The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-11-16
TRAVEL VERY HEAVY
PEOPLE ARE DRIFTING TO Il
WARNER CLIMATE.
FIGHT AGAINST THE SCALPERS
It Is Being Revived by Railroad COM
panies and Commercial Men-Thev
Claim the scalper Stands in the
Way of Better Excursion Rates.

General Agent Wilson of the Oregon
Snort Line says that travel towards the
south at present is very heavy.
Among the travellers from Butte are
many miners bound for Mexico, Arizona,
California, Utah and Colorado, but out.
side of the miners there are many others,
Yesterdays trains on the Oregon Short
Line were loaded, every berth in the
sleepers being reserved.
The Northern Pacific is also carrying
many persons West but not very large
number East.
The majority of those west-bound ara
going to California, the coast of Wash~
ington and the Occur d'Alene country.
Fighting Ticket scalpers.
Judging by the contents of the railroad
center periodicals, the fight which began
against ticket scalpers a few years ago
and then waned, is being revived with
more vigor than ever.
Railroad men claim that it is the ticket
scalper that stands in the way of vari-
GUS bodies securing liberal excursion
rates for special meetings at distant
points. instead of the alleged antagonisti0
policy Of railroad companies. Anti
scalping legislation is consequently be-
ing sought in various states.
The railroads object to an extended
the regular fare, because the tickets fall
into the hands of scalpers and are trat-
hcked in by them.
They say that the scalper claims to
make living at the expense of the rails
road companies, but in reality makes his
| money off the travelling public; that II
would make no difference as to the cheap.
ness of the excursion rate nor of the time
limit, provided the original purchaser
used the ticket; that it is the demoral-
ization to regular traffic which follows
excursion rates that the railroads CONF
plain about, and not the excursion rates:
that hundreds Of tickets fall into the
hands Of scalpers and are disposed Of to
persons who otherwise would be patrons
of the roads at the regular fare.
Commercial AoL-es Act.
Commercial bodies in several states
have taken up the question and passed
resolutions advocating anti-scalping leg-
| islation.
| A short time ago the chamber OF com.
| merce at FL Paso, Tex, sent to the rail.
way commission Of that state a petition
| asking that some action be taken looking
to the eradication Of the ticket scalpins
evil.
rne Ell Paso chamber is working for exc
cursion rates for it's midwnter carnival
| to be held in it's city in January. The
| chamber says:
"The railway companies are required to
submit all proposed passenger rates to
the commission before promulgating
them, in order to prevent discrimination
! or unjust rates.
| The law also forbids secret reductions
| or rebates, or special rates of any sort
not authorized by the commission and Of
| fered to the general public.
The rates which the railway COmpanieS
make are approved by the commission as
| standpoint of the company and from that
| OF the public
why should ticket brokers be permit.
ted to vitiate and annul this action Of the
| railway commission, to the injury both
| of the public and control of the railway
| companies which the commission has un.
| dertaken to control in the interest Of the
| public.
Sanctioned by State. i
"By permitting ticket scalping under
| these conditions does not the state vir~
tually. though tacitly, sanction the VIC.
lation of q contract by one of the parties
| to the contract?
"The rates which the railway CONF
! panies are permitted to make are deemed
| by the railway commission just and rea-
| sonable both for the public and the rail>
| way companies.
IF the scalping of tickets sold at these
approved rates causes the railway com.
| panies to refuse to make the special rates
| necessary to the success of conventions
and other gatherings, 1t Is evident that
I the business of scalping Is detrimental
not only to the interest of the railway
companies but to that of the general
public as WELL"