Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-06-09
NUMBER A.
Railway Fare Not High.

Railway Fare Not High.
George H. Heafford. general passen-
ger agent of the Chicago Milwaukee
Il St. Paul railway, has issued timely
circular letter to the newspaper press
OF the western States. In it he sub.
mits a few plain questions to those
who are clamoring for reduced rail-
way fares, to enable people from the
country to visit the Worlds Fair.
He asks:
1t the newspapers double their Gus
tomary rates for advertising space, the
restaurants add 25 per. cent. to the
price of food and drink, the places of
OF amusement maintain usual prices,
the merchant add little to the cost
of their goods to cover the expense of
entertaining their country customers
who come to visit the Fair, is not a 20
or ~ per cent. REDUCTION in railway
fares entitled to consideration as q
fair contribution for the railway COM
panies to make for the financial sue
cess of the Exposition? Does any
reasonable person wish to prevent
the railways from sharing in the
hoped for benefits to accrue from an
enormous attendance of country visit
ors to the Worlds Fair;
He shows that each of the great
railroads entering Chicago subscribed
originally fifty thousand dollars In
cash towards creating the Exposition,
and later subscribed one hundred
thousand more; that each of the
Chicago terminal lines has spent
from fifty to three Thousand dollars for
the express purpose of being enabled
to handle Worlds Fair business, which
equipment would not otherwise be re-
quired at this time; that the Chicago
terminal lines and other lines within
from three hundred to five hundred
miles of Chicago have very largely ad-
ded to their regular train service at a
large daily increase in their expenses,
in order to enable them to carry
Worlds Fair business.
The rates of fair agreed upon by the
railway companies by no means seem
extortionate. If we are to Judge from
the c. M. & St. Paul company's treat
ment of this section, it seems to be the
aim OF the western railway companies
not only to furnish visitors to the Ex-
position first class travelling accomoda
tions but to contribute to their comfort
and guard them from being imposed
upon while in Chicago. Mr.. Heaf-
ford's letter is a bold outspoken doc.
ument. While his enthusiasm for the
Exposition is great he has no SYM
pathy with any efforts to misrep.
resent matters in relation thereto, or to
impose in any manner upon the public.
He says.
The exposition is now practically
complete and is the greatest aggrega.
ton of things beautiful and useful
upon which the sun ever shown. The
stories of extortion within the grounds
never had much foundation in fact
such Irregularities as did exist on the
opening day have been removed. 1t
is entirely possible to get first-class
meal within the grounds from SOC. to
75c. The regular admission fee of SO
covers all the exhibits and no man
need spend more than this unless he
cesires to visit the "side shows " in the
Midway Plaisance. The Columbian
Guards and at her employees are very
ourteous and obliging. The facil-
ties for taking care of enormous
masses of people are the best ever
created and the weakest person need
have no fear of getting into a crowd.
= = The people are coming regard
less of railroad rates, regardless Of un-
truthful statements as to the Fair not
being ready for inspection, and they
will be here in crowds within the
next three weeks and thereafter to en-
joy the grandest and most complete
exposition the world has ever known
or ever will know; otherwise / am no
nrOnhnf