The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-13
THAT SEEMS TO BE THE ANIMUs
OF THE PASSENGER RATE
WAR;
GREAT WESTERN DEFIANT
TO MEET FRISCO COMPETT-
TON.
Eastern Trunk Lines VIII Establish
Them to Accommodate the
Northwestern Public.

1t came out yesterday afternoon that
the ticket scalpers of Chicago were
reaping a harvest out Of the reduced
rate tickets being sold by Chicago-St
Paul lines to the Atlantic seaboard.
Certain lines became suspicious dur
ing the afternoon that certain other
lines were getting more than their le-
Ultimate portion OF the business, all
things considered Agents were i'm
mediately sent scurrying about town
to find out where the difficulty lay.
The discovery came quickly. By 5
o'clock the weaker lines stood ready
to prove that the Milwaukee and the
Burlington were aiding and abetting
the schemes of Chicago scalpers, either
Intentionally or unintentionally.
These roads, they charged, were sell
ing peculiar form of ticket which did
not require Identification or signature
on the part Of purchasers, making
their manipulation by brokers an easy
thing. Another peculiar thing was
that the tickets sold over these two
roads did not have a transit limit east
of Chicago, giving the holders an I'M
limited period between June II and
September in which to travel.
1t was said last night that repre-
sentatives of the brokerage firms Of
Wassama and Wenham, of Chicago,
were in the city and that during the
day they hired dozens Of men and
women to go into the offices Of the
two roads named and purchase tickets
for New York. It is easily figured out
where the Chicago scalpers are on the
make" The normal rate to New
York and return from Chicago is $40.
By buying these reduced rate tickets,
which have no transit limit east of
Chicago, the brokers save just $3.50 on
a ticket. These can be taken to Chi
cago and sold there for snug ~ad-
vance and still make money for the
purchasers and the broker. Then
again, If the tickets read over lines
running to Detroit, Buffalo, Pittsburg
or other Eastern intermediate points,
the brokers Of these places have an
other chance at the tickets, as the
holder will rebate them at Detroit or
the other points, for the balance of the
trip yet unused. The fact that there
is no transit limit on the tickets makes
this easy. 1t is a nice little scheme
There were no new developments in
the passenger rate situation yesterday
It was expected that there would be ad-
ditional cuts before night, but the pub
lished rates remained firm.
All of the city ticket offices in st.
Paul reported that they had been ask
ed dozens of times to extend the limit
of sale over until Monday, but this was
refused by all Of the lines. The rates
will become ineffective tonight
Yesterday General Passenger Agent
B. N. Austin, of the Baltimore & Ohio.
arrived in the city. Soon after Mr.
Austin came up it was announced on
the streets that the Baltimore & Ohio
had withdrawn its rates and would not
cooperate with the Chicago-St. Paul
lines in the reduced rates to the sea-
board. The announcement caused some
surprise. However none Of the other
lines announced their withdrawal 1t
was denied that the Wabash had ever
agreed to enter the competition with
the 500.
1t is hard to learn just how much
business was done in the Twin Cities
under the reduced rates 1t is certain
that the stronger lines sold a great
many tickets. The 500 also had a busy
day, especially in Minneapolis. There
Is probably very little truth to the
statement that the 500 undersold its
published rates. Other lines are said
to have tried to catch the 500 by Of
fering a large party at reduced rates,
but were Lot successful. The local pas
senger association, however had it's
emissaries at work testing the market
There was some complaint as to the
nature Of the ticket the Milwaukee road
was selling. The tickets sold by this
line were of the non-signature nom
identification type, and other lines al
legged that they could be easily manip-
ulated by scalpers. The Milwaukee de-
MED the accusation, although admit
ting that the tickets were the regula-
ton form and not a special pattern for
the occasion.
The Omaha road sold about forty
from st. Paul and 100 from Minneapolis
The Milwaukee is said to have sold
about the same. The Burlington sold
thirty from st, Paul and sixty from
Minneapolis. The weaker lines did not
sell so many. The 500 claims to have
sold about thirty or thirty-five from
st. Paul and 100 or more from Mime
apolis. Accurate figures, of course, are
not given out It is not believed there
was any great rush for tickets in either
city.
Speaking OF the result of the sale a.
passenger official said to a reporter
for the G | o b yesterday:
There is not any great .E.cunt of
money in this business for any one.
The Chicago lines did not go into it
with the idea of making any money.
but merely to keep the 500 from getting
a monopoly. Now supposing any one
certain line sold forty tickets via Chi
cago. The Chicago lines proportion of
this would not be over cent q mile
per ticket. That is actually all they
will make out of II. There will be even
less in 1t for the Eastern lines. who
have the long haul. None of the lines
out of Chicago sell less than fifty
tickets per day to New York and other
points. The average would be nearer
Sixty-five or seventy. The addition of
fifty more passengers from ST Paul
would not be felt There would be no
money in it to them. 1t is only when
the daily average is increased In the
hundreds that any difference is noticed
in the business"
1t is not known oven vet what con-
ceSsions the teachers of ST. Paul will
secure from the railroad, although it
is fair to persume that they will secure
fully as low rates as the MINNEAPOLIS
teachers. The low rates OF the past
week attracted considerable business
from out of town.