The Wichita daily eagle., 1895-08-30
BICYCLES AS BAGGAGE

L or some ume past tuc AcdSoe VI
American Wheelmen has been agitat-
ing the matter of securing by persua-
sion or legal steps the right OF wheel
men to have their vehicles transported
in baggage cars without extra charge.
Several cases Of this kind have been
brought to court, but the matter is not
yet satisfactorily settled, either one
way or the other.
A recent issue Of The American
Cyclist gives the status of the same
question in France. In that country
wheels accompanied by their owners
are universally treated as personal bag
gage, and not charged for. A very
small fee is demanded for registration
of wheels, but this being once attended
to there is no further cost The rail
road ompanies, however. it appears, at
tempt, as they do in this country, TO
shift all responsibility for damage. and
a case recently came into the courts to
determine whether the companies
could legally hold this position. A
cyclist travelling by rail in the south of
France found on arriving at his desti-
nation that his machine had been badly
smashed in transit. Upon the refusal
of the railroad company TO settle, he
carried his case to the courts and the
judges decided that the railroad COM
pany is liable for the damage.
Another wheelman'S magazine in
commenting upon this case regrets the
decision, for it fears that it will mean
reprisals on the part Of the railroad
companies, who, il says, have been
carrying wheels as baggage merely as
an act of grace, because IL Is doubtful
whether ON the continent the courts
will venture to uphold the wheelmen in
their contention that bicycles and SIM
liar machines must be classed as bag
gage. The same idea exists in the
mind of the writer as regards the con-
dition Of things in this Ountry. This
matter, he says, of compelling Ameri-
can railroads to accept bicycles as bag
gage is fascinating enough at first
thought, and of course the idea IS i'm
mensely popular. But, the writer goes
on to say, there is doubt whether the
law could be construed to force the rail
roads to recognize wheels as baggage,
and whether in the end it would be the
best thing for cyclists to compel recoS-
milton provided the law should be
found on the wheeiman'S side Of the
case.
The Syracuse Post says the law will.
no doubt, be settled finally, sooner or
later, and probably in this state as
early as elsewhere. Meanwhile it may
not be out Of place to remark that in
view of the growing numbers both of
men and women, and all classes who
use the bicycle and sympathize with
others who use it, a little courtesy to
this class of humanity will be found
a paying investment on the part of
railroads. Not so much on account of
the expense as on account of the prin-
ciple of the thing. a wheelman who can
avoid riding on railroad Wnlcn
charges an extra fee for his bicycle
will do so. There is no doubt that a
wheelman should realize that there are
arguments for the other side of the
question, particularly by the man in
the baggage car, whose jOvial, familiar
method of handling ordinary baggage
cannot be used with bicycles. We
think that most wheel folk realize what
q bother a bicycle is to the baggage
man and are willing to make due al
lowance for his impatience. While
the law of the matter is being sifted
those railroads that have adopted a
broad and liberal policy in regard to
bicycle transportation will not. we
think, find themselves the losers there
by.