The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-08
EVILS OF SCALPINC
RAILWAY MEN TESTIFY BEFORE
CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.
~-
George w. Boyd Denounces the Bus
iness Of Ticket Brokers as
Most Nefar1ous Tranc. g
VIEWS OF GEORGE H. DANIELS
HE CHARGES BROKERs WITH DEAL
ING IN FORGED TICKETS.
And Also with Influencing Conductors
to Commit Theft-Testimony ola
Labor Representative.

WASHINGTON, Jan. THE House inter-
state-commerce committee gave another
hearing on the anti-scalping bill to-day. Mr..
George w. Boyd, assistant general passen-
ger agent of the Pennsylvania Railroad,
made a very strong argument in favor of
the BILL He asserted that there was no more
nefarious traffic in the country to-day than
that of the scalping fraternity, and that 80
per cent of the tickets lost or stolen from
railroads find their way into the scalping
offices and thence into public use. He said
the assertion that 95 per cent. of the tick
cts used by scalpers were furnished direct
by the railroads was very misleading. There
was a very small percentage, probably not
25 per cent, and certainly there was very
little business in securing tickets direct from
any reputable railroad.
DO all the railroads engaged in inter-
state commerce favor the bill?' Mr.. Boyd
was asked.
'I think so" he replied.
Discussing the direct securing of scalping
tickets from railroads by the scalpers, Mr..
Boyd said the scalpers send their represent
atives to the railroad offices to get the tick
cts and sell them in their own offices under
very different and wrongful conditions, ad-
vising in many instances that the travellers
forge the names on the books. He intro
duced papers in evidence showing the way
in which tickets lost or stolen were bought
by those who take them to scalpers, and
how the latter had offered to restore them
TO their owners for. as in one instance cited.
50 per cent of the face value. He said the
scalpers did part of their business with
sneakthieves Tickets are not merchandise,
he said. They belong to the company, and
hQiP al Dpfn hr.
comes part of the company's property and
should be regarded in that respect like a
baggage check.
IF all the railroads should unite and sell
tickets only through their authorized agents,
would not that do away with the evil?" he
was asked
NO. sir. because, for one reason. a large
percentage of the business is done by dis
honest means
Continuing. Mr. Boyd said that a large
percentage of the people who deal with the
scalpers are seriously inconvenienced as
they are given tickets by circuitous routes
and are OFTEN subjected TO delay and extra
passage while the revenues of the roads
are reduced through the manipulation of
excursion and other forms of tickets sold
by the companies at reduced rates in con-
sideration OF the original purchaser agreeing
to use them within IL fixed period. Scalping
officers Mr. Boyd went on are Il constant
fnnenti,,a ~ en,nlnvas who handie ,aiirea =
tickets to become dishonest. Mr.. Boyd con-
cluded by saying that the scalpers' existence
cannot be justified and that the very first
principle of the scalpers trade. his ability TO
sell transportation lower than the issuing
company, bears on it's face the stamp of
dishonesty, especially when this standard is
reduced to the minimum and regulated by
sharp competition.
Mr.. Compton. who was before the Senate
committee Yesterday. and Mr.. George H.
Daniels general passenger agent of the New
York Central, who was before the Senate
committee to-day. filed documents with the
committee and made similar statements to
those made before the Senate committee