Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-27
The BROKERS ACTIVE.
CRYSTALLIZING OPPOSITION TO THE
ANTI-SCALPING BILL.
WHOLESALE HOUSES PROTEST.
TELEGRAPH CONGREssMEN TO OP-
POSE ITS PASSAGE.
Port Arthur EKcurSionists Return
PittsburE S Gulf VIII Protect
Kansas City Jobbers, MILL
ers and Pnckers-Other
Railway News.
WHOLESALE HOUSES PROTEST.

Local ticket brokers have secured the
signatures of number of wholesale houses
10 kilograms addressed TO Colonel r. I.
Van Horn and other members of congress,
protesting against the passage of the anti
scalping bill reported I'm the house of rep
Tesentativcs by Mr.. Sherman from The
committee on interstate and foreign COM
merce Similar action is being taken by
ticket brokers in every railroad center in
response 10 a suggestion from the com
mittees on hostile legislation OF the brokers
associations. A circular of the committee
of the American Ticket Brokers Associa-
1ion refers to the bill as a cruel and
monoPolistic measure, which is being
pressed by the railroad pools and few of
the strongest Western lines wishing to con-
troll the passenger business of the coun-
try. Under the operation of this bill all
the savings now secured by the travelling
public Ga days wages TO many will go into
the treasures of the railroads.
Railway men claim that the interests OF
the public require the passage of the anti
scalping bill, and the scalpers claim that
the same interests require its defeat. The
strong point of the railroad companies lies
in the fact that they are constrained 10
refuse applications for reduced rates in
many instances where they would othe:-
wise be granted, by the fact that the scalp
ers are certain to take advantage of the
low rates and manipulate the tickets. They
claim that with an auti-scalping law IN
force most anybody could get most any
kind OF a rate desired at most any time,
which may be taken TO mean that the re-
duced rates for special occasions would be
made much more frequently were the pos
sibility of scalping the tickets removed.
The scalpers claim that they are largely
responsible for the reduced rates that are
now made, and that without their influence
the passenger situation would resolve it.
self into the cruel and monopolistic'
clutches of the railroad pools.
The scalpers say there is not "a single
clause in the anti-scalping bill which is de-
signed to benefit the public in the least
The one saving clause which requires rail
road companies 10 redeem unused portions
of tickets, they say, offers very little pro-
lection. II is the scalpers who protect
the public in the matter OF unused trans
pcrtation. To illustrate: a man may pur.
chase a l,00O-mile book for S25. After using
so miles he wants redeemed the remaining
l51 miles. When he takes II to the mileage
bureau established by the railroad com
panies, clerk figures on $50 miles used al
cents mile (the regular ratel, $3.50
Technically" says the clerk, you are IN
debted to the railroad company 80 cents
bu. We will say nothing more about that
There is nothing due you If, instead Of
taking the book to the mileage bureau, ht
takes IL TO a broker, he will perhaps get 5
ment of the brokers, protects the pubic
in the argument of the railway officials. Il
IS the possibility of this which prevents the
public from getting concessions from tht
railroads. 1t is this, they say, which rem
ders Il necessary to weave about the holdel
the hack of the regular and special forms
and which causes so much annoyance Il
travellers all of which would be avoided
by rigid anti-scalping law.