Scalpers Will Fight

Ticket brokers are getting ready to fight the Slierinan and Cullom "antiscalping" bilis, which the railroads licpe to pass through the house and senate at the coming session of congress. The American Ticket Brokers' Assoeiation is sendiug out thousa'uds of petitions to be signed in western states against the bilis. The petitions are called "the people's petition," ani the ticket scalpers claim that already t!iey have tens of thousands of signatures. The petition is in tvvo parts- one for the house of representatlves and the o':her for the sèxtate, and he wbo signs one petition is expeeted to sign the other also. The petition reads as follovvs: "We earnstly protest against house bil! No. 30, lntroduced by Mr. Sher,'nan, of New York, and senate bill No. 1575, introduced by Mr. Cullom. or any similar thereto, intended lo destroy ticket brokerage, aiid petition you to examine earefully into their rrue meaning and effect if en&cted ir.to law. No objection is offered to sf-ction 5 covering fraud. "1. The bill would destroy a natural and legal right to dispose of one's ow'n property in the open market. "2. It would enable tlie strong railroad systems to sliut out llie weak lii.es oa tnrougli business, and thus destroy oompetition. "3. It would send a cltizen to pristm and brand bim with infamy for disposing of hls own property, whilc imRosing no penalty upon the railro.ul company for fallare to redeem ückets, as provided. "4. The business of ticket brokerage is diroctly in the interest of the trav_liug public. "5. The passender tvjffic Is co:urolled al'iüost entirely by trusts, leaving the people at their mercy, except for the relief afforded by ticket 'orokjrage." The petitiona are displayed conspicuously In storw, real stato offices, etc, in western cities and towns, and wbeee üie spare for the foldhig table caiinot be obtained freely a vacant siore is reated, and large placards, bordered in red, and beariug the invitation, "Come in and sign the protest to the Sherman aud Cullom bilis " are used to attract atténtion. In many tc-wns, aeeordlng to the ticket scalpers, plenty of volunteers are tound to aid the representative of tne associatron in gettlng sigua tures. An interesting. pirase of this ';inpaijrn inauguaried by the ticket sealpers is fouiul in the active oo-operation of uwny traveiing uien, who not only ui'ge their oustüiners to sign prottng petltkaw, but carry peütloifl : (uiml witli üiem aud persowaMy solicit their business friends aud acqunmtances to sign thein. A traveiing man who is eonnected witü a Ia'rgc -holesale dry goods house in Chicago adüiitted yesterday that he ís worklng tocth and nail to help the ticket acalpers. He said: "There are hundreds of travellng salesm'en who never nave anynbJng to d with ticket scalpers, who not only have signed ttie petitions, bul are getting others to ign tliem. Persona lly they do not give a rap for t!ie tk-két scalpers, buít tl-:ey are Justly iudipiiinit because of the wliolesale iadictoent lodged aa-ainst fraveling men by tho passengjT ageuts of rallvoads who h- lcng to the üentral and Western Passenger Assoeiatious. Hiese ticket peddlers, who get big salaries and wear fine lineu, teil our employera Laat LL-y should be iu favor of the new interchangeable .mileage tickets beeau.se ti'rir traveling men then ca.anot elu-at thora. These raJlroad men have declared that the average traveling man is no better than a pick-pocket; thai he ie always on the lookout to ch.t a raUroad and to elieat hls Hoaise bjturnmg in false anl stuffej expense accounts, besides moking a rake-off by 'standing in' witli conductas. Those same passenger raen for years have been juakiug all sorts of illegoJ ileals with ticket sealpers, an dnow are goiag to do wlwt we can to thwart thom wheu they try 10 kil off íheir oíd friends."