The National tribune., 1910-08-04
RAILROAD RATES TO ATLANTIC
CITY


road rates to Atlantic City by Executive
Director Frank NJ. Sterrett in this
weeks National Tribune brings this
question squarely before the public.
There is simply no excuse for the way
in which the railroads are treating the
National Encampment. We do not put
this on sentimental basis, but strictly
that of business The railroad manag-
ers are supposed to know their busi-
ness very well, but they are quite as
liable to mistakes as other people, who
think they have the power in their
hands and can force obnoxious things
thru.
What false idea of policy can influ-
ence the managers to make such a
discrimina ton between their ordinary
Summer tourist rates and those of a
great gathering like the National En-
campment is beyond any reasonable
mans conception. If the railroads had
continued to the veterans and their
families the same rates which they had
been giving thru the Summer to the
casual tourists the attendance would
have been doubled or trcbled, with that
much increase in the railroads busi-
ness. AS they have to run the trains
anyway and have the same force of en-
ployes, the same roadbed, telegraph and
other fixed charges to maintain, it is in
conceivable why they choose to throw
away a great volume of business in this
manner IF for aYamnle fbev caI,ld af-
ford to carry tourists from Columbus,
O., to Atlantic City during the Summer
months for s15 a round trip, 1t can
hardly be made to look like anything
less than eXtortion to charge the men,
bers of the G. A. r. $22. 1t is ,mpos-
sible to make any satisfactory explana-
ton on the ground of busin ,ss policy
for this. All over the country the vet
Grams are much wrought up about this,
andthey are taking action which must,
we regret to say, be prejudicial to hav-
ing anything like as large an assem-
blage at Atlantic City as the place de-
serves and the occasion calls for.
In Ohio, at a meeting Of the Trans
portation Committee, composed of De-
partment Commander Axline, Assistant
Adj't-Gen. Matthews and Comrades W.
H. Halliday, George A. Harmon and
W. A. Lovett, resolution was adopted
reciting that the rate of one and one
half fare was exorbitant and one-third
greater than the same rate charged the
general public on excursions TO Attain
tic City and return. If the general
public is given a rate of practically one
cent per mile for a Is days excursion
from Columbus and other towns to At
lantic City and return, the membership
Of the Grand Army should have at least
the same favor. Therefore, as a pro-
test against this, the Department OF
Ohio will not select any definite route
as the official route of travel, and there
will be no special headquarters train.
A letter from the comrades at Cory,
Pa, incloses poster offering a rate of
$11 for tickets limited to Is lays from
Cory to Atlantic City, with stop-overs
allowed at Philadelphia. The rates
granted the veterans from Cory will be
not less than SIS. What is true of
Cory is true of all the other localities
from which we have heard, and the
story Is the same from all parts of the
country east of the Mississippi River
Col. Sterrett suggests that this being so
fagrantly defiant TO good business rol-
icy. it would seem Objectionable to the
law. and there is possibly some way
that 1t could be reached thru the courts
We have no doubt that many of the
able lawyers who belong to the Order
are having this matter under consider
alton