Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-03-16
The Anti.S calping Bill.

One of the great complaints made
against railroads at the present time is
that all forms Of tickets for passengers
are surrounded by a seemingly unlim-
tied amount of red tape, and that many
forms issued, particularly those used for
excursion purposes, are not transferra-
BILE from one person to another.
There is a bill before congress at this
time intended to remedy the objectiona-
BILE features of tickets as now issued,
known as the ''anti-scalping BILL" This
bill has been Endorsed by nearly all of the
transportation companies and boards of
trade in the country, and after several
comprehensive and exhaustive hearings
by the senate and house committees on
interstate and foreign commerce, has
been advanced to the calander of the
senate by a vote of eight to three and to
the house by a vote of fifteen to two.
The bill contemplates the abolition of
traffic by irresponsible and unauthor-
lied persons, in railroad and steamship
tickets, and confines such transactions
to the duly constituted agents of the
transportation companies, and obligates
all common carriers to promptly and
equitably redeem passage tickets when,
for any reason, unused in whole or In
part.
The interstate commerce commission
in its annual report to congress has
again and again reviewed the evils of
ticket scalping and uniformly urged up
on congress the e~xpediency and justice
to the travelling public and the railways,
of such amendments to the Interstate
commerce act as would abolish the prac-
tice and limit sales of passage tickets to
responsible and properly authorized
channels.
AS Il rule, the ticket scalper, in his
province of q self-constituted agent, is
unable, were he so disposed, to discrim-
mate touching the legitimacy or regula-
ton OF tickets rendered and purchased
In the course OF his transactions. 1t
therefore follows that his Office creates a
convenient market for lost, stolen or
fraudulent tickets. This feature of the
business of the ticket scalper being self
evident, should condemn his transac-
tions from a moral standpoint.
The business of the ticket scalper does
not appear, in any essential way,
to serve the economy, convenience Or well
fare of the travelling public: conversely,
the unfair and unlawful manipulation
of excursion tickets to which he neees-
sarily resorts to obtain a profit from the
business, compels the railways to sur
round such forms of transportation with
restrictive conditions initiating against
convenient and economical use by legiti'
mate purchasers, and not infrequently
the ticket scalper's methods compel the
railways, in a reasonable protection of
their interests, to decline meritorious
applications for excursion fares, par
ticularly when such concessions involve
important commercial centers or movc-
ments Of large bodies of people.
The moral influence of the ticket
scalper's avocation is deplorable from
whatever point Of view it may be con-
sidered, and in the interest Of public
morals and fair dealings, the law-abiding,
thinking people Of the country should
raise their voice and influence in the d.
rection of securing enactment Of the
measures now under consideration by
congress.