The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-03-17
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.
The Sage MOps the Earth with
the BucOlic Statesman from
Deer Creek. .-.

.
the Bucolic Statesman from
Deer Creek.
Poor Hompe's s'Scalper's Bill''
Painted in True Colors by
.. - Master Hand.
1t is well understood that the rail
road companies are banded together,
in an iron-clad pooling contract, to pre-
vent competition from cheapening
rates and wiping out their bogus
Watered stock. But they have one
trouble to encounter. The weaker and
poorer roads, in their eagerness to get
business, and live, go to 'scalpers,' as
they are called, and secretly sell large
bodies of their tickets, at reduced
rates and these in turn are sold to the
public. at prices below those charged
by the pool, and thus kind of compe-
tltlon is established, part of the peo-
pie travel at somewhat reduced cost
and the pool is broken. It is said that
one road between ST.. Paul and Chicago
sold in this way, in 1890, $4,000 worth
OF tickets, at reduced rates, in a lump,
to meet pressing exigency; and that
the other companies lodged a complaint
against the delinquent before the inter-
state commerce commission-for our
grand old government is, it seems, en-
gagged in the noble business of uphold
ing the pool'' and preventing compe-
tition. Now all this irritates the rail-
! road companies, and so, in State after
State, they have introduced, and, in
some cases, secured the passage of
Laws, to abolish ''scalpers In some
States the courts have held such laws
to be unconstitutional, on the ground
that you cannot stop a man, in free
country, from buying and selling rail-
road Tickets. or any other legitimate
article of personal property. And the
''scalpers," a large association of re-
putable gentlemen, with extensive
capital, extending all over the United
States, are kept busy every winter,
rushing around from State to State. to
defend themselves from bills of that
kind. Usually those bills are intro
Isduced by railroad attorneys from the
great cities, but in Minnesota, strange
! to say, the corporations passed by their
usual representatives, and placed their
interests in the hands of this Danton of
the Northwest, this ferocious, picayune
Robespierre of Otter Tail county, this
apostle of red-headed revolution and
fiery, volcanic antimonopoly. What
fact it was in Mr.. Hompe's past his
tory, or what secret relations between
himself and the railroad companies.
(which he denounces so savagely at
home) that led the intelligent trans
portatlon-nabObs to select the wild
eyed granger from Deer Creek as their
advocate and defender, we leave to the
imagination of his constituents. And
so he introduced bill to crush out the
''scalpers'' and leave the railroads
complete masters of the situation.
And the bill went to the judiciary COM
mlttee, of which I was a member. I
was thunder-struck to find such a meas
ure coming from such source. But,
thank God, it never got beyond that
committee. The ''scalpers" came be-
fore the committee to defend their
right to live; and the principal railroad
officials, with their attorneys, came in
swarms to defend Hompe's bill! And
the fight ragged fast and furious for
days and weeks.
And how does this Alliance man
defend such a bill. He says:
Nov the facts are, whether we like it
or not, the railroads intend to charge
such passenger and freight rates as
shall net them a certain per cent on
their property, including water.''
Precisely. And Hompe proposes to
help them.
His (the scalper's) business,'' says
Hompe, is a great drain on the reve-
nues of the company, to meet which
they put up rates.
Poor railroads! Kind-hearted Hompe!
Why this is equal to the benevolence
OF distinguished statesman of Otter
Tail county, who years ago, creased a
neighbours OK, to keep the flies from
biting him, and did it so artistically
that the owner could scarcely recognize
his own beast; and the ungrateful
wretch afterwards ambushed the gen
tie artist and filled his seat of destiny
with duck shot, so that he could not
sit down on a chair for a month with
out hurting the chair. ~
Had I been left alone I have no
doubt, continues Hompe, but what
could (sic) have brought about a reduc-
tion of passenger rates from three to
two cents per mile, as a condition of
passing this bill. Messrs. Donnellv
M 81, a.