The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-16
Interesting Early History Of
Ticket Scalping.
Railroads Have Now Almost
Suppressed the Business.
ARE SENT TO PRISON.
Many Dishonest Scaipers Are
Now Doing Time.
The Railroads Never Cease to
Wage Relentless War.

Ticket ~scalping," or the buying and
selling of railroad transportation by
middlemen. seems doomed to extinc-
ton Only ten years ago ''scalpers''
handled a large percentage of the rail-
road tickets used-on some roads a
large majority. All the railways sup
piled "scalpers'' with tickets at a much
cheaper rate than was asked in the
ticket offices of the companies. In fact.
some railroads established "scalping''
offices at all the large cities along their
lines. paying fixed salaries to the men
In charge of the offices.
The rule. though, was either to sell
the ''scalpers" blocks of tickets at re-
duced rates or to pay them a commits
sion on every ticket sold. The keener
the competition between the roads the
higher was the commission allowed
the .'SCalper." At times it amounted
to half the regular price of the ticket,
but usually it was about 20 per cent.
The big profits of the "scalpers, "
who were really the agents of the
railroads. attracted class of men
who. to secure still greater profits. did
not hesitate to buy and sell passes, tic
forge and alter tickets, counterfeit
them outright, or issue them in the
name of a mythical road. Every big
city had men known as 'hXers,' be-
cause of their superior ability to alter
or forge tickets, and these men un-
L
ed ut high wages.
The alteration and forgery of tickets
became so common and caused Such
immense loss of revenue to the rail-
roads that the higher officials deter
mined to suppress all scalping offices.
Thousands of dollars were spent in un-
successful efforts to have congress en-
act as anti-Scalping law similar to
those of Canada and Mexico. Agree
ments were made by the passenger
officials not to deal with brokers, but
the agreements were never binding.
About three years ago Commissioner
Donald of the Central Passenger as
sociation conceived the idea of en-
plOying against dishonest "scalperS
the methods of the American Bankers
association in dealing with torgerS ana
burglars. The Railway Ticket Protec-
tive bureau was organized, all the rail-
roads in the United States and Canada
becoming members. Detectives were
employed to keep constant watch of
.'scalpers'' everywhere. AS a result
ticket forgers have been sent to prison
from Chicago, Buffalo, Pittsburg, In
diana polls. Atlanta, Nashville, st.
Louis, Kansas City, and other places,
while scores of .'scalpers" have quit
business. some voluntarily, others to
escape prosecution.
Even more effective is the plan OF
the Railway Ticket Protective bureau
TO secure from the courts injunctionS
restraining the 'scalpers" from buying
or selling any kind of nOntranSferable
or reduced rate transportation issued
by the railroads Such injunctionS
have already been issued by federal
and state courts in more than score
of cities. and the bureau proposes to
pursue this plan until similar injunc-
tions are in effect in every place in the
United States where there are ticket
'-scalperS-
These injunctions will be the death
warrants of ticket scalping, as the
only profits in the business now are de-
rived from nontransferable transporta-
ton and tickets issued at reduced rates
bv the railroads on account of fairs.
excursions. and other
special events.-Chicago Inter-Ocean.