Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-26

| over one year ago did some construction
work for the railroad company. The rail-
| road made part payment for the work
! and a disagreement arose in regard to
Ethe payment for certain extras
| Passenger officials of all the railroads
running to Denver are much veNed be-
cause the executive committee of the
Grand Army of the Republic has decided
that the next annual convention shall
| ,hc held in Cleveland instead of Denver,
Says the Chicago InterOcean.
'''rhe western roads will not make
rate of less than IL cent and a half
milo for Grand Army men going to the
tntamrment at Cleveland" said the gem
tr;tl passenger agent of one of the big
Eest western systems. I'VE offered to
make a rate of a cent a mile if the en-
ta,hpment was held in Denver. Because
some of the jerk-water lines. which be-
Eilf and end nowhere. would not agree
to Join in that rate. the leading officials
OF the Grand Army got mad and de-
tlaled chat the place of encampment
MOULD he transferred to cleveland. Now
| think we will make Grand Army rates
pf one fare. plus s., for the round trip
bver our lines
The western roads need not complain
of the action of the executive committee
of the Grand Army" said an eastern
passenger official. The western roads
never showed much consideration for the
old veterans. charging them the same
rates to their annual encampment as
they made for theatrical troupes and
baseball players. The majority of the
members of the Grand Army are poor
and unable to earn much money. Their
| So ,i, |,
always been refused by the western
reads and granted by the eastern lines.
1t has always been the policy of the
western roads to manipulate rates made
for big events: they always made rates
With a view to scalpng them. and in
the long run they have not earned as
much revenue AS the eastern lines. which
agreed to make low rates and then
main tanned them. To the short -sig hted,
not 10 say niggardly policy which the
western roads have always pursued
when there was popular demand for
low rates ON account of big meetings is
due the agitation in favor of maximum
2-cent -a-mie rates in various states. 7
predict that within two years every
state east of the Missouri river win en-
act Il law prohibiting railroads from
charging more than cents mile for
short as we'll as long trips. OF course
if the western states pass such laws all
The eastern states will follow their eX-
ample. New York now mas such a law.
and the railroad commission of MasSa-
chusetts has Just recommended the
passage Of law requiring all the rail-
roads in that state to sell 500 mile books
at the rate of cents a mile
IL is only reasonab bic to expect that The
! mem hers of the Grand Army will use
all their influence to secure the passage
Of 2-cent-a-mile laws in the western
states. The veterans are powerful in
Illinois. and it Will not surprise me if
the bill introduced in our legislature yes
terday by Representative Nohe of Cook
county, fixing the maximum passenger
fare in this state at cents a mile. is
passed.
The railroads in the Central Passenger
association have agreed to make 2 rate
of l cent: q mile to every body during
| the encampnent of the Grand Army in
Cleveland. with liberal arrangements
for extension of tickets for thirty days.