The semi-weekly messenger., 1908-04-07

r transportation muCn cheaper fh4M
ever offered in this section Of tAe
country. Ii is as cheap I'm thin
sparsely settled section as Ii In In the
most thickly peopied part OF the M
ton It LIN al cheap here it in where
the railroads haul fifty passengers to
every one OF our roads. Considering
the amount OF travel on the roads I'm
this section and iE those SO mucn
more thickly settled where the rates
are the same. our roads I'm these
mileage books give the cheapest pas
senger transportation in the United
States. This being the fact and In
consideration of the further fact that
when the railroads agreed to put on
these very cheap rates they did ii al
an experiment for a year in order to
ascertain If they could do business
without q loss on such rates, it
strikes us that the officials of the
roads owe it as a duty to the cor
porations they represent, to the
stockholders OF those corporations and
to those Of the roads patrons who
pay a higher rate for transportation
by the purchase OF single route
tickets, TO see that the roads get
value received for every mile ridden
by these who hold the mileage
books
The mileage book men are not
the only ones who are entitled TO
consideration from the railroads.
They form a small proportion of the
passengers whom the railroads ac-
commodate with transportation. The
purchasers of straight tickets who
pay a half cent a mile more than
the other class form the bulk OF
patrons of the roads-the people who
cannot afford to pay down twenty or
forty dollars at a time for tickets
for possible future travel. These lat
ter are to be considered also All the
advantages and all the accommoda-
tions are not to be given to the
other. The cOuntryman with his lit
tie dollar and half trunk, who pays
half cent mile more than the Other
fellow has got to show his ticket in
order to have his trunk checked and
he does not ever try to cheat the
road by having his trunk checked for
a haul OF several hundred miles
when he is going to travel only
score or more.
1t must be borne in mind that
the railroads have put ON this cheap
rate as an experiment for one year.
Their agreement was to give it
fair trial for that length Of time in
order to see if they could afford to
continue it. It is highly probable,
under recent decisions of the federal
circuit courts in this and other states
and of the federal supreme court
sustaining those lower courts, that at
the end of that time If the railroads
show that they are losing money on
these rates they will be allowed to
restore the former higher ones. There
fore we say it is to the interest of
parties using these very cheap tickets
to aid the railroads in showing that
they can make a profit at present
charges, instead of doing all they can
to hamper them.
1t strikes us that in the new at |
,itude Governor Glenn has assumed |
he is working directly against the in |
,erests of those of the state-"the |
he claims to repre- |
sent, in the interest Of "a favored
class who heretofore had been |
granted special privileges and are |
1nder the compromise of last win |
er given greater special privileges.
We recognize the fact that there are |
''two sides to every question" and |
nay be more to most ones. We give |
he above as some reasons why the |
ailroads should not be so vehem-
,ntly abused for the action they |
lave taken. We feel sure many
others could be given, and at the
anne time are willing to admit that
here are some good points in the
position taken by those on the other
ide of the proposition, but we think
hat thorough sitting of all the
acts will show the preponderence in
avor of the new order. We are sur
,rised to see that Governor Glenn,
he good lawyer that he is, can see
,nly one side of the case.
PISTOL TOTING BY PERMIT.