The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-03-30
RAres ron oLeRoYMess.

uR ON January Il 100o, cnon8o0 t0on
Jules regarding the issue OF reduced
-nAaa TO clergymen; and unauthorized
as to tho reasons for making Z
the change having been published. COM
,iderable correspondence between tina
clergy and the railroads has resulted.
The recent letter from Hon. Chauncey
NJ. Depew, President of tho New York
corrects certain erroneous Inn
pressions and states that company's po-
sition in the matter very clearly. The
letter il as follows:
New York Central and Hudson River Railroad
NEW YoRK. January 10, 1895.
Rev. Ne.pso~ = cosklt, and H. r. Sfeoosss.
D. D., Comnststss:
GENrLEMEN,-I am in receipt of your
letter of January 18th, enclosing the
Of the Presbyterian Minis
ters' Association of Rochester.
The resolutions are based upon
misapprehension of tho facts. Tho
press dispatch announcing that the |
New York Central had withdrawn the |
ministerial half-rate tickets "because |
some of the ministers had abused the
privilege, loaning their permits to un-
selling them," was wholly unauthor-
lied. No such information or notice |
was given to the press or to anyone else
by any officer of this company. There
was also an interview reported with me
on this subject, making similar. It not
terview ever took place.
deeply regret the publicity which
was given to this matter and the dis
cussion which has grown out OF 1T be-
fore we had really arrived at what was
the best policy for this company and
it's associates in the Trunk Line Asso-
citation to pursue. It had been devel-
oped that very great abuses existed IN
the issuance and uso of tho so-called
ministerial ticket. It was not, however,
| S~~S~ for
can ascertain, no clergyman OF any
church has been guilty of any impro-
priety in the use of this privilege. Like
most departures from regular rules,
this one led after awhile to serious de-
moralization of passenger rates. The
privilege of the ministerial order be-
| came extended to all persons who had
| ever been ordained as clergymen,
whether they still had any charge or
performed any ministerial services or
not. Many who had gone into business
claimed and received the order. Then
it was extended to missionaries and
| officers of the Salvation Army, of the
| Y. NJ C. A., and of other religious or
semi-religious organizations. This ena-
bled railway officials who desired to do
| SO to issue the half-rate ticket to almost
| anybody.
am sorry to say that some railways
do not treat their agreements with each
other with the same sense of honorable
obligation which the officers would Oh
serve in their Individual transactions.
We were amazed to discover that in Or
der to increase their business without
apparently cutting the rates q few OF
the roads placed the ministerial tickets
in scalpers' offices for sale. In this way
they came into the hands OF the general
pu bic. It frequently occurred that
the conductor, when calling upon some
j passenger whom he did not think was
minister to produce the ministerial
order which every clergyman carried,
was met by a fat refusal, simply be-
cause the passenger was not a minis
, ter, had no order and had received OF
{ purchased the ticket in some one OF
! the WAYS which have described. Or,
e the conductor would find that under
the guise of a missionary or an officer
. Of one of these organizations he had re
t ceived the order and ticket or else had
= bought a ticket which some one who
: could not be vouched for as clergy.
. man with a charge had secured, anc
then placed in a scalper's Office for sale
:, OF course the essential principle at thu
= bottom of the relations between the
D railways and the public is that every
e body shall be treated alike; that thu
e railway fare shall be like the postage
3 of the government, the same to every
one who boards the train and become:
y a passenger between the same Polnts
Il The wisdom of the prohibition of dis
ordinations in favor of one person a
n against another, or of one shipper a
Is against another, or of one locality q
"a against another, is now universally ad
" mitted, and is incorporated in the raj
way laws.
q The ministerial ticket was issued a
y a reduced rate, not as an act of charity
y as some have alleged, but because
Z, was believed that the clergy and tn
e church performed an essential servic
:. which was felt throughout the vast en-
10 ployment of these corporations.
~ Personally, would be very glad
81 the privilege could be continued undo
.. restrictions which would confine
y within legitimate bounds. You will Sc
VIA however, from the explanations whlc
l.. 1 have given, how difficult a probe
10 this is.
ne Yours very truly,
~ (Siened. CHAUNCEY NJ. DEPEw,
President.
ADany Argus.-7dn. 29, 1895.
PoL1cENdAN-s'Moveo on, now.'' Street b
latter reaching safe distance)-'tYerne edI
a-been scared. 1 wasn't watchin' yeh."
Good News.
THE GREAT GERMAN COFFEE BERR
Coffee at one cent "a pound, that is VIII
it costs to grow it, good coffee, too. Son
- say that it is better than Rio. This v
i 1~n~A