The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-10
WANT THE SCALPERS' SCALPS.
RAILROADS FIGHTING STRONG
AGAINST THE BROKERS'.


Nevv York Central Is Sending Out
CircuIars-Other Roads Get Them
and Send Them On-ScaIpers Given
Heavy Digs-The Circulars Say the
Press Is Against the TrafIic-Big
Fight to BE Made For and Against
the ScaIpers' Bill in Congress.
Ronds Want the Business Made H.
IegaI-RepOrt of Commissions on
the Northeastern Road.
The railroads are taking active steps
n have congress take up the bills that
are to try for the scalps of the ticket
scalDers. The New York Central railroad
Is taking the principal part in the fight
that is being made against the brokers'
The road has gone to work with a will,
and il will leave nothing undone that may
tend to help its cause. The New York
Central is being strongly backed up by
the other roads, and a powerful force
will be brought to bear for the passage of
the bills whenever they come before the
houses of congress. The New York road
has sent out great deal of circular mat
ter condemning the practices of the scalp
ers and giving a list of all the newspapers
In the United States that have from time
to time published articles against the
traffic Of the scalpers. These circulars
contain some of the strongest arguments,
from the point of view of the railroads,
that have been aduced in the fight that
has been on some time. The circulars are
sent to the passenger departments of the
roads throughout the country From
these general Offices they are further dis
tributed to those points where the general
passenger agents may think they will do
the most good. The circulars says:
Newspapers in all parts of the United
States favor the passage by congress and
by the various states of the
union of laws that will
restrict the sale of railroad tickets to the
properly authorized agents of the COM
panies." The list given of the papers
that have taken up the question editorial
~ is long one. The proceedings at the
recent annual meeting at st. Louis of the
American Association of General Passen-
ger and Ticket Agents, in their bearing
upon the subject, are also given rather
fully, the resolutions adopted on that oc-
cason being printed. The circulars state
that "the united action of the merchants,
manufa cturers and business men general
ly, resolutions of associations in all parts
of the country and of organized bodies of
all kinds and conditions of people have
produced in less than one year a tidal
wave of pubic opinion, which seems GER
tain to sweep the business of ticket scalp
ing out of existence. The scalpers made a
determined and organized fight against
the bill for the making of their business
illegal when it came up last session, and
there can be no doubt but that they will
make equally as great an effort this time
to retain their means of making a hveli-
hood.
Mr.. NJ. H. Connally, general agent at
Jacksonville for the Nashville, Chattanoo-
ga and st. Louis railroad, is in the city.
Mr.. John NJ. Egan, vice president of the
Central, who is now out on the line on
business trip, is expected to return to the
city tomorrow. Mr.. Egan has been away
all the week.
Mr.. ]. c. Halle, general passenger agent
of the Central railroad, went up to At
lanta yesterday on business.
Mr.. II. c. McFadden, assistant general
passenger agent for the Plant system, left
yesterday on a business trip to Columbus.
Mr.. Cecil Gabbett. vice president and
general manager, and Maj. A. Pope, gen
eral freight and passenger agent of the
Georgia and Alabama railroad are out
on the line on business.
The joint commissions from the two
branches of the legislature that were APP
pointed some time ago ito inspect the
Northeastern railroad properly have finish
ed their work. The commissions were ac-
companied by the governor on their tour
of the road. Their report was desired as
information at the time the bill to author
ize the sale of the road will be voted upon.
One of the commissioners @ys the report
is something like this: 1--WE found the
roadbed, crossties, trestles, buildings,
equipment and other property in about the
same condition as stated in the able and
elaborate report made by George c. Smith,
filed in the executive office on May 49, 1896,
to which special reference is made, with
the exception that since the date of that
report one and one-seventh miles of the
old forty-fiVe-pound iron rails have been
taken up and replaced with sixty-pound
steel rails. That about 12.000 new cross
ties have been placed in the track that
such repairs have been made to the tres
ties as to make them temporarily safe, and
that the old light engine, No. q, has been
exchanged, at a cost of $3.50, for heavier
secondhand engine in good repair. We
are pleased to report that the road runs
the entire length through a fine agricul-
tural country and that it has good local
patronage in addition to it's through bus
mess all of which it has been able to ham
die with reasonable promptness, notwith-
standing ats great deficiency to equipment,
that deficiency being supplied by connect
ing roads over which business is shipped
to and from stations on the road"
Mr.. M. H. Connaly, the Nashville,
Chattanooga and st. Louis Florida agent,
is looking for a diamond set cuff button,
which he lost in Savannah or Jacksonville,