The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-03-25
PORTER'S FEE
IS BRIBERY.
Law to Penalize Tip for
Empty Car Service
Far-reaching.
Author Aims at One Evil and I'm
Willingly Includes Another
Hits Pullman Employees.
Especial to Lake County Time..)

NSpeclai 10 Lake county Ttmes.)
indianapolis. March 25.-When you
throw a quarter to a porter on a Pull
man car or leave twenty cents under
the plate for the waiter in a diner are
you willing to believe that under the
laws of the state of Indiana you are
guilty Of bribery. and subject to a fine
of from s25 to 800?
Well. you are not. now, but when the
laws of 1907 are published, you probab-
ly will be. For there is a law In the
1907 acts which. in the estimation of
the author and other state house folk
will make such actions bribery within
the act.
This bill was not drawn up as an
anti tipping bill In any general sense;
nor was it forseen until today that
such would be its effect, but those who
have examined it closely now claim
that it is so worded as to make the
tipping of a dining car waiter or a
Pullman porter bribery, an offense
punishable as bribery.
The bill which will have this re-
suit is the. Mock senate bill PSF, which
was aimed at one single evil In con-
nection with the method that grain
dealers had to employ to get empty cars
to ship their product in.
In the past the grain dealers have
complained that they cannot get good
empty car service unless they give a
dollar or two to the conductors in
charge of the freight train. They have
protested against it time and time
again. but to no avail The evil con-
tinued for years.
Bill Declares fleeing Bribery.
With this in mind a bill was drawn
up TO prevent 3his condition. The at
tempt was made to declare the giving
of such fee and the receiving of such
a fee contrary to law, and punishable
as bribery.
The bill declares 1t to be bribery for
any officer, agent or employe of a rail-
roal or other common carrier to de-
mand or accept money or thing of value
from anyone having business with his
employer, in payment for any act done,
or promised to be done as such agent or
employe. for the benefit of the person
| paying 1t. The person who pays or Of
| fers such a bribe is likewise guilty and
punishable by the same fine Of from
| $25 to s1O0
The author of the bill--a state official
declares that upon examination the
bill is so broad as to prevent the tipp-
ing of a porter or waiter, though it was
| intended to cover only one point
"A bill that was drawn for the spe-
cific purpose of preventing the paying
and receiving of fees for setting grain
cars would be unconstitutional" said
he today, in speaking about the matter
Hence it had to be made a bill of gen
eral application. But in the making
l am very much afraid we have done
more than we want to do. and given
an excuse for failure to pay the
porters for shining shoes"
Don't Get Auto License Now
Another license that has received a
new Interpretation today is the one
which amends the present automobile
law. Secretary of State Fred A. Sims
said today that the new law, though
1t was only amendatory to the old one
would require every automobile owner
in the state to take out a new state
license.
So don't take out any automobile H.
cense between now and April 15 If you
do. it will cost you another extra dol
lar when the new laws are published
For the new law provides another
series and systems of numbering ma
chimes. This requires another regis
tration; and this requires another dol
lar; all of which will augment the
moneys in the hands of the secretar ~
| of state-for the stately about 81 GOO
The new law provides that the num-
bers of automobiles shall run in a let
ter-number series of 100 for each let
ter from Al to Z100 After this 2.eoO
numbers are exhausted, the sec
ond series begins at A0-1 and runs
| through to Z0-100. The third series
/ begins at ALL and runs through to IL
100 The fourth series begins at AL
and ends at Z2-100 AS this is en-
tirely different from the present
straight away system an entire re-
registration Is necessary. The bill pro-
vides, too. that the letters and mum
bers shall be white on a black back
ground. and be placed on both the
front and back of the machines.