The National tribune., 1904-08-25

THE VALUATION OUTRAGE.


hospitality as Boston gave the National
Encampment, it il somewhat ungracio1s
duty to elaborate upon one painful bemish.
But duty it is. and it is difficult to write
temperately of the needless misery inflicted
by the stupidity. wrong -headedness or sell
fishness of one man. or IA small set of men,
All the q. a. II. tickets bore upon them
the provision that they must be validated
for the return trip at No. - Federal
street. Boston.
Immediately after the Grand Parade
thousands of veterans and their wives hur
signed. so that they could go out on their
projected visits 10 their old homesteads, to
places of interest or wherever else they
had intended. They found at ~ Federal
street but one clerk. and he very far from
being a bright. rapid or accommodating
one In fact. he seemed to think that he
was put there to embarrass people in leav-
ing. and throw all the distractions he could
in their way. He read the names with
difficulty. could not hear when they were
spelled out to him. and sprung new and
absurd rules and regulations to avoid
validating the tickets. He decided that
tickets conld only be validated for trains
which were going out at once and harshly
turned down every other proposition.
In short time he had a crowd esti-
mated at 10000 people struggling about
his window. and strung out in long
queues. reaching for blocks. The heat was
intense. the sweter in the packed crowds
was uncomfortable. Men and women tainted,
and ambulances had to be called to take
away the Frustrated. Doubtless many lives
were lost.
To crown all, the Office was closed at 9
o'clock. and those who wanted to go away
on the late trains were left without remedy
When delegations from the G. A. r. and
of citizens visited the officials they were
quite high and mighty about it. One re-
piled that it was past business hours and
he did not consider business questions out
side his office. Another said that the vail
daton was proceeding satisfactorily. and
he saw no reason for interfering. Another
claimed that the jam and the distress were
occasioned by people ignorantly pressing
in to get their tickets validated in advance,
and so on
1t seems that the whole blame belonged
to the New England Passenger Associa ton,
whose officers showed themselves grossly in
competent.
The matter was brought to the attention
of the National Encampment, and a COM
mittee appointed, with Comrade Thos. G..
Sample at the head. to secure an ameliora-
ton of the evil.
They went directly to the officers of the
railroads. who took the matter out of the
hands of the stupid officials of the Pas
senger Association, and managed it them
selves. A number of Offices were opened,
and the tickets were allowed to be validated
for any outgoing train before Monday.
1t was striking illustration of how
much misery few dull, pig-headed men
can sometimes inhict upon great mass of
people. The officers of the New England
Passenger Association had simply never
seen such a crowd before. and had not
brains enough to deal with an unexpected
contingency
As a matter of fact, the whole "yalida-
ton business is a stupid humbug The
railroads make a great pother for fear
that when they have carried VIM Jones to
Boston they may carry John Smith out on
his ticket What earthly difference does it
make to them whether the man who rides
out On the ticket is named VIM. Jones or
John Smith! They have to carry out some
man. VIM. Jones is not going to STAY in
Boston. He will have to buy on his own,
ticket. if he does not go out on his own,
and so at the end of the year there has Just
as much money come into the railroads
treasury. This is SO plain that everybody
ought to see it, even a railway official.
These latter, however, have become so
welded to the superstition that it is out
rageous for John Smith to use ticket
bought by WIN. Jones, that they put them
| selves and the public to no end of trouble
and expense to defeat any such nefarious
transfer.
There Is one consolation The experience
at Boston was sharp enough to prevent any
repetition. If the farce of validating
| tickets is kept up at Denver there will be
precautions taken to make as little trouble
and Inconvenience as possible for the
public.