Omaha daily bee., 1910-12-27

"it is good thing that ] happened 20 put
tho ticket in my mouth. else would have
been forced 20 pay two fares. I bit of
the corner, as a fellow thouRhtiCsAy will,
and lero IL is under my tongue now"
And he produced the piece which. when
fitted 20 the ticket, sustained hts conten-
tion, The conductor was satisfied laughed
at the apparent humor OF the situation and
gave him a hat check Both men had
ride on one ticket and they laughed In
glec at having beaten the railroad"
a railroad official whose home is In 81.
Louis tells OF an incident that illustrates
the public attitude toward the railroad.
He was a passenger on n train and was
seated In the Pullman beside a prosperous
country merchant who lives in Marshall
Missouri
The passenger carefully counted over his
money several times figured up the proper
price Of the ticket which he had Just pur-
chased. and chuckled with seif-satisfaction
ChuckIes Turned to rcnftence.
I'm q lucky chap" he oonflded TO the
railroad official. not knowing Of course
his business The price OF that ticket
WAS toto. I gave the ticket agent a $40
bill and he got bothered and gave me
back the change that would have been
due me II / had given him a $50 bill.
sure beat the railroad that time
The official, who Is connected with the
Chicago & Alton forthwith shed a little
light on the subject OF beating the rail
roads which caused the Marshall mer-
chants rather elastic conscience to con
tract with a jerk.
MY dear sir said the railroader, you
have not beaten the railroad out OF a sin
gle cent. That ticket agent is working on
a salary OF exactly sos per month. Your
business, J should judge, nets you many
times that amount That salaried ticket
seller Is responsible for every ticket in
trusted to his care. and has TO pay face
value for each and every one that he sells.
You have not beaten the railroad. but per-
haps deprived his wife q happen to know
that he is married. out Of a new dress that
she was figuring on"
The traveller lost all of his satisfaction
and quietly handed out the excess change
that he had received through the ticket
agents mistake
Here" he said hand this back to the
boy. | am ashamed to- / never knew that
before / know a lot OF men In my shoes,
too. who have been viewing the matter in
the same light that / have. Hereafter l
am going to preach new gospel Of hon
esty to the men who have the wrong atti-
tude TO the railroads.
A surprising statement comes from a
railroad man which further illustrates the
fact that men with what is considered a
rigid moral code will beat the railroads
without the least conjunction. Before the
passenger rate war was waged by several
states against the railway systems minis
ters of the gospel were allowed to travel
at half the usual rate. Credentials we're
furnished uyhf vha tod to
4 ticket agent, would entitle them to a
first-class ticket for one and a half cents
per mile.
According to railroad men. an appalling
number of instances are cited where the
clergymen enjoying this privilege loaned
their credentials to parishoners and mem
bers Of their churches In order that they
might beat the railroad. They felt no guilt
In doing this and would have been much
surprised at being accused of dishonesty.
In the Days Of the Pass,
In the old days. when the giving of an
nual passes was a common practice, It was
nothing unusual for the pass owner to dI-
vide his privilege with numerous friends
The conditions of every pass issued called
for cancellation in case that 1t was pre-
sented by another than the one to whom
It was issued.
- MlSbouEl IHClllc OFFICIAL rev days
ago laughingly related a. story which
makes a pass borrower the butt Of cruel
Joke and speaks well for the quick think
Ing of train auditor
a man boarded the train and presented
an annual pass. In taking out his card
case to get the pass a dozen or more bust
ness cards fell on the aisle of the car
The trainman noted that the cards bore q
different name from that written on the
pass lie at once suspected the passenger
as pass borrower However, he did not
want TO merit call down" by wrongfully
accusing an innocent person.
He went out OF the car and thought II
over Finally he decided on a plan He
wrote out a dummy" telegram and adj
dressed II 10 the name he had seen on the
cards. He gave the sealed envelope to
the porter and sent him through the car
calling out the name. The passenger
sdirmed uneasiiy in his seat but tried 70
look unconcerned. Visions OF a sick wife
Of an accident to his children a pressing
business matter that might involve many
dollars. arose before him. At last he could
no longer endure the strain and he &C