The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-23

roads and other matters pertaining 10 the
roads, reported to the meeting. The fol-
lowing letter, was read, and will be I'd
dressed to the officials of the railroads
ana was followed by the resolutions below:
To the Railroads of Georgia and Florida
The Georgia Division of the Travellers
Protective Association of America. in CON
vention assembled, have had reported 10
them state of affairs which they regard
as injurious, both from your STANDPOINT
and theirs. 1t has been shown by the re-
ports of various officers and committees
OF this convention. that the mileage books
have been withdrawn from sale in the
state of Florida, and that such action is
contemplated in Georgia. We are also in
formed that the allowance for baggage
has been largely reduced by some of the
roads in this state. thus indirectly increas-
in the cost of travelling, and placing an
unreasonable burden upon those men who
most largely add TO the revenues of the
railroads themselves. The reason for the
latter step we do not know. None is Civ
en-; so we must conclude that
IL Is only from desire to
increase the revenues of the roads
by increasing the burden, already borne
by the travelling statesmen by the CONNER
cial interests of Georgia, and by the people
who. buy our goods. The reason assigned
for the withdrawal of mileage books in
Florida is that they get into the hands of
tourists, through the ticket brokers' and
thus rob the railroads of large returns
from their passenger business, and at the
same time defeat the very object for which
they were issued, viz: A proper conces-
sion to our commercial interests. In an
swer to this, we beg to say that the reason
hardly seems to us sincere. Travelling men
know that when in Jacksonville hereto
fore they have had no trouble in getting
mileage books from brokers, who would
send TO the railroad ticket Of
fees and buy the mileage wanted
if it did not happen to be on
hand We therefore assert without fear
of successful contradiction that the rail-
road officers and their ticket agents are
not only fully aware of the irregular use
of mileage books through ticket brokers'
but actually sell these books to the brok-
ers themselves, knowing in advance to
what uses they are to be put; and with
less restrictions than are placed upon
books sold to commercial travellers them
selves. Besides this, the T. P. A has Of
fered ample protection to the railroads as
to the proper use of these books on the
part of their members. Now, this is a
state of affairs very much to be regretted,
as it tends to get up friction and feeling
between the railroads and those who fur
business and practically all of their
freight business. The interests of these
two business factors, if not allied, are at
least so interviewer as to make friction
undesirable and antagonisms deplorable
We beg to remind the railroads, however,
that the drummer is always in advance of
their surveyor. He travels for years in
buggies and hacks over territory where
there are no railroads, and builds up a
fro hzfo tIrlo \, Il 9
building up highway to handle that
trade. The railroads never build from
one point in an undeveloped country
to another, but wait until the commercial
traveller has put in years of business abil-
ity in helping to build towns. Then the
railroads are pleased to build from ore
town 70 another to handle the trade end
travel already built up by the travelling
man. This body would not set itself down
as an enemy of railroads. We are only
asking for what we think is due us We
realize the Importance of the railroads 10
the commerce of a great country; but,
with due modesty, we state that we also
realize our own Importance, and must in
sist upon having our complaints heard and
the evils complained of adjusted. We
cannot accept the reasons assigned for The
actions referred to above, as they do not
appear to us to be sound. We therefore
DGS ICdNe 10 manu- you u6IGWltn a COpy VI
the resolutions adopted by this conven-
ton, and cali your special and personal
attention to the same. These resolutions
are not intended as threats, but a plain
statement of our position We would like
an early answer from you, stating what
position your road will take concerning
our requests for just treatment in these
matters. Please address such answer to
the president of the Georgia state divis-
N n Crrasf MI
Joseph Lovenstein, Chairman.
E. +. Morgan,
e. c. Carmichael,
George E. Johnson,
J. R. Duncan,
4 w. H. Brigham,
Committee.
Be 1t resolved by the Georgia divisions
of Travellers Protective Association, in
convention assembled:
First. That we-vew with profound re-
gret. and at the same time, with emphatic
expression of our disapproval, the action
of the railroad managers in Withdrawing
mileage books from sale in the state of
Re- ssr second, That we can
not lend our approval to the
action of the Seaboard Air
Line. the Southern Railway and possibly
other roads, in reducing the baggage al
lOWance already ~ tiS SOAiAA'~N
c,al travellers by their lines and thus prac-
tically increasing the price upon the bag
gage carried by travelling men over their
lines.
Resolved third, That the rumor-
ed removal of the mileage books
from sale in Georgia meets
with our most earnest protest for the
reason that it is, like the action OF the
railroads mentioned above, practically
violation of IMPLIED promises to US by the
railroads of the state.
Resolved. fourth, That as we have ten
dered action on our part looking to the
fullest protection against the abuse OF
mileage books on the part of our mem
hers: as the railroads have, through care
lessnesses and rough treatment by their
own employees forced us TO make trunks
containing our baggage themselves weigh
almost up to the limit allowed us Ior
baggage. and therefore, have practically
made us no allowance for baggage ITSELF
and as the railroads have indicated TO US
Thai with the increase of business and the
removal OF other difficulties in their way
that would show a better disposition TO-
ward our reasonable requests, we cannon
EuII