St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-30
DID NOT CONNIVE

In the Disappearance of the Scalp
err BiH-Other Interests Aid Its
Defeat.
Clarence Corbett. chairman of the
committee appointed by the ticket
brokers to look after the interests of the
association in connection with the "anti-
scalpers' bill.' says that the ticket
brokers were not the only persons in
tereSted in the defeat of the bill, and, as
the impression has gone forth that they
were the sole DIRECTORS to The plan pro-
posed by the legislature, thus making it
necessarily appear that the bill must
have been spirited away with the con-
nivance of the brokers, he desires to
give to the public some OF the exact facts
in the case 1..s.s
''Of course do not desire to appear
as eountenancing the idea that we may
have eonnived in the losing of the bill.
: merely desire to say that there were
others who were fighting against the
bill and who were sactuated by greater
/ interests than we were in OPPOSING its
passage. The title of the b!lf has Gre
ated the impression; that we were the
sole persons aimed at, but it would not
affect us so much as it would some of the
railroad companies. t3ags
f.f w Hcl GHG Viii WAS uDQer discussion
Senator Hiram F. Stevens stated that ne
was In receipt OF communications from
the representatives of the Diamond 10
line of steamers. These communica-
tons stated that the line could not af-
ford to make round trip rates between
st. Paul and the South for the reason
that the amendment to the bill. provid-
ing that unused portions of tickets must
be redeemed pro rata to the distance
travelled. would kill the rate for one
way. This company was deeply inter
ested in the defeat of the bill. The
Northern Pacific Railroad company was
also deeply interested in the defeat of
the bill. Its rate to the Western coast
is so. Its round trip ticket is $50. If
it was compelled to refund the money
paid for the balance of the ticket after
the holder had taken the trip to the
West. at pro rata, the passenger would
get the trip to the West for $40. This
would be $50 less than the regular rate
for one way. 1t would stand to reason
that the Northern Pacific would be in
lereSted i'll the defeat of the bill.
''The Kansas City line and some of
the other weaker lines are very friendly
towards the brokers and do consider
able amount OF business with them. In
the year 1891 the Kansas line flooded
the market with block Of 5000 Chicago
tickets at 81 each. The Burlington line
is also good friend of the brokers and
has transacted considerable business
with them. There are a number of
lines which are interested in the defeat
OF the bill, and it is not fair to the
brokers to have the impression go out
that we are the only ones who could be
possibly blamed for the disappearance
of the bill. am not saying that any of
the above-named corporations have
been instrumental in the spiriting away
of the bill, but l merely desire to have
the people know that others besides the
ticket brokers had an interest in the de-
feat of the measure.
Il see that the six ticket brokers who
were arrested in Chicago on the charge
of selling tickets i'll opposition to the
state law, which is about the same as
the one introduced in Minnesota, have
been discharged. The clerk of the court
wrote letter to Congressman Bella, of
California, stating that the court had
decided the bill to be in violation of the
state and federal constitutions, as UNI
Reasonable and void for these reasons"
| MIR. Corbett has been deeply inter-
ested in the bill. He is with the firm of
| Mckenzie 81 Frey, the former being one
of the chief men in the brokers' national
association. He was in st. Paul during
portion of the hearing of the bill, and
declared that the brokers would test it
from every possible standpoint in case
it became law.