The San Francisco call., 1895-11-06
NOT A WAR, BUT A GAME.
The Southern Pacific Selling a
Long.Haul Ticket to
st. Louis.
Mr.. Goodman Thinking of Northern
Elbow" Scheme to Get Back
at the Santa Fe.

The action of the Santa Fe railway sys-
tenn in again issuing the $40 Omaha ticket,
via Kansas City has set the Southern Pa
cific to thinking, and the scalpers are ex-
pecting ''rake-off'' in game of passen-
ger business that they feel confident they
can play both ways to perfection.
ut is not war between the two roads" !"
said one yesterday; sit is nice little game
OF checkers" and so it seems.
In a quiet way the Southern Pacific is
selling tickets to st. Louis by way of New
Orleans. The first-class thirty-day ticket
IS $67 80; the first-class ticket with no
time allowance, $57 so, and the second
class ticket, SAT so. The rates to st. Louis
direct over the Santa Fe are on the same
basis. The scalper continued:
1--WE sell the Southern Pacific's St. Louis
ticket, via New Orleans, for $50, and give
him an order on our correspondent at New
Orleans for 81 so. In this way the pur-
chaser saves S. and we make So so at this
end. That is, for his $50 he gets a ticket
and an order for 81 90, being cost to him
of $42 so net. 1t would have cost him
SAT SO for a straight ticket to New Orleans
had he gone to the Southern Pacific Com
pany itself for it.
pays him the 81 80 and takes the unused
portion of ticket. That unused portion is
still good for the trip from New Orleans to
st. Louis. The fare between those points
over the Illinois Central is $12 so. Our
correspondent at the New Orleans end
sells for $40 the unused portion of the
ticket redeemed by him for 81 80 from the
original purchaser, and thus clears 81 so
more, besides saving his patron 81 80 on
the Illinois Central run.
LAS | said yesterday, we simply play
upon the avariciousness of the railroads,
but between you and me, if this kind of
work pulls patrons away from some rival
road, the road issuing the ticket stands in
with the play, although it tries to bluff the
public into believing the holder OF a
scalper's ticket will be put off the train.
We can send right over to the company aud
get just such ticket as | have been talk
ing about at any time. We can go right
over with passenger and do it. Why?
Because the company gets the lions share
otherwise have lost. Certainly, if the com
pany can sell the ticket to the passenger
direct and get all the money, its business is
to do So"
Thus the scalpers services are put to
good account against the Santa Fe by the
Southern Pacific. The fact is, the South
ern Pacific has been doing this right along,
II al dooeiISSI ASSHL bOOuiudu
endeavored to make it appear that the
long haul st. Louis ticket had only been
resumed, as usual, for the winter season.
1t was only yesterday the company began
to sell the ticket openly.
So much, then, for quiet work by the
Southern Pacific against the Santa Fe up
to the present. 1t is not going to stop
here, however. Mr.. Goodman admitted.
late yesterday afternoon that his company
was thinking" of putting on ticket to
Kansas City via Omaha. Through the
scalpers such move might tend to offset
considerably the action of the Santa Fe,
but even then the Southern Pacific,
broker explained, would be over 81 so out
of pocket on every such ticket, compared
with Its proportion of the rate to Kansas
City direct. Out of the $40 rate it would
get SIG 80 instead Of $18 53