth
inst, on the subject of passenger rates. The
Minnesota Il Northwestern heartily approves
of the stand you have taken and begs leave
to call your attention to the following facts:
FirSt-That the streets of st. Paul and
Minneapolis are lined with offices displaying
signs Offering ''cut-rate'' tickets. All of these
offices have been literally supplied hereto
fore with tickets from your respective offices
and not one by this company. Information
is desired as to how many tickets your re-
spective companies have sold these offices at
''cut-rates" before entering into the compact
announced in your letter. Until these offices
are closed this company will take very little
stock in your joint announcement.
Second-The Minnesota & Northwestern
have not heretofore found it necessary to cut
rates in order to set business. 1t has met
rates made by you and will continue to do SO.
Thrd-The Minnesota & Northwestern
stands on the principle that if S. is the
amount the railroad company is to receive for
transporting passenger to Chicago, 1t Will
sell its tickets for that price and give the
public the full benefit of the cut rather than
compel the public to pay SS and give broker
the other So, which leaves no chance for a
suspicion that any officer of this company is
a silent partner in scalping Offices. When
the associated roads are prepared to take up
and cancel all outstanding tickets in the
hands of brokers, abolish ''cut rate offices
at this end of the line and 'rebate Offices at
the other, the Minnesota & Northwestern
company. and probably the public, will have
more confidence in YOUR protestations OF
good faith in the premises.
In regard to Mr.. Lttell's letter. Mr..
Dixon says, as one of the parties signing
The joint letter, that Mr.. Littell
WAS NOT ASKED
10 join the roads in any compact" He
was simply asked to restore rates TO tariff
as his road and the other two had DONE
They have agreed to pay no commissions to
brokers, but so far as closing their offices is
concerned, is no more iii the power Of the
three agents addressed than it is in Mr..
LitteIl's. I'VE are not their keepers" Mr..
Dixon says, mo matter how they may have
been fOstered by some of us in the past" I"
There are none Of Our tickets in the hands
Of the Scalpers. If Mr.. Littell thinks there
are, we will redeem any he may secure, at
however low figure, at full tariff rates
and we could take no better means of show
ing cur sincerity"
The scalpers yesterday were little sur
priSed at the action the several passenger
agents had taken, and were to have held a
meeting in the afternoon, but none took
place.