The times., 1898-01-07

The Senatc Committee on Interstate
Commerce learned good deal yester,
day about the railroad ticket business. Z
The occasion was a hearing on the
anti-ticket scalping bill, and both sides
of the case were heard.
The ticket brokers were represented
by George M. Mckenzie, of Chicago,
who has been here on several OCCASIONS,
and by MIR. Thiele. The other side OF
the question was presented by Mr..
James b. Dill, of New York; William
f. King. of, New York, and a. NJ,
Compton, ea4a TIT ss
Mr.. Mckenzie, who. made the priri-
cipal speech, repeated his assertion
that 80 per cent. of the business OF the
brokers was done through the railroads
and that so per cent. Of ii was done
for the general passenger agents on
commission. This statement was SO
broad that members of the committee
at once demanded names. These Mr.
Mckenzie declined TO give, adding that
if the committee desired to go into an
investigation of the subject ana put.
men under oath he could and would
TSduliN anu iieNN'S'7s''s
data The suggestion was not accepted
by the committee.
Mr. King is the president of the Mer-
chants Association of New York, rep
resenting capital of many million OF
dollars. He related how he had fought
the railroads in many things but he
did not believe in everything being one
sided. The anti-scalping bill was, he
said, right, and he was willing to do ali
in IA 70 its enactment.
He argued that it was right because 1t
was Just to the roads for the Govern
ment controlled the roads engaged IN
interstate traffic, and il was but proper
that they should protect the roads IN
the collection of their legitimate rev.
enue The selling and purchase OF
fraudulent and forged railroad tickets
was a crime and was contrary to the
spirit, if not the letter, of the law,
as much as using the mails for the pur'
pose of distributing literature that was
prohibited. In reply to the assertion
that the scalpers enabled travelling men
to travel cheapiy, Mr.. King said no
reputable firm would long employ
man who put in his time looking fol
cheap tickets and endeavoring TO see
where he could employ a little plea
yuniSh economy. Travelling men We're
given first-class transportation and
were expected to travel first-class, and
no good firm would permit anything
else The argument of the scalpers
was, he said, false and misleading.
Mr. Compton argued that the ticket
! scalping business was teaching bad
business morals The red tape that
| was connected with special rate tickets
was forced upon the companies By
reason of the frauds that had been
perpetrated by the scalpers themselves.
| These scalpers he denounced as para
| sites sucking the life blood out of the
great common carrier industry of the
| country Mr. Compton said that the
saving made by travellers on their tick
cts did not go into the pockets of the
! employers. but in those of the men
| who took advantage of these fraudu-
| lent tickets. and in this way the first
| step to dishonest methods in business
| We're taught young men by these scalp,
| ers who posed as the benefactors OF
| the travelling public The ticket brok
ers office was simply, he said, con-
yenience a well-advertised resort for
| practicing deception and dealing in
| lost stolen and counterfeit railroad
| tickets.
| From the unprecedented business
standpoint Mr. Compton said the Gov
| ernment should protect these roads
| from these incursions into their rev
enue. The Government sought TO con,
! troll the lines and regulate rates in
| interstate traffic, and if it did that then
| the government ought, also. to enable
| the roads to collect the revenue that
| justly belonged TO them The one prop
| osition should go hand in hand with
| the other. In this country passenger
| could ride at a less rate q mile; freight
| was carried at a less rate a mile, and
greater accommodations were offered
F! the travelling public than anywhere in
| the world, and despite all this and the
| generous patronage of the public sev-
enty-four roads went into the hands of
receivers last year So far as the Gov
| ernnent could within reason do so it
ought, he said, to insure to these roads
| the revenue which beloned to them
and prevent them from suffering from
| the attacks of an illegitimate trade.
| Mr.. James B. Dill, of New York, ap-
peared as the counsel of the Merchants
| Association of New York, which repre-,
sented an aggregate capital of more
| than $500. .00e, 900, which by unanimous
vote had resolved to push the anti
| scalping bin: also another association
| of similar character representing the
same amount of money investments
which has likewise taken such action.
| Mr.. Dill was only given five minutes.
| but into that short time he crowded
some very salient points. Dealing with
1 ticket brokers was, he said, the first
crooked step of the travelling man, and
/ it was not made necessary by the
1 houses for whom he travelled. The fall
| of many a travelling man was due to
| this beginning. AS legal proposition
| it should be remembered that SO long
| as the government regulates the rail
road tariffs it should at the same time
guarantee reasonable protection to its
receipts.
By the passage of the anti-scalpins
1 bill the rights of no one were trampled
| upon save those who desired to do
wrong. The trend of legislation was to
wipe cut the illeg:timate. Bucket shops
were being driven out of cities; bawdy
| houses were being suppressed, and be-
fore the government got through with
! this sort of business Mr.. Dill said the
| ticket broker would go, too.
| Another hearing will be held this
morning at 10 o'clock.