The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-07

The nterstate-commerce Commission
yesterday resumed its hearing at Washing
ton on the ant-scalper bill. Mr.. Mckenzie,
the president of the American Ticket Brok-
ers Association, said that he had received
affidavits from a number of ticket brokers
confirming his statement that the brokers
secured IS per cent. of the tickets sold by
them from the railroad companies. When
Senator CulIom asked for names Mr.. Nc
Kenzie replied that to answer would be a
breach of confidence While he considered
the question proper he should decline TO
name the companies except under sum-
mons In that case he would respond, but
he did not want to break faith
e. j. Thiele of the Illinois Commercial
Mems Association, opposed the bill as UNI
just. claiming that the owner of a railroad
ticket should be allowed to dispose Of it
as he might see fit, as would the owner Oh
any other commodity.
Senator Wolcott made the point that mo
honest honorable would be caught
travelling on another mans name on non
transferable ticket
Mr. Thiele said he had known os men
whom he believed to be honest doing that
thing. He said that what the travelling
men wanted was a uniform, fiat $40 thou
n,
president of the Commercial Travellers Ma
tional League, also appeared in antagonism
to the bill. }
William F. King. president of the Mer-
chants Association of New York. spoke for
the bill. He said he had fought the rail-
roads for years and would continue TO ngnt
until proper rates should be secured he
was opposed to discrimination, however,
hence he favored the pending bill. He char
acteriZed as forgery the dealing III rallroa1
tickets. which was. he said opposed to the
Of he INIT faf GS 10
not believe, he said. emphatically. in a
course that would save one dollar at the
expense of the crime of forgery. He said
there were very few firms that would en-
ploy a man as a traveller who would deal
with ticket brokers'
A. NJ. Compton, of Chicago, of the Ma
tional Association of Merchants and Travel
ers. urged the passage of the bill. His as
sociation had resident delegates at the inn
p0rtant points of the country and in reply
to inquiries directed to these agents. the
association had not received a bakers dozen
of replies unfavorable to the bill. He had
been for years a commercial traveller and
did not accept the doctrine that the travel
ing men were as class favorable to the
system of dealing in railroad tickets
mercial integrity. He referred to the brok-
ers as parasites upon the common carrier
system of the country and said the ticket
brokers' offices were the resorts, public and
advertised for dealing in fraudulent, lost
and stolen railway tickets. Mr.. Compton
contended that so long, as the right is
ton they ought also to be protected in the
same way. He asserted that railroad
charges were lower in this country than in
others and said his association considered
it to be its duty to assist the railroads in
continuing to perform their duty to the
public.
The hearing for the day was closed with
a brief. hut vigorous statement by j. =.
Dill. of New York. counsel for. the. Mer-
clared that of the 100 firms in this associa-
ton in New York representing $500 OOO,0OO
there had not been one vote cast against
the proposition to support this bill and of
the thirty thousand firms outside that city
representing another $780, 900 only
eighteen had opposed it. He said the mer-
chants generally allowed their travelling
men full rates and that the ticket brokers'
offices afforded to them temptation to go
darkness rather than of light and are a
trap and temptation TO young men travel
ing for reputable houses" Mr.. Dill also
contended the legal right of the railroads
to protection and support and asserted that
those who We're opposing the bill and con-
tending for their rights In doing so were
M. b. Kelley. commissioner of freight
transportation department of the Trades
League. of Philadelphia, filed statement
The Western roads are making a hard
fight for the passage OF the anti-scalping
bill. Chairman Caldwell OF the Western
Passenger Associat ton, is now in Washing
ton looking after the interests of the roads,
and he has the aid of Chairman Compton,
of the executive COMMITTEES of the Associa-
ton Of Merchants and Travellers of Chi
cago The latter Organization is very earn
est in its fight against the brokers, be-
cause of the circulars sent out over the
signature of one of the leading opponents
among the brokers of the bill. to the effect
that the merchants of Chicago were not
acting in good faith in their Endorsement
of the bill. The merchants are for the bill
i'm good faith, and have always been so.
and they have made a much harder fight
for it than they would have thought of
making had they not been held up to the
members of Congress as not in earnest
when they passed their resolutions favor
ing it's passage.