The National tribune., 1906-07-26
THE VALIDATING NUISANCE.

Are we to have 4nother repetition of
the validating nuisance at Minneapolis?
1t seems stran@ that after the bitter
experiences at sprs}ious Encampments
the railroads sAouN think of repeating
this affliction poS the veterans and
their families. , The nuisance reached
the dimensionsHof1a horror at Boston.
and so much was said at that time about
1t that it seemed the railroads would
take warning and make better provi-
sions for the future. At Denver last
year there was a marked Improvement.
There were several validating Offices es-
tablished and liberal time was granted
to have the tickets taken care Of. The
main objection was the petty larceny Of
25 cents on every ticket for validation.
This was nothing else than larceny.
since the railroads had advertised a
certain rate for round tickets. and the
addition of 25 cents for valuation was
a simple steal. This year 1t is an
nounced that 25 cents will be charged
for validation. and consequently there
can be less complaint. as everyone will
know that he must pay 25 cents in ad-
dition to the advertised rate. The s"s-
tenn of. valuation as now announce
promises to repeat the worst features Of
the Boston outrage. Tickets must be
validated within half an hour of the
departure of the train. This means a
hot, anxious perspiring crowd at the
valuation office: great deal Of fatigue
to aged men and women in carrying
their baggage and parcels and a wholly
unnecessary worry.
The whole valuation business is a
CHASTITY humbug. and the railroads
should know it. 1t has no reason in
common sense or good railroad policy.
The railroads sell the tickets impartially
to all who apply for them, and then get
into tremor of excitement lest John
Jones should not perhaps ride out OF
Minneapolis on the ticket upon which
he entered This is in the highest de-
gree absurd, for John Jones is not going
to stay in Minneapolis. If he does not
go out on his G. A. r. ticket, he viii
have to go out later on first-class tick
CT, anu Tue IdllIOsssi 4.t:i bt tiictl
the richer. The railroad is not so des-
perately enamored of John Jones that it
will have nobody else than he. 1t will
sell to snybody that asks and the name
and personality of the buyer is a mat
ter of supreme Indifference.
The whole pother Is made to head off
the scalpers who buy every year con-
siderable number Of excursion tickets
and sell them again at a profit. The
valuation scheme does not defeat these
scalpers, hardly embarrasses them, and
therefore it iSf as useless as 1t is costly.
The main. the controlling fact is. as we
have stated before. that substantially
every man and woman who goes to
Minneapolis on an Encampment ticket
will have to igoTout of the city. Very
few will remain in Minneapolis for any
length of tme, and when they do go
out, If they have disposed of their En-
campment ticket1they will have to buy
a first-class ticket in its stead. and the
ultimate gain nCis With the railroad: that
is. If John Jones. who intended to stay
in Minneapolis 'Shree months, buys an
Encampment ticket and then scalps the
return portion TO Peter Smith, Jones
will. when he desires to return, have 10
buy first-class' ticket. and the result
is the same to the railroad as il Peter
Smith had bought it in the first place.
Unless the railroads want to bring un-
measured condemnation down upon
their heads they will take every precau-
ton to reduce the valuation nuisance
to its mildest possible form. The vet
erans of the country are too deeply
angered over their experiences at past
Encampments to treat any new outrage
upon them with much gentleness.