Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-05-03
The MILEAGE Book Question.

The Mileage Book question.
The Enquirer has not concerned it
self great deal about the mileage book
question, mainly because it has not
considered that a considerable number
of it's subscribers were directly inter-
ested. 1t begs leave to remark, how
ever, that it is unable to see the Justice
of the effort on the part Of the travel
ing public to compel the railroads to
go back to the old system Of pulling
mileage on trains. When the railroads
had recourse to the plan of requiring
users Of mileage books to exchange
mileage for tickets before taking trains,
we thought we could see very good JUS
tification in the convenience and GER
tainty Of proper accounting and in 9TH
er considerations. 1t seemed to us that
purchasers of mileage could very well
afford to submit to the new regufa-
tion in consideration Of the reduced cost
of transportation. OF course we recog-
nize that the public can do anything 1t
wants to the railroads; that it can even
put the railroads out of business; but
we can also believe that the public cam
not actually hurt the railroads without
doing considerable hurt to itself. At
its last session, it will be remembered,
the general assembly changed the law
as to mileage books, so as to require
conductors to accept mileage coupons
for transportation in lieu of cash or
tickets. The act went into effect on
May l. The railroads have met the law
by discontinuing the sale Of mileage
books for use in the state. The ques-
ton that now comes up is whether the
action of the railroads Is a matter of
necessity or only matter Of impudent
defiance. If we believed it matter of
impudent defiance, we would not stand
for it two minutes; but we do not be-
lieve this. We consider it a matter of
stern necessity, and that the railroads
are justifiable. The following on the
subject from the Manning Times,
strikes us as being sane and sensible:
The recent orders of the railroads to
books Is just what we have been eX-
pecting the railroads to do since the
legislature enacted the law requiring
the mileage to be pulled OH the trains.
When the measure was pending in the
general assembly the railroad officials
pleaded with the members not to i'm
pose this upon them, claiming that 1t
would be impossible for them to carry
out the provisions Of the act, and to
give to their auditing department the
proper attention; that it will result in
a loss to the roads, cause them great
delays in making time, and giving them
annOyances in many ways But the
legislature needed them not, because
there was a clamor for the change from
a number of the travelling men, not all
by any means. There were many
drummerS who were opposed to the
change, and sided with the position of
the railroad officials. The law was en-
acted to go into effect May 1st, but 1t
is conceded that the legislature has no
power to force the railroads to put on
the books, this being a matter of busi-
ness for the management's considera-
tion altogether. Then what good has
been accomplished by the change? 1t
has done harm in that it deprives many
who were willing to accept the railroad
regulation to exchange mileage at the
office window for ticket, in order to
save five dollars per thousand miles,
from getting the advantage of this
privilege they have enjoyed. not by
force of law, but by concession of the
railroad management.
We see that Senator Carlisle of Spar
hamburg, who was the author of the bill,
tells one Of the Spartanburg newspa-
pers the legislature should at it's next
session adopt a two-cent rate. The
senator, usually we'll informed. forgets
that North Carolina and Virginia had
| to recede from the two cent position as
the courts were against them, and de-
cided that in this section of the coun-
try a two-cent rate Is "confiscatory"
and therefore unconstitutional.
| The next move that will be made, and
it is threatened by some Of the drum
mers, is to refuse to buy tickets, but to
pay the conductor on the trains. In
this way they expect to bring the rail-
would greatly confuse, inconvenience
and hinder the conductors in proper
dispatch Of their business. If this game
| is resorted to we look for an order to
refuse admittance on the trains to per-
sons without tickets, even If the COM
panies have to enclose the stations with
fences and have gates for the entrance
| and exit OF passengers. In our Judg-
ment the drummers have made great
error in demanding the change; 1t has
done them no good, but it has been
quite costly to the general travelling
public-a saving of five dollars out Of
twenty-five means a whole lot Of mon
ey to the ordinary traveller, and when
they have to go down into their pock-
cts for this extra five another song will
be sung.
The drummers themselves cannot
blame anybody but themselves for this
lcondton; they were warned by the
railroads that If their demands were
granted by the legislature the books
would most assuredly be taken off, but
the drummers would not believe it and
said it was a bluff. Well, we guess they
have by now reached the conclusion
that instead of its being a bluff 1t is
the real thing and they will have TO
grin and bear it. We know of MANY
travelling men who contended the de-
mands by their fellow travellers was un-
reasonable; that if they really wanted
to do service they should give their at
tention to schedules, comfortable cars
and freight rates, and let the financial
management be where 1t belongs-with
| the railroads, as with every other busi-
ness, those who invest their money and
employ men to manage know their bus
mess better than the man who rides
/ IN. on6 6nypn tho ailrpa6S a means