The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-31
ACTIVE IN THEIR OPPOSITION TO
THE SHERMAN ANTI-SCALPERS
LAW.
Mr.. CALDWELL HAS A SAY.
WRITTEN STATEMENT FILED WITH
THE SENATE INTERSTATE
COMMERCE COMMITTEE.
Chairman of the Western Passenger
Association COrrects Some Al
legged MEASUREMENTS.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30.-Members of
congress are receiving in every mail
and by telegraph numerous suggestions
as to their course of action on the bill
presented to congress by the interstate
commerce commission and now pend
ing, to amend the interstate commerce
law so as to suppress ticket scalping
and afford protection against counter
felt, forged and other unauthorized
forms of tickets. George M. Mckenzie,
of Chicago, is here in the interest of
the scalping ticket brokers, and has
addressed to members of the association
throughout the country the following
telegram:
Call meeting of all brokers and have promi-
nent citizens and officials wire their members
of congress to oppose bill introduced by Sher-
man, of New York. which prohibits ticket
brokerage and is against peoples interest,
and favors and perpetuates railroad pools
Act promptly. Situation serious.
Chairman Caldwell, of the Western
Passenger association, says that these
kilograms convey an erroneous repre-
sentation, as the bill is not in the in
terest of higher rates and did not ema-
nate from the railroads but from the
interstate commerce commission, which,
after a careful investigation lasting
several years, reached the conclusion
that the ticket scalping business was
adverse to the interests Of the public
as we'll as to the railways, and in for
warding the present bill reported that
ticket scalping was "hurtful both to the
roads and to the public in a financial
sense, and that the extent of the in
jury is scarcely possible to measure
Chairman Caldwell has filed with the
senate interstate commerce committee,
which asked him to present his views
written statement in support of the
bill, in which he points out that the
present law which was framed to pre-
vent discrimination in rates is defec-
tive in permitting such discrimination
by requiring that at the regular au-
thorzed railway ticket office the law
full published tariff rates shall be
charged, while the ticket scalper is
permitted to sell tickets between the
same points at cut rates.
If 1t be true, he says, as claimed by
the representatives Of the ticket scalp
ers' association that some roads avail
themselves of the services of the scalp
ers, as medium for the sale of tickets
at less than published tariff rates, an
argument in favor Of the bill is pre-
scented, as such action is violation of
law and leaves the law-abiding carriers
Fno alternative but to meet such COM
petition either by open reduction in
published rates or by adopting CORE
spending methods to that of the road
which has made an illegaf arrangement
with the scalpers. 1t is, therefore, con-
tended that the law, as now in effect.
fails to afford the law-abiding carrier
the protection to which it is entitled
In its efforts to conform thereto.
In reputation Of the statement of Mr.
Mckenzie before the senate committee,
to the effect that no member of the
Ticket Scalpers' association had ever
been convicted Of forging or counter
felting tickets Mr.. Caldwell's state
ment cites an instance occurring dur
ing the year 1896, in which two mem
bers Of the Ticket Scalpers' association
were convicted in New York, and are
now serving their sentences in Sing
sing prison for counterfeiting $4,000
tickets and uttering a portion of them
1t is further stated that within the
last few months there had been put
out, at most of the pricipal cities of
the United States, large numbers of
forged and counterfeit tickets of the
issue OF leading railroads. these tickets
having been disposed of to the public
through ticket scalpers, and said there
was good reason to believe that the
tickets were printed and put out by
ticket scalpers or their employees
Attention is called to the serious in
jury that has been inflicted in a num-
Der of instances on innocent passengers
who have purchased fraudulent tickets
from scalpers and have been elected
from trains, in many cases with no
funds remaining with which to resume
their journey. The assertion that the
scalper enabled the public to secure
lower rates was a fallacy, the roads
selling mileage books at a two-cent
rate against the scalpers' "a cent
rate, while the manipulations of the
scalpers compelled the railroads for the
protection of their own interests to
refrain from making liberal excursion
rates for special events and gatherings
of benevolent, civic and other societies.
If the proposed law were passed the
roads would be- enabled to grant the
public many privileges to encourage
traffic which they now were compelled
to deny.
A strong petition has been presented
to congress by the leading business men
Of Chicago, including Marshall Field
& Co., John We Farweil company,
H:bbard Spencer. Bartlett s. Co.,
urging the passage of the bill, and the
National board of trade has also urged