The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-20
LATEST OAKLAND NEWS
The Reliance Club Wheelmen
to Oppose the Bicycle
Tax.
WILLING TO CONTRIBUTE.
The Railroad Company Files a
Statement With Assessor
Dalton.

The Reliance Athletic Club, one of the
strongest wheeling organizations in the
State. has taken the initiative against the
proposed taxation of bicycles in Oakland,
and Will wage an aggressive fight until the
measure is either beaten or passed by the
City Council.
At the meeting held on Thursday even
ing a committee consisting of ]. A. Young,
T. E. Whitney and R. J. Boyer was ap-
pointed to see the members of the Council
and protest against the passage of the Or
dinance.
1t was stated at the meeting that there
would be little difficulty in suppressing the
obnoxious order, as the Mayor, City At
torney and several members of the Council
had intimated that they would not
countenance 1t should it be made plain
that the wheelmen, as body, were OPP
posed to it.
1T goes without saying" said R. J.
Boyer "that the wheelmen are opposed to
this ordinance almost to a man. In the
first place, it is unconstitutional, and has
been SO decided by the Supreme Court of
Illinois.
The Chicago Board of Aldermen passed
an ordinance taxing bicycles, and the
Wheelmen made a test case, which, after
being carried to the highest tribunal OF the
State, was defeated once and for all. We
might do the same thing here, but l see
no necessity for going so far. The ordi-
nance can be defeated in the Council, and
1 have no doubt will be.
Not alone is the measure wrong a re-
CARDS the wheelmen, but 1t will work
hardship on other people. Take, for in
stance, livery-stable men. | know of one
who has over 100 vehicles in his stable, on
each of which he viii be asked to pay
tax of from 81 to $40, averaging, perhaps s.
each. Should the ordinance be passed it
VIII simply drive him out OF business. Tor
the electric cars and bicycles have cut into
his business so much now that he finds it
hard to make the stable pay.
Nv heeImen, l find as a rule, do not OBJ
lect so much to the amount which it is
proposed to tax them as to the principle
of the thing. The tax is supposed to be
used to repair the damage done to streets
by the passage of vehicles. Bicycles do no
damage whatever and should not be taxed.
/ have no doubt that wheelmen would be
willing TO contribute the amount of the
tax If they could be assured that the road
ways would be kept in good condition, but
they object TO the IDEA OF a tax outside of
the personal property tax which the As
SCISSOR imposes on them.
There is another phase of this matter
which we have discussed and it is this.
Should the Oakland City Council tax
bicycles, Alameda, Berkeley and other
towns through which Oakland wheelmen
are in the habit of making tours would
probably follow suit, and we would have
to pay double or treble taxes.
You live in Alameda and would be
asked to pay the tax there, but as your
business is in Oakland and your riding
done here, the tax collector would expect
you to hand in a contribution on this side
of the estuary.
Another thing to be considered is the
effect which such an ordinance would have
on San Francisco Wheelmen, and a great
many Of them come over here on trips and
their coming Is a benefit TO Oakland. No
officer of the law will be able to tell
whether a man belongs TO Oakland or San
Francisco, and the consequence will be
that visiting cyclists will be stopped every
little While and compelled to tell their lit
tie tale about belonging to San Francisco
and being IN Oakland on a visit; or more
still, be told to pay a license or go home.
In either case they will be driven away"
While the large majority of wheelmen
are certainly in favor OF fighting the ordi-
nance to a finish, there is a conservative
element which Is advocating the accept
ance OF the ordinance provided it can be
modified to suit their views. They think
that to be consistent in their demands for
better streets they should show willing
ness to pay something toward the desired
end. They say that should the tax be
kept at 81 year, as IS now proposed, they
will oppose the measure, but that all
wheelmen should be willing to pay half
that sum toward better thoroughfares.
Mayor Davie said yesterday that he
was decidedly opposed to the order in its
present form.
= think the tax altogether too high"
he said, land shall oppose it until It is
properly amended, so as not to be unduIv
burdensome to the owners OF vehicles
drawn by horses, as well as the mounts of
cyclists.
Filed It's Statement.
The Southern Pacific Company. Central
Pacific Company and South Pacific Coast
Railroad Company filed their long-delaved
statements of real and personal property
with Assessor Dalton yesterday, in which
they confess to liability for assessment on
1866, 187.
Accompanying the statement was
courteous letter from z. B. Ryan, in which
the writer for the companies, stated that
the corporations would be satisfied If
treated in the same manner as other
parties are, and requesting Mr.. Dalton to
call for any further information that he
may desire.
Mr.. Dalton took casual glance through
the bulky mass OF documents, and then
tossed them aside with the remark that
the railroad company might be satisfied
with them, but he was not by any means.
81 shall ask for more complete state
ment than l find here he said, and
shall rot accept their figures by any
means.
"These figures are simply those given
and accepted in 1894, but they will not do
for me.
am the first place they are not com
plete, Here is a list of many thousands of
dollars worth of machinery and supplies
which they have sent in without any valu-
alton. They must know what they are
worth, and while they express confidence
in my ability to place a proper valuation
on them l do not propose to do so unless
compelled. | shall do Just as they ask and
treat the corporation in the same manner
as l have treated other parties, and that
viii mean substantial raise in their
assessment wherever think it is just.
Now here are a few of their figures
which | shall take exception to. They
have put in a lot on Fourteenth and
Franklin streets at $34, 750 That is no.
where near the real value, and | have al
ready decided to assess that property for
S69, $50 which is in proportion to the valu-
alton l have placed on other Ieal.estate in
the vicinity.