Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-01-18
INTERCHANGEABLE MILEAGE.

Fer about fifteen years tbs IraVeHhs
men OF America have been iapoIlns
necessarily to secure an lhteieI
able mileage book in the terriloIies "
the various passenger associSteioAe,
and If has only been within the past
year that anything looking to reail1a-
ton OF this hope has been attained.
rhe railroads have offered many Iea-
sons for declining to issue this form OF
transportation, many Of which EVE
seemed vain and spac1ous. Dut
throughout all the controversies Whlcn
have taken place between the rallfoaa
officials and the representatives OF the
travelling fraternity, one TACT mas az
ways been strongly emphasized by the
railroad people, viz: that pefleetiy
satisfactory form Of Interchangeable
mileage at a reduced rate OF rare Wouiu
never be possible SO long as the ticket
broker remained in the field to threat
en- the local traffic CT the roads through
the manipulation of such a form OF
tfanspor alton.
Finally yielding to the almost ire
sistible pressure Of the travelling men
for interchangeable mileage, the Cen
trail Passenger Association last Janu-
| airy put on sale q 5.0GG-nllle book OF
Photographic Identification, which the
travellers had themselves requested,
and surrounded it with such restric-
lions as were thought necessary to
protect it from misuse The book had
hardly been put in the market before
| complaints, both numerous and varied,
began to pour in from all quarters.
Some thought the conditions were arbi-
trary, burdensome and unnecessary.
oh cob of q
railroads to get possession of $500 OF
the travellers money for the several
| months which must elapse before the
book could be used up, While others
said that a 5,000-mile book was too
much mileage to be compelled to buy at
one time and that a 1,000-miie book
ought to be issued.
In the face Of most severe and fire.
quently unjust criticisms, the railroad
| people set about trying to modify the
| book so as to make it acceptable to the
| travelling men of possible, and last Sep,
| TENDER put on sale 600 mile book
| without the Photographic Identification
requirement, but with such other con-
! Gitions as they felt were necessary to
properly safeguard it's use. This book
| had not been on the market a week
when some travelling men held meet
| ing in q certain city and bitterly con-
| demned it, and an occasional howl
| from other quarters would locate the
| stamping ground OF some other dissat-
| isfied drummer. Then the roads went
| to work again to still further modify
| the book by removing some Of the
| minor restrictions which they thought
might be done without throwing the
book into the hands Of the scalpers.
After all this; knowing that they
| have perforce been denied concessions
| which they might have obtained had
| it not been for the scalper, there are
numerous travelling men in the coun-
| try to-day, who are ready to stand up
and say 1.-The scalper is our friend and
ally and upon him our salvation de-
ponds"
Very well, it may be SO; but the
| Commercial Traveller does not regard
/ it in that light We have been fight
| ing six years for interchangeable mile
| age and propose to keep it UP for six
more il necessary; but we believe it
| is poor policy to go TO the railroads
with one hand held out for favor,
while with the other we hold knife
! at their throat We are with the boys
in the fight for interchanceagle mile
| age, bat if those travelling men who
have been bowling for it so loudly,
really want it, we advise them to quit
upholding the scalper; if they prefer
the scalper, then they should cease
stultifying themselves by going to the
railroads and demanding interchange
able mileage. for the two propositions
are as far apart as the poles. Let us
at least, be consistent From January,
IN 49,
Traveller" published at St. Louis.