Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-30
SLEEPING CAR RATES
Senator Sherman Denounces the
Pullman Company Monopoly.
WANTS REGULATING LEGISLATION
The Passengers Pay Two Fares
to the SIeepers.
THE TIPP ING STEM

Senator Sherman struck a chord that will
probably vibrate in the hearts of the whole
public when he introduced his resolution in
the Senate yesterday directing the commit
tee on interstate commerce to investigate
the subject Of rates and regulations for
sleeping and parlor cars Coming coincident
with the great strike in the west the matter
Is of unusual interest and Star reporter
sought the Senator this morning to ask him
for his views on the subject. Mr.. Sherman
was enjoying the breeze Of an electric fan
| In his library when he said good morning
TO the reporter and began to talk enthusi-
asticaiy about the resolution, which passed
the Senate yesterday unanimously.
| This matter" he said. has no reference
Whatever to the strike that is now in pro-
gress In the west. 1t is something that
have been thinking about for a long time,
and have talked with my colleagues in the
| Senate sufficiently to fnd that they are IN
nearly symptahy with my effort to cause q
| reform In the Rates charged by the Pullman
and other sleeping car companies | regard
these rates as simply infamous. 1t Is out
! rageoLs for US to be compelled TO pay such
hish prices for such poor accommodations
| as We receive IN cur trips to and fro about
! the country. They give you a short, narrow
perth, SO close and uncomfortable that In
many cases one would rather sit up all
nlght than submit to the inconv veniences of
! the COMPARTMENT. II you get a lower berth
and no one has the upper the porter insists
Upon putting down the lid and so Increasing
your misery rather than giving you the
dement, OF the air. do not know why this
Is SO, unless II is an effort on the part of
the company TO make their prestige all the
greater and the more uncomfortable.
Two Monopoties.
| Il regard the Pullman Company and
sugar trust as the most outrageous monopo-
lies of the day. They make enormous
md syit
ing In return In proportion. 1t is perfectly
clear to me that there is a way to reach
the sleeping car problem with ease through
government action. States have in MANY
instances adopted regulations intended to
reduce the evil of extortionate charges on
the railroads. but there are few II any
railroads that run sleepers through but
one state. and thus these laws are of no
avaii, Ior no state can regulate any cor
poration beyond its own limits. For in
stance. In ohio We make effort: to con-
troll this matter but the railroads have
always found way to avoid the law The
United states can easily control the charges
FOR sieepers, just as the railway fares have
been regulated by means of the interstate
commerce law. L believe that that act has
been amply enforced, without very much
trouble. and l can see no reason why a
similar act should not be passed with refer
ence TO the sleeping car problem. A bill OF
dozen lines would suffice. fixing the rate
per mile TO be charged by these companies
and providing a penalty for over-charging
Il think the rates should be reduced just
one-haf The Pullman Company, for iur
stance. Is very rich, made so by the enor-
nous and disproporuonate profits on their
cars. With half that profit the company
could make a great deal of money and
give the public better service Perhaps YOU
do not know. but II is nevertheless a fact,
that the Pullman Company charges each
railroad running its cars a cent a mile for
every car, and this goes into the pockets
of the Pullmaps in addition to the rates
paid by the passenger. For instance, be-
tween New York and Chicago the railroad
pays about No for each sleeper run, and
the Pullman Company gets several times
that sum In addition from the public That
w. .patd,,Rs the railroad is counted into
the ruhftihE expenses of the road. and is
eventually paid by the passenger In the
fare he gives for his ride. So the trav-
eler pays twice, in reality, for his ques-
tionable accommodations on board sleep
er. feel these heavy rates myself fire.
quently. for when We go out to our home
in Ohio We have to pay, for my wife my
daughter and myself much for sleeper
rates as for the entire railroad fares The
berths are so close and uncomfortable that
We have to spread out over a good deal of
space in order TO avoid being made i'll by
the journey.
| The Tipping System.
''rhen, too. / think the system of tipping
the employees of the company should be dis
continued. 1t is a small matter in the in
dividuai case. but 1t is an extortion to pay
trouble is that these men are not paid
enough by the company. II they were paid
! adequate salaries the passengers would not
be obliged 10 come forward to help them
out. really think the men need the mon
ey IN most cases, and always give because
do not want to feel to appear mean
| about the matter. There is a sort OF COM
pulsion about II, though, that is very dis
| agreeable, and IL could all be avoided.
| These points, OF course, are all to be
gene over by the committee on interstate
commerce. which will probably take up the
matter as soon as Senator Butler returns
from the south. 1 do not know how long
he will be gone. but know that this mat
ter has already met with the approval of
! a large majority of the Senate. There Is
che matter that should not be overlooked In
this cor sideration. Thae mann patents on
these sleepers have expired, and there is no
! reason why the railroads should not begin
now to make and run their own cars. l was
| acquainted with the original inventor of
the Sleeping car, who is now dead. He was
obliged 10 sell out to the Pullman Company
| and they have held the monopoly with great
care. The first patents have ROW, 1 believe.
run out, and although the Pullmans have
taken out letters for some improvements, j
think II would be perfectly easy for the
monopoly to be broken. In the case of the
New York Central there Is a corporation
within q corporation. The Wagner Com
pany is composed of members of the Central
Company, and the rates remain the same.
that the public does not get the benefit of
the Independence OF lne central from the
Pullman people In the least. This will al
ways be until the government takes hold
| and regulates the rates.
| "Englishmen have often expressed their
surprise to me that We endure the limited
| accommodations OF the sleepers. They think
ttat our night cars are very uncomfortable.
OK course. in England, where the territory Is
very small, there is little or no night travel,
and so sieepers are almost unknown. On
the continent, too. there is little use for the
night cars, for most of the travel is by short
utes, by tourists who travel from town to
town on trips that occupy only few hours.
Commercial agents are the only people,
| nearly. who use the sleepers, which are built
| OF somewhat the same pattern ours
| Il think that this abuse can be reached,
| and l propose to press this matter to some
sort of conclusion. 1t seems to me that the
American people have suffered uncomplain-
ingiy long enough. especially as there is q
remedy at hand
Gen. Foster Here.