The San Francisco call., 1896-08-28
Bicycles to Go Free To and
Out of San Fran
cisco.
THE NEW ORDER TO BE
RECALLED.
Public Sentiment Too Strong to
Be Resisted by the
Railroad.
TRAFFIC MANAGER sTUBBS
VIEWS.
Sentiment Now Well Crystallized in
a General Movement to Make
Wheels Free Throughout
the State.
TRAFFIC MANAGER STUBBS'
VIEWS.

Victory has been won by the local
knights of the silent steed. Wheelmen's s
present privileges on trains of the
Southern Pacific Company are not to be
restricted on and after the 1st of Septem-
Der, and wheels will con tinue to be carried
without charge to all points within a
radius of fifty miles from San Francisco
as heretofore. This at least, will be the
case for some time to come, for Traffic
Manager J. c. Stubbs of the Southern
Pacific Company yesterday stated that the
order instructing agents to collect charges
on wheels transported from one station to
another on the lines of the company
would be rescinded before Tuesday next,
the day on which it was originally
ordained it should go into effect.
1--WE had no idea," said Mr.. Stubs,
''that the order would create such howl
and such widespread dissatisfaction among
the wheelmen. We only intended to do
what is already being done by every big
railroad throughout the country. OF
course 1 do not intend to include in this
category the little Jim Crow railroads,
with which the big lines are not in
competition.
ave lnaugurated this system about two
months ago in the southern part of the
State, and there was not even a murmur
of complaint from the people down there,
and we were, therefore. entirely unpre-
-bok
consider just and proper charge.
1--WE have been doing more for the
wheelmen of this State than any other of
the great roads in the United States. In
New York they carry wheels free, as bag
gage, owing to the Armstrong law, but in
Ohio, where a similar law was passed by
the Legislature, the roads are entirely
ignoring it. as they consider it to be un-
constitutional, and stand ready to test the
matter in the courts. In every other State
the railroads charge for the carriage of
wheels.
'At one of the recent meetings of the
Transcontirental Association this subject
came up. and it was decided unanimously
that all the roads belonging tc that asso-
citation should charge for bicycles. To
this We, of course, also agreed. But
had hard fight on my hands when it
was claimed that we were violating this
agreement by carrying wheels to and from
Los Angeles, Stockton, Sacramento and
San Francisco without charge. 1 con-
tended that the association had no right
to interfere with our local business or die
tate to US in regard to it.
1--WE were forced, however, to charge in
the southern part of the State as we
were in competition there with another of
the Transcontinental Association roads
and could not very well do otherwise
Finding that it worked so satisfactorily
there we thought it would not be oppos sed
by the wheelmen in this territory close to
San Francisco.
why, if the wheeImen would only look
at it in the right way 1 am sure they
would net oppose our charging these
small fees. As the matter now stands
they pay nothing to the company for
the transportation of wheels, and if a BIZ
cycle be injured IN transit it is dou btful
if any claim would hold against the COM
pany, but where the owner pays US for the
carriage of his machine he would have a
certain legal standing.
81 am wiling to leave it to any fair
minded and honest wheeIman whether
the company would not be justified in
making the charges proposed. 1 would