The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-06-20
THE CAR GATE SYSTEM.
Argument by MIR. S. r. b. Morse Before the Judiciary
Committee of the Louisiana State
Legislature

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! necessary that passengers shall provide them.
| selves with tickets before they are permitted
10 board the train The result has been:
Tho bell punch and cash fare registers III
| street cars.
Cash fare receipt.
| Rebate check.
4 Sp0ttcr system.
Ali have proven. first, ineffective simply be
cause the public was expected to verify the
| work of the employee and, secondly. in many
! cases importation for lack OF time between
/ stations To get through trains.
! SO burdcnEo!nc has the work of cash col
loctions become, where local travel Is in the
/ least heavy, and so dangerous because OF IFS
occupying the time Of the conductor and pre-
venting him from giving proper attention To
the safety of his train, that on number OF
! large railways, collectors, ticket receivers and
train agents have been added to the operative
force Of the train to relieve the conductor OF
this extra duty and give him more time to
look after the operation of his train and the
safety Of his passengers, These somewhat
ancient methods of dealing with the difficulty
are more expensive and equally Ineffective as
the other devices referred to- and the car gate
system presents the only true solution of this
vexatious problem.
| shall venture 10 assume. through what l
have TO say, that the railway company Is en-
titled to collect It's rates according TO law,
and to adopt necessary and reasonable means
to that end, under the authority of Its char
ter
state legislation, fixing rates of fare is
yalueless TO the railway ana is a mockery
deluson and snare II the railway is to be
prevented from making regulations which will
enable them to collect these fares.
If we can not collect the revenue to- which
We are entitled, 1t is clear that we shall be
unable 70 continue to pay what is regarded
as fair schedule OF wages, which we now
pay to the largo number Of employees In our
, service. Moreover, and what is Of equal IL
Erputpr lmnOrtunpn shall nnuhlH
TO keep our roadbed and equipment In proper
condition.
The Southern Pacific ls today, the best and
most safely constructed railroad across this
continent and with train equipments, as ex
cmpiiied in the Sunset limited, at least equal,
If not superior, to any road in this country.
! submit again, in permitting the railroad
company to protect its revenues, you are pro-
| tectine its employees, who form a large, re-
spectacle and influential class of citizens in
yo'r state, and VINO depend upon the revenues
living remuneration.
II VIC are to maintain the present high con-
dilion or our road, equipment and service, in
wlici are involved the life and safety Of the
citizens OF your State. and If we are to con-
time to pay fair wages to our employees, also
cit'ztns of your State We ought to be able,
am ana IT, Is only Just to enable us to carry out
absolutely necessary and reasonable regu-
latiohs to collect all the revenue to which we
are by law, entitled.
The welfare of the citizens of your State Is
paid to your citizens and expended In your
state, and its circulation is a large factor IN
the comfort of your citizens and the prosperity
OF your State As Illustrative of this last poiut
icy me inform YOU of the aggressive policy
which has. for wears, been PURSUED by the
southern Pacific In its efforts to develop and
settle the country its road tray erses particu-
lhry that section hnown as Southwest Louis
lana. which, prior to 1887, was, practically, a
vast Nasteland, unlnhabled and unproduc-
I'VE; country where. only few years ago.
laud could be purchased in any quantity at
tToiu ~ cents to 81 an acre, which today, IL
one Of the most fertile agricultural districts Of
any of the States of the whole United States
anG WEich continues to daily grow in wealth.
power and productycness. Let me say. that
the Southern Pacific has expended thousands
up0n Thousands of dollars to bring about such
a oendltion on its line in your State, and Is
continuing to do so, in suhstantiation of which
leg me cite n little incident which has recently
tran spiied In the failure of our great State TO
carry out IT'S promise to be represented at the
on'Sna exposition, where those who were
authorized by the legislature to arrange for an
eNhlblt, which would attract wealth ,and agrl-
cuturists to your hospitable shores have fail
el 10 40 this. taking refuge under the plea
,laJ INC tme was unproritious On account OF
the war with Spain, 1t gives me pleasure to
say that while such an excuse may appear
reasonable to some, it is contrary to the Views
and oppressive policy Of the Southern Pacific.
hcnee, though 1t will cost thousands of dol
lars to do So Louisiana will be represented nj
the lransmssissippi Exposition, If the bur
by h
era facitic company. Arrangements have nj
ready been made to that end, and II thousand,
OF the citizens and farmers of the Northwest
DO not become citizens. residents and tax
paSers OF this beautiful State within the next
rev years, 1t Will not be for lack of effort on
the part OF the Southern Pacific to attract
them thither.
This Is but an additional reason To tlose N,
ready cited why the Southern Pacific should
not be molested In the use of a system which
only lnsures that its legitimate revenues shall
reach its treasury.
Fhe revenues of railway companies are SUBJ
lect to losses to a very greater extent than
'ohks' mercantile houses and large CORPORA
lions OF n similar character. There are W.
r'ous VIGOROUSLY well known methods nv
Whlch the revenues of railway COMPANIES arc
oefieted by the operations of dishonest en-
p'oSes' sometimes in collision with outsiders
iner' is, and We all know it, disposition on
inc part OF many people. to evado payment NJ
lares to railroad corporations, who would
s.s'H 70 take advantage Of any other corner
n n or business. What are we to expect
Ing " do pan OF wealth influence and stand
t 80 uoilnerateiy swears to n falsebood
iur INC sum of $3.50 to 5000. which he wand
save iH the purchase Of q ticket? This is tho
Ma W a nun VINO purchased ticket that
nau nteh SOFA 10 another. who signed ,b,t
cther name, and then made sworn ~,
daNit To the forgery '"''" an
WISH 10 nave II distinctly understood tha,
Il an not one of those who believe that III
tlu people are dishonest, or that nil rniiO.",.
conductors are dishonest; instead 7 49, ,Ss
nCt 'tlni' mat there are Just about ,hc so,ia
ntcporuon OF dishonest employes conrnS 500
WIN the railroads ms with any Of mo en-.
tstsS commercial institutions. hut oN,in u,H y,
W. tue Iooteness OF the old system, which IL ali,
IN vogue ON many Of the lines today tho 1 ~
ol.Ihlty and temptation for dIshonestv H.
naiiulinE the cash collected on noeso;y,r ~ a..
.ranls are possibly much creator than Tho az.
Wv .uhi'y ana temptation which arises In inrRgc
volImtleihl enterprises. | have rrent r,an,
warm personal friends among eondre ,t,,us
seWe OF my oldest and most intlninic are .;
.nai ciass; al the same time, have no So,St
n n,TuS enemies among them through both The
sApoaoro OF frauds and in advocating Tho sato
ssttSih, was away out-in Western Texns s,v
vi olsht months ago In comnany with $500;
oener iailroad officials when tho corS,,o,'.,,
pnsafo through the car and exnmined 80 ~
.ralspcrtatlon; shortly after he had ic,, ~ ~
nrt 'ht porter came up In our parry inani,, IT,
Wno was Mr. Morse and when told ,o,t,lss
.ua' ! was not very popular with th,, -
ufniar conductor. ms he considered me- pa.-
s $40 enemy and SO have met with he
satnc criticism from employees Of oth"r III NY
ma ! would say TO such men who fins ,.ueS;
iuv ina ! do not believe they are hones, '9""
nave had many gentlemen saw 10 n,S -.
VIZ saso system Is n reflection anon 60 snu'
such an assertion. "e"' prompts