The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-02-23
THE sCALPER MUST GO.
Indications that He is Rapidly Disap
pearinR from View.

Indications that He Is Rapidly DiSar-
pearing from View.
A popular impression prevails that the
scalper must go, in fact that he is rapidly
going. The Chicago Inter Ocean say. {:
''The public will then lose sight of a very
numerous and previous individual whose
coat-of-armS is a unicorn standing on a
naUchet, with railway ticket for a shield
and two saws crossing each other for weap-
ons. The public will then learn that it is
profitable to buy ticket direct from a rail-
way company at low rates and take no
chances, rather than purchase the same
from the scalper who puts 81 in his pocket
that ought to have belonged to the passen-
ger and by the laws of competition destroys
tue legitimate revenue of the railway COM
pauy.
The unqualified condemnation of the
scalping business by the interstate com
merce commission, their recommendation
to congress that an amendment be made to
the act to regulate commerce preventing
the sale Of railway tickets by scalpers, the
action Of tho eastern lines in declining to
place in their hands any tickets of their
issue, the action of the western lines in
Withdrawing from the scalping offices all
tickets of their issue, the concerted action of
the railways of the country generally in
placing such restrictions around the sale
and use Of their mileage tickets, so as to
prevent their being handled by Scalpers,
the adoption by the Central Traffic
Association lines of the punch descrip-
ton form of contract for mileage tickets,
the adoption by the same lines of punch
description form of tourist tickets, by
which only the original purchaser can use
the ticket, the absolute good faith in which
railway agreements throughout the country
are now being lived up to. so far as passen-
SrA. tra fHr 10 cd. hn ere md inst
the scalpers which the press of the country
generally has taken since the decision Of
the interstate commerce commission, and
the fact that in three of the great states
Pennsylvania, Indiana aud Illinois-the
bu mess of ticket scalping is made Illegal
by constitutional enactment, all indicate in
the plainest possible manner that the days
of the railway ticket scalpers are numbered.
That portion of the public which has pro-
vided the principal patrons of and which
now finds that the business is illegitimate
and condemned by the highest government
railway authority in the country, is rapidly
withdrawing its patronage, as it cannot
consistently become party to the violation
of law, the passage of which 1t worked
for so long and earnestly. The facts are
hat the public demands and should receive
just and equal facilities and rates from tne
transportation companies without discrimi-
nation or preference, and the evident inten-
ton of the railroads acting under the inter-
stete commerce law is to make their rates
reasonable and public. The further fact that
the railroad companies are ready and willing
to redeem the unused portions of all tickets
which purchasers may have for any reason
failed to use, has changed the sentiment Of
the people generally III regard to tie bust
ness Of ticket scalping, and an amentmen
to the act to regulate commerce prohibiting
this practice by a national law would I'M
doubtedly receive the support OF the better
class of business men throughout the coun-
try, as the public can plainly sec that
whatever reductions were then made by
the railway companies would go directly 10
the people and not be largely absorbed by a
middle class, which has built itself up with
out benefiting either the public or the rail
waysD