The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1910-05-04
OUR LEGISLATURE SUSTAINED.

OUR LEGISLATURES SUSTAINED.
TIE TINES readers will recall
the contention Of the travelling
statesmen in the matter Of secur-
ing legislation to force the rail
roads to sell a mileage book good
to be used on the train Instead Of
exchanging said mileage for a
ticket at the station. The Drum
merS for the past several years
have endeavored to get the legis-
lature to comply with their de-
mand but so far they haye fail
ed; those who voted against the
measure contended that the leg
islature had no authority to reg
slate a matter which was a SIM
pie contract between the parties,
in this case, it is the purchaser Of
transportation and the railroads.
The roads are permitted by law
to charge two and one-half cents
per mile for passenger traffic, and
this is their res sular charge, but
they have put in operation an in
terchaageable mileage book
which they sell at two cents per
mile, conditioned that the pur-
chaser before boarding a train
will exchange the mileage at the
Office for a ticket.
There is nothing compulsory
about the purchase of this mile
age, it is a voluntary act, and is
only bought because Of the saw
ing of Eve dollars on each thous-
aud miles 60 per cent? Those
who desire to do so can buy the
regular ticket and pay the legal
rate. The Drummers however
regard the requirement to ex-
change the mileage for a ticket
an unnecessary burden and they
have been urging the legislature
to force the roads to accept this
mileage, which they buy with the
understanding that it is sold to
them cheaper because of the reg
1iation fixed by the roads, and
whenever they have failed in their
efforts, some OF them became very
bitter and said some hard and
slanderous things about those
who could not agree with them,
men who were conscientious in the
view the5 took, and had the msn-
hood 20 acta as their conscience and
their Judgment guided. The
Drummers are an influential class
of usen, they are as rule we'll in
formed. and are good takers, and
generally jolly,ikable fellows, to
please them may be good politics,
tina. is. if a legislator has no per-
sonal interests to looE after, but
if he is looking after right and
justice then he must lay aside
that which is popular if It is
wrong. In the mileage book leg
islation, those who voted against
the contention Of the DrummerS
took a position which has been
confirmed by the inter state com
merce commission at Washington
within the past week, thus prov
ing that the judgment Of the ma
jority was correct. and the Drum
mers who said the hard things
were mistaken and wrongly ad-
vised. We quote from the report:
In - order Just issued by the inter
state commerce commission 10 which
the commission oy unsoimous action up
holds the opinion OF Commissioner James
S. harlan in the case Of Barnard Esch-
ner versus the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company ct 81, the principle OF the
mileage ticket exchange regulation DOW
in effect oa the railroads in The South
eas. IS upheld. The oraer is OF great i'm
portacce to railroads issuing inter
changeable mileage tickets and to pur-
chasers OF such tickets.
In ehis order the commission says:
THE right TO use exchange orders and
mileage tickets is ic the nature OF 3
privilege voluntarily accorded by car
riers up6er their tariffs, and must be ac-
copied by those who use such special
fares with al lawful and nou-eiscrimi-
oasory Limitations that may be attached
20 them" Three inportan: points made
hy the commission are that the Issuance
80 SSn.,osc Sy,r mn.
sorry, but is permissible and voluntary
On the part OF the carriers, that pur-
chasers Of mileage tickets may GO: law
fully be constituted into special class,
bas must come under the general law
common 70 all passengers, and that pur-
chasers Of mileage tickets are bound by
the lawful contract features OF that form
Of reduced rate transportation.
The commission goes so far aS 70 bold
that purchasers OF special reduced rate
transportation, such as mileage tickets,
have no legal right 70 demand the same
privileges and advantages that are ac-
corded TO passenger who has paid the
regular fare a. > higher rate. The car
riers have oerer gone TO this extent, but
while making The mileage ticket regu-
la:ion for their protection, have afford
ed the same privileges and advantages
TO the purchasers OF mileage tickets as
are given TO purchasers of other forms
cs transportation
This order of the commission Supports
the views Of State railroad commissions,
legislatures and other tribunals in the
Southeast 20 which the mileage ,icxe,
exchange regulation has been submit
ted.
EXTREMES ARE DANGEROUS.
Alabama has just emerged from
another hard fight or the liquor