The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-11
how much he liked Indian
apolis and the people who lived in it.
WHAT RAILROAD MEN SAY.
l.. A. w. Business Never Warranted
ANY Hotter Rates.

l.. A. w. Business Never warranted
Any Better Rates.
The indignation generally felt by wheel
men and business men Of the city over the
rates granted by the railroads for the l..
A. w. meet has aroused the representa-
tives of the different lines ctntering in this
city to the point of resentment. Several
merchants have spoken their minds with
regard to the methods which have been
adopted by the railroads from time TO time
whenever any hig gathering was scheduled
for this city, and have intimated that the
failure of several public enterprises can be
traced to the failure of the roads to grant
reasonable rates for excursionists. The par
ticular point which the railroad men take
exception to is the scorching given them
by the military men who are waiting at
Camp Mount for transportation to jack
sonville. Assistant General Passenger
Agent Bronson, of the Big -Four road, in
an interview yesterday told the railroads
side to the story. in substance as follows:
THE L. A. w. meet has never at any
meet received better rate than one fare
Tor the round trip, and when all things are
considered, almost any one will concede that
THIS rate is fair one. When the national
meet has been held at other points the same
rates have been in effect and no protest
has been made. In fact, most people con-
slider 1t a reasonable concession on the part
of the railroads. Indianapolis has never
been Disseminated against by the Big Four
road, and think the same can also be said
of the other roads.
with regard to the trouble at Camp
Mount, can say our. road exhausted every
resource in the effort to secure cars for the
regiment That we did not do is not our
fault. There We're no cars to get. The con-
tract was given to us on short notice, and
the only cars we could command were al
ready taken by the regiment from Illinois
the day before. The army contracts are
given out in Chicago and this accounts for
the early move of the Illinois troops. Since
that time we have been making every effort
to secure the cars needed and will have
them on hand to move the regiment by to-
morrow night (to-night) There has been
a big demand for the tourist sleepers, and
as there never was a large number of them
in the country at any time and all of them
have been in constant use since the war,
1t is not to be wondered at that we could
not secure what we needed for the regi-
ment here. So worthy of indulgence did we
consider our position TO be that when the
first protest was made to us by the mill
tary men we offered to give up our con-
tract to any other company that could fur
nsh the cars When you consider that this
business is rather desirable and other roads
would be glad to get it at our terms, their
failure to take the business on this offer
is an indication that we were doing the best
any concern could do"
l.. L. Freeman, of the Pennsylvania and
Vandalia lines, SubStantiated the statement
of Mr.. Bronson, and said SO far as his roads
were concerned as good rates were being
offered as any road in the country ever
ness resulting from the l.. A w. meet has
not, according to his statement, been such
as to warrant even the rate offered by the
passenger association.