The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-03-18
To Prohibit "Scalping. J

To Prohibit ''Scalping."
Montana has passed q law to prohibit
what is known in railroad parlance as
scalping. A regular business is carried
on in most cities of Importance, for the
buying and selling of railroad tickets,
outside ST the railroad companies offices.
Travellers to distant points sometimes
stop by the way and dispose of the un-
used portions of a coupon ticket to s.
dealer at a reduced price, who in turn
sells it to customer, il he can find one,
at a figure below the regular rate. Pas
sengers also occasionally take return
tickets and are unable to use the return
part, which is disposed OF in a similar
way. The business is called sscaiping, -
and the person engaged in buying and
selling such tickets is called ''scalper. .
OF course the railroad companies are
opposed to this and have frequently en-
deayored to suppress it. but in vain.
Conductors often have much trouble over
tickets issued as not transferable and
which It is evident have been through the
scalpers' hands. Sometimes expired
tickets are sold to simple people, or
tickets which do not entitle the pur-
chaser to ''hold over'' privileges, and
persons travelling with them after the
prescribed date are elected if they will not
pay the fare. These are among the
troubles of the scalping system.
OF course anything fraudulent IN the
business is against the public welfare and
should be punishable by law. 1t is sell
dom, though, that swindled traveller is
able to bring the cheating scalper to JUS
tice. He is usually slippery fellow,
hard to catch, and the defrauded passen-
ger is rarely able to return to the place of
purchase and prosecute the Y1ctimizer.
The public should bs protected against
this kind OF fraud as far as it is possible
for the law and its officers to Go so.
The square business of buying and SELL
ing railroad tickets is another thing. The
unused and unexpired coupon is an article
OF value which, on general business prin-
ciples, may be made merchandise of. If a
ticket is bought emitting the purchaser to
conveyance from Chicago to San Francisco
or vice versa, why should he not be al
lowed to sell that ticket in Salt Lake city /,
ii he desires to stop here, and why should
not the ticket be just as good for the rest
OF the journey, for another person as for
himself? There may be soma special con-
tract between the buyer and the railroad
company in particular instances that
would preclude this transfer. But we are
speaking OF an ordinary railroad ticket
Tor the transportation Of one person to a
given point.
The Montana law, haze been enacted to
prohibit this business. We are of the
opinion that it will work no better than
another kind of prohibition which has
been found not to prohibit. The COVER
nor has signed the bill, but the scalpers
still carry on their trade. 1t is doubtful
whether jury would convict man whose
only ''crime'' is selling or buying a
railroad ticket for a reduced price. It is
also unlikely that the law prohibiting the
business ana making it public offense
would stand constitutional test in the
courts.
It is said that the bill was passed
through bargains in regard to other bills,
species of bribery not unknown to most
legislature bodies. The governor signed
it in difference to the action of heavy ma
iorities in both Houses Of the legislature.
But the scalpers still scalp and it viii be
interesting to watch the war between
them and the railroads with the backing
the latter have obtained by the passage of
the new law