The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-01-05
Railroad News
CLERKS GO BACK
TO their JOBS
EXPLANATIONS or PASS FRAUDS
SATISFY oFFIcIAEs-MAY .
INVOKE FEDERAL
LAWS.

st. Paul, Jan. 5.--Offenders respon-
sible for the trip pass fraud perpe-
trated on the Great Northern are
liable to punishment under the federal
laws. Those who have travelled on
these passes and those who issued
them illegally are culpable according
to the interstate commerce act and,
should the federal commission see fit
to take up the fraud and get the nee
cessary evidence, it undoubtedly will
go hard with the guilty ones.
The Great Northern is still on the
trail of those who committed the
fraud, and it is expected that more
arrests will be made in a. few days.
The, attention of the Ramsey county
grand jury will be, called to the opera
ton of the swindle in ST. Paul, 1t is
reported, and 1t is likely that similar
action will be taken in counties of
other states.
Whether the company will take the
matter up with the interstate COM
mmerce commission is yet to develop
In the opinion of some railroad men
that is the most serious phase OF the
whole situation.
Chief clerks in superintendent Of
fees at some of the big terminals ar
rived in st. Paul yesterday. They
came on their own initiative, II is said
to explain to the officials what they
know about the fraud. These clerks
issued comparatively few trip passes,
but they. have been imposed on, and
the. illegal issuance OF free transpor-
tation through them amounted to con-
siderable In the aggregate.
Chief Clerks Return.
The explanation given by the chief
clerks seems to have been satisfactory
to the officials here for their stay was
brief. and they returned to their re-
spective headquarters.
The conference with the officials was
mainly for the purpose of getting at
the system of fraud practiced; and TO
devise means to make its continuance
impossible. Railroad men say that
radical changes will have to be made
in the handling Of laborers IL the fraud
is to be stopped
That the chief clerks along the line
have been aware for a long time that
there was something wrong somewhere
was the statement made yesterday by
railroad man He said that he knew
of a division to which more than 500
trip passes had been issued on account
OF employees during two months, while
not 100 of the men had arrived TO 90
to work. Complaints had been made
from the various divisions that they
were short of men, but that there was
a systematic fraud practiced was not
generally suspecter. II was supposed
that the discrepancy between the
number Of laborers starting and those
arriving was simply due to the habit
the men have Of dropping OF at In
termediate points. and getting other
than railroad Jobs.
Successors to scalpers.
The labor agency Is regarded by
some as the successor OF the ticket
scalper IN the illegal handling Of tick
cts, although there Is only one agent
in ST. Paul who has been charged SO
far as being connected with the fraud
on the Great Northern. But IL is said
that labor agents have occasionally
been caught selling second class tickets
to individuals to Chicago Omaha, and
other points These tickets cannot be
issued legally except TO parties of ten
or more, but some of the agents have
been charged with selling the tickets
separately The margin OF proAt on
each ticker would be small, but in the
aggregate would amount to q great
deal a. M t.s
It was asserted BY a railroad man
yesterday that some OF the padrones.
the chief of the laborers, have got
wealthy in the business. partly
through the money they made or,
passes. 1t is also asserted that some
Of these padrones have been able to
purchase Business blocks In western
cities.
II know one padrone who, IL Is said.
has been able to bank sac. 600 in
Athens. Greece. during the past four
years" said railroad man
Ordered to st. Paul.
Spokane, Wash, Jan. 1.-Two Great
Northern chief clerks from Spokane
and one from Everett, wash. are
among those who have been called 10