The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-07-11

and the like are arbitrarily imposed by
the railroads for the purpose Of main
tanning the present high passenger
rates When the company has sold it's
ticket and received pay for it, it seems
reasonable to consider that ticket to be
the property Of the purchaser, emitting
him to use it or to sell it, or to give it
to his wife, or his son, or his daughter,
railroad Companies are bound to carry
any person desiring to travel. When
they have sold q ticket, that ticket
ought to be good for passage in the
hands of anyone. The limitations and
conditions (on many tickets moro nu-
merous than those on mortgage) are
imposed by railroad companies prima-
rily to maintain rates.
It is not pretended by Mr.. Roach
that the citizens of Minneapolis, or in
deed any citizen Of the state has any
fault to find with the business Of ticket
brokers as it is carried on at Mime
apolis and st. Paul. It is notorious
fact that the railroad companies them
selves have not in the past and even
now do not obey the so-called anti
scalper's law. It will not be pretended
| by anyone familiar with the facts that
the railroad companies have procured
licenses for every person who actually
1
doubtedlys more railroad tickets sold
without license by railway employees
within this state in a single day, than
there are by brokers in whole year.
Scores of railroad companies who have
not single licensed agent in this state
| are causing their tickets to be sold at
hundreds of places within this state.
If Mr.. Roach or his so-called protective
bureau, or the passenger associations
| lol no a.
hind them, desire the enforcement Of
! the law in question, they ought first
to see to it that the railroad employees,
who are permitted to sell railway tick
cts in this state, shall pay the license
fee and procure the license provided
! for. 1870. ~ ~ 49, - I*%
i Hypocrisy : is never popular, and
rarely successful in the courts: Before
railroad companies organize into pro
statute Of their own procurement tC
destroy the business Of a citizen, they
ought to be perfectly certain that they
are themselves obeying that law. Wher
a stranger like Mr.. Roach comes to 6
city and criticises and impliedly
threatens every user OF ticket moi
bought directly from railroad com
have lived in the community for many
years and carried on their business
without complaint, except by railroad
companies and those hired or induced
to complain by them, "parasites sub
sisting upon the revenue Of the rail
way,' it arouses curiosity to inquire
who is Mr.; Koach9 On, whose revenu
What are his methods? And the yer,
curious might inquire, what is his pas
|record?> #,s-~ 30
The question Of the validity of thi
law is being taken to the supreme cour
of the United States, and it is the RICH
Of every person, at least until the val
=. idity Of the law has been establishe
! by decision Of that court, to have
review the decision Of the state court
who have been following a business fo
y a long period of years continue to TO-
low it until the court Of last resort ha
declared it to be unlawful. The raj
road companies whose revenues inspir
the activity of Mr.. Roach and hi
\ bureau and the passenger association
n referred to will probably be the las
:, methods or their business in newspaper
!, ~ and by means Of organiza tions an
: : hired bureaus, until the validity of an
N ~ law attempting to make that unlawfl
- which was lawful before - has bee
= finally passed upon by the court of las
v resort. Do the railroad companies al
= prove Of the methods of Mr.. Koee
g and the protective bureaus Even tt
% the law in question will be a me-
g subterfuge. still If railroad compani
= desire to invoke it to keep up the
!, rates, they ought, at least to obey
= And before they go into the busine
- of enforcing the criminal laws Of Il
l. state or nation they ought to be reaso
20 ably sure that they do in all respoc
p and in good faith obey such laws ther
. %5. (. " W. r, Gitt.