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Show VALE THE SCALPER. In the wild wave of "reform" which has seized the people of the' nation in regard to railroad matters, mat-ters, and in the enactment of "hostile legislation" which has marked the proceedings of many state legislatures during the past few years, there has seemed to be an almost universal disposition to "take a fall out of" the railroads, whether they deserved de-served it or not. To temper this legislation and to furnish balm for the sore wounds of the transportation trans-portation companies, the supreme court of the United States last week declared unanimously that the business of "scalping" railroad tickets is unlawful. While the decision was reached on one special case, fought through all the inferior courts and taken on appeal to the highest judicial tribu-, nal of the land, the application of the ruling is general in its effect, and affects the business of buying and selling( non-transferrable reduced 'rate railroad tickets throughout the territory of" the United States. To the point of view of the average man or woman, wo-man, there has never seemed anything startlingly immoral in accepting transportation on some one's . else ticket. They argued that the railroad company com-pany agreed to transport the purchaser of the ticket, tick-et, and it really wouldn't cost the company anymore any-more to carry some one else than the original purchaser pur-chaser if the original purchased for any reason did not care to use the ticket. This theory has been very widespread, and many men and women, indeed, we believe a very large percentage, have at one time or , another ridden on "scalper's" tickets and felt-no qualms after the conductor accepted the transportation. Notwithstanding the popular belief that a railroad ticket is a railroad ticket, the railroads have for years combated the theory with varying success and failure, sometimes even paying damages for refusal to accept "scalpers" tickets.-The tickets.-The companies had tremendous odds against them in the long-drawn-out battle, and now that they' have finally won out, the finer sense of justice inherent in-herent in the American people will be awakened,-and awakened,-and congratulations will be showered upon the railroads. The average man or woman has a pretty pret-ty keen perception of exact justice in such matters, mat-ters, and will feel relieved that the "scalper's" office of-fice with its train of "barkers" will no longer hold out the temptation to "skin the railroad." Probably the only protest that wil go up will be that which followed the granting of the permanent per-manent injunction in Utah that "the reat aud, powerful railroad corporations"' hav ar bt tr den the sacred rights of the ''scalpers" iJn,jor ' And in the protest there i a note of a.)nfSli men have devoted their lives fo the biNirj,,, ' "scalping" -railroad tickets; they h!!v;.. stur'. routes and rates and time tables., and ceuM irJ iably furnish more accurate information could be obtained in the ordinary ticket 4j,.(, that, too, accompanied with a politeness u, 1 'Ml tt;, ; satisfying. And the "scalpers" felt and ,,- j feel that the courts have taken from iiirni legitimate means of making a living. ? The "scalper" has been a picturesque rly ; the annals of American transportation, fr: ing must awaken memories of the gorj ,,:, fj whn "skinning the railroad" was rei-arei , I altogether legitimate and commendable .-r f his business was the cause of endlr, ! I which in self-defense the railroads had to c;)rrv arid this at an ever-intreasing expense. M-enp have been overlooked by about rverybodv ,nt companies and the attorneys who gr.r While the railroads arc to be congratulate n their success, commiseration is thf due I in. "scalpers" and attorneys. The great pub!;,- , n,f ; vitally affected. To all parties eoncrrr . ;.. tended our prayer for success. |