The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-04-17
THE ANTI-SCALPER LAW.
The Effort tn Repeal IT Fails.


ID
The Effort to Repeal 1t Fails.
We thank God that two years ago we
had the nerve to fesist the pleadings
of the corporations and the committee
Of conductorsj employed by them, and
voted against theTAnti-Scalper Law"
as it is called!n Nv
We took the ground that when we
bought railroad ticket we had per.
feet right to do what we pleased with
it:-use it, or sell it or put it in the
stove. 1t was our property; it repre-
sented our m oney; and no law on earth
had any right to interfere with it. If
we bought ticket from Fargo to Chi
cago and. when we got to st. Paul. we
changed our mind and concluded to 60
to St. Louis, we had perfect right to
sell the unused ticket to Chicago, If
we bought horse in St. Paul intend
ing to ride to Faribault, and took the
cars at Mortified to go to Red Wing,
by what right would the state prevent
us from selling that horse?
But, as usual, the suppliant Legisla-
ture gave the corporations what they
asked, and the "anti-scalper" bill be-
came law; and when the Republi-
cans carried the Legislature, by 60, COO
plurality, the fools said: "Now we
have beaten the crazy Populists, and
have secured reform (?) Legislature,
and we will get legislation in the in
terest of the people" And they de-
handed the repeal of this law, whic h
limited a mans right to do as he
the result? The Milwaukee railway
company filled the legislative cham
bers with great lobby. headed by
that hoary-headed old sinner. Judge
Chandler, (who ought to be thinking
of death, judgment and helD, and they
beat the repeal bill. We quote:
Senator Howard said: IT feel strongly
the justice of repeating the law enacted
two years ago. The reason for it was that
the law was for the benefit Of the travel
ing public 1t was represented that the
railroads were only waiting for the pass
age of the law in order to give cheap
transportation to the Worlds Fair AS a
matter of fact, the rates were kept so
high that few people from Minnesota went
to the Fair until near it's close. and after
the railroad companies discovered that it
must lower rates or do no business The
law is purely and simply in the interest
Of the railroad companies. When l have
purchased a railroad ticket to Chicago l
have a perfect right to dispose of it to
my friend or anyone else 1 have bought
a contract from the company to carry one
I No WI,
a person rides On the faith of the ticket
It will cost railroad no more to carry
Senator DunhapiH or ISenator Yale than it
will to carry me. We should pass law
compelling the RAILROADS to honor their
own tickets in the hands of any purchaser
and on any date untfl used.
"The law pretends' to force the COM
panies to returnS Che cost of unused tickets,
but this is not dbne 2for any ticket bought
outside of the state. IThe point of purchase
and that of destination must both be in
Minnesota or the unused ticket will not be
redeemed. The conductors who come be-
fore the committee TO oppose this repeal
come as agents OF the railroads. Their
satchels, full of forged tickets. are not
arguments for the anti-scalper law. The
faces of conductors who see now stand
ing in the lobby saw haunting the lob
bieS of congress when the attempt was
being made to get national anti-scalper
law"
Senator Wyman said he believed he had
voted for the anti-scalper law two years
ago. but now he thought he had made a
mistake. His reason for this belief was the
fact that the scalpers in Minneapolis and
st. Paul now have in their ticket racks
the tickets of nearly all the roads in this
state.
Senator Greer-"How do you know that
the railroads are selling them their tick
ets?"
how in
their possession and they don't steal them
and it is a notable fact that they have in
their possession the tickets of nearly all
the roads and they have not the tickets
of certain other roads"
He called attention to the fact that the
tendency of the anti-scalper law SIM
ply to build up monopoly in the scalper
business. For this reas on, he aid, he ST o I'D
vote to repeal this law.
Senator Yale again took the floor in de-
Tense of the anti-scalper law. He devoted
himself particularly to Senator Howard.
He said he had never seen senator upon
the floor so ardent in his efforts to secure
the repeal of law passed two years ago.
and added:-'1 think the lawyer got away
with the senator.
This apparent reflection upon Senator
Howard moved that gentleman to his feet
at once He said: IF the senator from
Winona means to insinuate that 1 am here
as the paid attorney of the ticket brokers,
/ want to brand the statement as false"
Senator Yale protested that he had no
such insinuation in mind when he spoke as
he did.
Senator Theden insisted that the rail-
road companies did not redeem the unused
portion of tickets sold
On a show of hands the committee de-
cided to recommend the bill for indefinite
postponement by vote of IS to II. When
the committee had resolved itself back into
the senate aye and nay vote was taken,
resulting as follows:
For the repeal: Cronkhite, French, Han
ma, Howard, johnson CA. Co.. Larson,
Lloyd, Ozmun, Peterson, Potter, Ringdal,
Sevatson, Sheehan, Spencer Sperry, The
den, Thompson, Thorpe, Wing, Wyman
20.
Against: Allen, Barr, Cole, Collester, Cur
rier, Day. Durham, Fuller, Greer, Hodge,
Iltis, Jones, johnson CIV. Ed, Keller, Knat-
vold Miller Macarthur, McHale, Pottgeiser,
Roverud, Smith, Stebbins, Stockton, Sven
ingson, Yale, Young-26.
And so we have another proof that
this Reform Legislature is a shabby,
servile tool of the. Monopolies; and
that the people were egregiously
swindled last fall, when, by the aid of
Democratic votes, they wiped out the
Democratic party defeated the Popu-
lists and elected them.
But the Lords liveth and the day of
real reform apprOacheth.