Kansas City daily journal., 1895-08-16
LITTLE HOPE FOR IT.
RAILROADS ARE NOr LIKELY To RUN
WEEK Dty EXCURSIONS.
WOULD RUIN REGULAR BUSINESS
COUNTRY rEorLE WOULD WAIT FoR
CHEAP TRAINS.
Retail Merchants Arc Unanimous For II.
but II Would Hurt tho Jobbcr.
and the Roads, Is the Ar
gumcnt.
WOULD RUIN REGULAR BUSINESS


run this summer has attracted attention to
the possibilities that might attend similar
excursions on business days. Naturally
the retail merchants would be the ones
most directly Interested in such a move
ment, and Il would be very desirable tn
the interests OF the retail trade. TO seeuve
to country customers Of these establish
ments the cheapest possible transportation.
From careful canvass OF the situation,
however, 1t would sesm that there is very
little hope that the consent of the rail
roads could be secured to such a system OF
cheap transportation on business days.
Railroad officials clam that, with occasional
excursions of this kind, their regular local
passenger business would be practically
ruined. They have made the experiment In
times past and have never found it satis-
factory, 1t Is claimed that the country
merchant or farmer. who wants to come to
town on business, rarely finds his call so
pressing that he cannot wait until there
! a reduced rate, when reductions in rates
a as frequent as the proposed systems Of
excursions would make them. While the
excurs rs'ons themselves might be profitable,
they ,ould work an ultimate loss to the
railroads by destroying their regular busi-
ness. conducted at tariff rates.
Commissioner A. j. Nanlandingham of
the transportation bureau, said yesterday
that he had sometimes been asked to do
more for the retail merchants. II have al
ways done all that ! could in my position"
he said, ito secure to all kinds of business
In Kansas City the best possible considera-
tion at the hands of the railroads 1t was
only few years ago that a similar move
ment was started among the retailers but
had to be abandoned simnIy because the
railroads could not afford to sacrifice their
regular bus mess or to antagonize the small
er towns along their lines by Offering such
" the retail business of those towns An
ot"er very good reason why it is not a
good thing in every respect to secure such
low rates for the retailer, is that the towns
whose retail trade would be affected by the
low rates would certainly boycott the
wholesale business OF city that sought
ana secured such an advantage over them.
Omaha made big effort last year to Sc
cure week day excursions for business pur-
poses, but the enterprise was no sooner
announced than It raised such howl from
the towns of Nebraska that the. whole
scheme had TO be dropped unconditionaIly.
- want to say that the railroads of
Kansas City are exceedingly liberal in max
events nearly all come on business days,
they bring. great many buyers to the
most liberal of the roads would not CON
sent to a proposition to make rates for
business and visiting excursions simply. If
! thought at these concessions on the
part of the railroads would be a benefit to
the city, or even thought they could be
scored for the purpose, of experiment.
- : have, for L certainly aim to look 70 the
rcry best interests of the city as a whole"
{ and most liberal of Kansas City's lines
said Yesterday The idea that the rail-
roads W, Id sacrifice their business by
runni m week excursions or extending
The srlday Ncqrsion tickets to Monday or
Tues Y, is nothing short of prepos ferrous.
~ VI &C drses every retailer wants the eNcur-
sions. The wholesalers, who understand
the danger Of being boycotted through such
do not want anything OF the sort But the
whole proposition rests itself right here:
the railroads. willing as they are to make
special rates for particular events cannot
afford to make such sweeping grants, and
there is not tine least chance of their doing
so; 1t is my opinion that if every retailer
asks the favor and every newspaper adVO-
one of the Kansas City lines willing to
make the concession, simply because the
railroads cannot afford to sacrifice their
! told one Of the leading promoters of the
scheme when he asked me about it,"
g d. AXman, of the Golden Eagle said
week Gay excursions would be an meal
culable good to this city. The other sun
day when went to the postoflice to get
my mai ! met at least a dozen people
who wanted me to open my store SO that
,,S,;- me- could could buy They We're exeursonists
pie. could get in here cheaply. / think the
railroads could do nothing better than
work up, such excursions. They are al
ways looking out for their own interests
OF course and week day excursions would
help them, am not obiecting to Sun,iav
picnic city. | am only saying that i
believe that week day excursions would
excursions, Why, in my own experience
whenever school or college out here in
the country has had am excursion to this
city and there has been a special rate we
have had some of the eXcursionlsts in
this place. That Illustrates the good re-
suits of week day, excursions"
Mr.. j. B. teichle, assistant manager at
Browning, King & Co.'S. said; 81 have
] am now. / think that if week day ex-
Sursions We're run into this city it would
will hnd that every business man you see
will agree with me, OF course our firm
might not be helped every time an excur-
and so We would be benefited Indirectly
] am certain. that if the excursions were
The eXeursionists would go to the parks.
they would eat sleep, drink, ami buy
shey didn't buy suits of clothes. l think
the money gain would be at least three
tfar rss Will N1 y he Is 1 sundays hope the
i f. Bernheeimer, Of Bernheimer Bros,
against week day excursions is the fact
railroads might he sold to scalpers other
be brought against the proposition. i my
self think It an excellent one, should
themselves by issuing thirty-siN or forty
eight hour tickets Every excursionist
would be certain TO have a little over and
above his expenses and he would be GER
tain TO spend IL on one or more objects,
on Sundays, you Will notice. the excur-
around on the streets, If they don't 20
40 the parks there is nowhere else they
can go. Now, the advantage of week day
excursions would be that all these people
would have access to the stores, l am sure
that We are willing, to Go all we can 10
further the scheme"
j. II. North, of the North Furniture Com
pany, was found in his office ana spoke |
enthusiastically in favor of week day eN-
cursions when the subject was mentioned |
10 him Il don't see where there is any
argument against such a proposition" he |
said. drawing up his chair so his words |
would not be misunders TODD, 1T is the best |
thing that could possibly happen |
right at this particular time, The
country people Will do all their trading
IN the city, and Will leave |
among the retail merchants thousands of |
dollars they would otherwise spend at
home Some two or three years ago | tried
TO work up some enthusiasm IN the matter
of week day excursions to Kansas City, |
and went so far as to consult with mem
bers of the Commercial Club. We sought
the railroad officials and ascertained that
the roads would operate IN conjunction |
with us providing the merchants would |
insure them against loss. | among
the first 10 offer a guarantee. and the |
movement seemed to be fairly under way, |
when for some reason or other II was sud |
denly dropped ] am Just as much in favor
of il now as / ever was. and hope II viii |
come 10 pass In the East the merchants |
of the larger cities have made arrange |
ments with the railroad companies where |
BY the trains arrive in the cities in the |
morning and depart in the evening" thus |
giving the out-of-town people a chance TO |