St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-07-18
CRISIS. FOR SCALPERS.
NJ is LIABLE 10 ARISE Any TINE
AFTER TOMORROW
"A STUBBORN FIGHT AHEAD.


Digest of the Law.
Tomorrow chapter 66, of the Session.
Laws of 1928, becomes operative. This.
law embodies the provisions of House
File S79, the ranous "anti-scalper biIi.''
1t was twice passed through both
houses, the second time on the "syi6a
pathy"- racket, that the bill had been
stolen by some one interested III pre-
venting its enactment into law. Per-
haps the hardest fight of the session
conferred about this measure. which had
failed to pass the previous legislature,
and the contest only temporarily ceased
when it went to the secretary of states
vaults with the governors signature at
tached
In every state where such law has
been passed the most bitter kind of
legal contests have ensued. Minnesota
Will be no exception to the rule, and
this fact was realized by the railroad
companies from the outset. Results
soon to be developed will no doubt vim
dictate the position of the GLOBE and
many legislators, that the plea thatit
was purely a conductors measure"
was not honest.
The Montana Method.
Montana sealpers fought the law mos
recently, and stole march on the COM
panieS by having the railroad agents
arrested for Noncompliance with some
provision of the law touching the issue
of licenses. Local ScaiperS assert their
Montana brethren are now practically
doing business just as they were before
the law was passed. 1t will be remem-
bered that the railroad companies
sought to take out licenses for their
agents beforehand, but were barred by
an opinion of the attorney general.
Licenses cannot be Issued before to-
morrow. and after that any agent sell
Ing tickets without such license will do
so unlawfulIy. 1t remains to be seen
whether the scalperS will take advan-
tage of any opening In this line to make
trouble for the companies. Both sides
are resting, with their eyes ION the
gun" as the saying is. The ticket
brokers maintainsthey are going to con-
tlnue business as usual, and there are
some who argue that the railroad COM
panieS simple desired to get the law
planted in the statute books for use IN
case of the discovery of fraudulent or
altered tickets that may by any means
be tracedIe brokers office. -k1
VIII Fight 1t Out
Three Minneapolisl@br are re-
ported to have already closed their
doors. The two leading firms in both
| eltleSl declare their determination. to
continue in business despite the law.
These firms are Mckenzie & Frey and
G.. o. Nash. Mr.. Frey, of the former
firm, says he considers ticket brokerage
legitimate business and that his firm
would continue In 1t until the courts
/ declared it illegitimate and the law
valid. Both he and MIR. Nash said the
law was none OF. their asking, and that
they would not take the initiative in
| securing test case: TO
The ScalperS claim: that the redemp.
tionclanSe will operate to the disadvanc
| tage of tue public. Take the case of a
! man buying a ticket from Portland,
| Or, to Chicago" said one. ''lf when
be reached Minneapolis he did not de-
| sire to proceed further he could, under
! the old conditions, dispose OF his ticket
for from ST to- IS, whereas the ticket
| having been sold OH low basis rdtp
| from. Minneapolis to Chicago. he Will
| get So or 81 at the most under the re
| demDtion clause of the new law. In
! the matter of railroad mileage the iii :
| justice TO the purchaser il more appar+
| ent. A man Duys-a 2,0O0-mile, ticket;
| paying therefor $50. If he goes to Chi
| cago. using, Say.-S00 miles, and wants to
| Sell the balance he can only get S26 for
| it, the railroad company making the re-,
| dempti0n by taking out the full value
of the used mileage, 500 miles at three
cents per mile"
Gist of the Law.
Following are the essential provisions
of the law as passed and approved:
Section l makes it the duty of the own
| erS of anyrailrOad or steamboat to provide
| each agent who may be authorized to
! sell within the State tickets Or other
! evidence emitting the holder thereof to
travel upon his OF their railroad or
| steamboat, with certificate setting
| forth the authority of such agent to
make such sales, which certificate shall
! be kept posted in a conspicuous place
| in the Office of such agent. After issue
of such certificate, it shall, within ten
| days, be exhibited to the secretary of
| state of Minnesota, and at the same
time So must be paid for state license,
which must be kept posted in con-
! spicnous place iii the Office of such
agent for the information of travellers
and of the public.
Section makes it unlawful for any
agent to sell tickets without such
license, and section makes such an
Illegal sale punishable by a fine not ex-
ceeding $500. or by Imprisonment not
exceeding one year, or either or both,
in the discretion of the court.
Section Is immaterial, and relates
merely to detail.
Redemption of Tickets.
See. 5. 1t shall be the duty of the
owners of every railroad or steam boat
situate or operated, in whole or in part.
within this state. to redeem lin
| mediately, upon demand, the whole, OF
| any coupon or coupons of any ticket
! heretofore sold by them, in any man
| ner, which the purchaser, for any rea-
son, has not used, at cost in case of a
| ticket not used, and in case of coupon
| OF ticket partially used, at a rate
| which shall be pro rata per mile, and
| which shall be equal to the difference
between the price paid for the whole
| distance and the distance for which
used portion of said ticket was actually
! used; provided, that such ticket or
coupon or coupons shall be presented
] for such redemption to any agent au-
| thoriZed as aforesaid; and the sale by
| any person of such ticket, or of the un-
| used portion of any such ticket or cou-
! pom or coupons, otherwise than by the
| presentation VI SdiuG lOl DIS
| hereinbefore provided, shall be deemed
| to be violation of the provisions of this
act, and any person guilty of such vio-7
! lation shall be deemed guilty of mis-
| demeanor. and shall be punished by a.
| fine not exceeding $500, or by imprison-
| ment not exceeding one year, or either
| or both, in the, discretion of the court in
| which such offender shall be convicted,
| provided that this act shall not prohibit
any person who has purchased from any
agent authorized by this act, with a,
bona fide intention of travelling upon
| the same the distance between the
| points named on the said ticket, from
selling the unused portion of the same
to the company that sold the same: and
! it shall be the duty of said company to;
| pay for such unused portion of such.
| ticket the difference between the actu;E
| fare to points used and the amount paid,
| for such ticket