Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-23
TRUCKING THE RAILROADS.
How Certain Missouri LegisIators OBJ
tnincd md Disposed Of Tickets.

tanned ana Disposed of
If the stories told are true, several mem
bers of the Missouri Legislature have lately
been playing a trick on the railroads that
the public will hardly It is no
secret, says the st. Louis Republic, that a
good many members in one way or another
succeed in getting 1,000-mile tickets from the
railroads.. and it seems some of them were
not satisfied with a single book, but obtained
several, presumably for the benefit of their
relatives. 1t is said that a member of the
house came to st. Louis the other lav and
sold four mileage books to a ticket broker,
and that several others have been guilty OF a
similar offense.
The extent to which the railroads lately
nave been mulcted through the cupidity OF
statesmen in begging transportation. and
then disposing OF it to ticket brokers and
others at a profit to themselves. will not
likely ever be known outside Of railroad
circles, but 1t is believed to be much greater
than is generally supposed. When the
legislature is in session it is an easy matter
tor a member to obtain transportation in al
most any form he desires. The railroads are
IN no position to antagonize members of the
Legislature, and the Legislators know this full
wei. They can ask for transportation in
the shape of mileage books, and unless the
uetnand Is out of the bounds of all reason
the probability is that they will get what
'hey ask for. These books have a cash value
and 1t is no trouble to dispose of them.
Inc members who have sold transporta-
ton may think that the railroad officials
90 not know of the same, and if so they
are very much mistaken. The railroads
nave ways of tracking up their tickets
Whlch the average member of the legis-
lature is not notified of when he obtains
fra n onnrta tipn nut ,.l.-.
railroad officials will very soon rearn of it.
Just as soon as the ticket is used they will
know it, and sometimes even before it il
used.
1t is said that a politician, who considers
himself pretty well at the front of the pro-
cession, obtained a round trip ticket, pre-
sumably FOR a female relative, from st.
Louis TO San Francisco and return, and
stralghtway put it in his pocket and went
to Chicago and sold it to a ticket broker.
1t caused the railroad official to whom he
applied considerable trouble to procure the
transportation, and. as it carled for first
class accommodations, it was worth quite n
sum of money. OF course, it was sold for
less than il was worth and the railroad
that obtained it had to put up the money
to get 1t back. Occurrences of this kind are
mot very common, for the reason that it is
~ easy '"tIe l u get transportation across
the continent.
One member of the house, who made
something of a specially OF denouncing cor
porations, is said to have kept his relatives
travelling for two months or longer on the
transportation he begged from the various
railroads. He, however, was never accused
of selling transportation, 1t seems he had
relatives enough to use up all he could OBJ
tain.
AS an explanation of the conduct OF mem
hers who have been selling their railroad
transportation 1t is said that they never
expect TO be again eiected to the legis-
l%ature, and accordingly have made up their
minds to take everything in sight prepara-
tory to the famine which they believe will
follow.