Omaha daily bee., 1889-11-02
COOLEY CAUSES A COMMOrION
A Breezy Letter From the Inter-
State Chairman.
OBJECT LESSONS AS TEACHERS.
He Talks Plainly OF tho Evils Which
Permit Ticket Brokers to Exist
"A Question Regard-
ing Oats settled.
Right tothc Point.

CHICAGO, NOV L-ISpeclal Telegram to
THE BEE, Chairman Abbott, of the West
ern States Passenger association, to-day
sent out circular letter to members of his
association containing the following from
Judge Cooley, chairman of tho inter state
commerce commissions:
"Object lessons are apt to be the most inn
pressive teachers, aud what Is taught
thereby Is most certain TO be remembered
and acted upon. desire TO call your atten-
tion aud through you the attention of your
associates to the question whether the rail-
roads of the country are not now giving the
public an object lesson which is certain to
impress the public mind that regular passen-
ger rates are altogether too high.
In imposing such ra ties 1t is
OF course assumed that the rates
are prescribed as "A reasonable compensation
for the service neutrality-suspicious. for those
who are TO pay them. But has not the pub
lie abundant reason for believing that con-
siderable numbers of persons are all the
while being improperly carried free, the cost
OF their carriage tending necessarily to keep
up the usual rates charged to those who paya
Thls however, is not the part of the lesson
to which wish most particularly to direct
attention now. The extraordinary manner
in which the privilege to give excursion rates
is abused is a much greater wrong to those
who pay the customary rates than is even the
proper free transportation. That privilege
might be exercised as the law coutem-
plates without wronging any one, be.
cause 1t would tend TO create
business for special occasions that
would not otherwise exist, and
the cost of which would be more than met by
the returns. But that it is improperly exer-
cised when the excursion rates only tend TO
cut the regular rates, is unquestionable.
Moreover, you can not fail to Know that ex-
cursion tickets in great quantities are issued
with an understanding, expressed or implied,
that the condition of issue shall not be en-
forced and that they, or at least the return
part thereof, may be used instead of regular
tickets, the consequence being that upon the
same trains there are persons at all times to
be found, some of whom have paid for their
passage twice or more than twice as much as
others, though neither in law or morals is
there reason for any difference. The public
sees that as incidental to this method of con-
Quoting the business ofetransportng persons
by rail, the carriers furnish support and the
opportunity for large profits to n consider
able number of persons in all sections Of the
country in business that ought not to exist
at all-thc business known as that of ticket
broker or scalper. Sometimes these per.
sons are made use of directly as means OF
cutting rates, more often indirectly, whereby
the same end is accomplished Rut whether
used directly or indirectly, the effect on the
travelling public is the same-the cost of sup
porting them and their business falls upon
the public and their profits tend TO keep
rates excessive.
In view of these facts the following ques-
tlons naturally arise:
/. When the railroad companies thus dis
| tinctly give the public to understand that
their regular rates more than
| a fair remuneration for the services
performed for those who pay them,
why should not the fact be stated with equal
distinctness by the commission in its official
communications.
Q. If persons charged the regular rates
should complain of them as excessive, and
| bring out the facts above stated as proof,
how would the railroad companies undertake
| to show that complaint to be not well takeni
Very respectfully yours
THOMAS NJ. COOLEY, Chairman
The above remarkable letter has called out
more comment than any yet issued by, Chair
man Cooley in his official capacitn. In the
main the comments are to the effect that the
commission is right in stirring up the un-
| mitigated evil referred TO in Judge Cooley's
| letter. 1t has put continued slight on tn q
| commission, and OF which Chairman Cooley
| has often spoken in vain. Adverse COM
| ments are as thick as the favorable ones,
| some especially savage outbursts being heard
| IN regard to the commission attending to its
| own purposely delayed business. The letter
| has already created profound impression,
| and is more than likely, if threats are to be
| believed, to lead to an outbreak which will
| end in determined effort on the part Of the
roads to prove the unconsttutonality Of the
Interstate commerce act