The San Francisco call., 1896-08-26
SYMPATHIzERS
IN THE FIGHT.
Wheelmen Will Pledge
Candidates to an Arm
strong Bill.
OR FIGHT THEM HARD.
OR FIGHT THEM HARD.
Battle Against the Railroad TO
Be Taken Up by the
L. A. w.
TO ORGANIZE IN THE STATE.
Wheelmen Claim 5000 Riding Voters
IN the City and as Many
SympathizerS.

The action of the Southern Pacific Rail-
road Company in imposing charge on
the transportation of bicycles has resulted
in cementing the wheelmeu of the State
as nothing else to date has ever been able
to do.
There is now no doubt that the scores of
bicyle clubs and the unattached" wheel
men are going to get together and pull to-
gether for the purpose of fighting the
octopus in the legislative campaign next
fall. The wheelmen want a bill passed by
the California Legislature similar to the
Armstrong bill, which is law in the
States of New York and Ohio, CHASING BIZ
cycles as baggage and requiring railroads
to carry them as such without extra
charges.
Leading wheel men claim that the num-
Der of votes they will be able to muster
for the fight with the octopLs is not
limit"d to the Is, 600 riders in the City of
San Fra ncisco and the 10000 riders in the
State. They figure that each owner of a
wheel has friend to whom he occasion
ally loans his bicycle, ana other friends
who are thinking of taking to bicycling
and who consult him about it, and that
all these sympathizers will use their votes
and their influence to secure the passage
by the Legislature of an Armstrong bill.
Yesterday it was decided to hold a
meeting of the Cycle Board of Trade az an
early date to consider the action of the
railroad. The members of this organiza-
ton comprise all the bicycle-deaIers in
the City, a number of wheelmen and
others interested in wheeling and wheels.
J. S. Conweli, president of the Cycle
Board of Trade, said yesterday: "The
tight will, of course, be a political one.
I,oK. .e oI,o .
it, and we shall attempt to have bill
passed by our Legislature similar to the
Armstrong bill which has become law
in New York and Ohio. In this City we
have between 1000 and 5000 voters, and
each one of these men have mpathlzers.
In addition TO this the lady riders will
also have some influence. Every wheel
man probably loans his wheel to some
body once in a while, and that person may
be counted on as sympathiZer. We have
begun system of enrolment of all the
unattached riders in the City. have
large list of them at my place of business,
and it is growing day by day."
R. G. Lennie, another dealer, said: I'VE
are going to make political fight with
the railroad over this thing. Before the
campaign is over we are going to have
a working organization in every dis
trict in the State. The way to do is
to pledge candidates for the Legisla-
ture to the passage of a bill like the Arm
strong bill. The real fight should come,
and l understand it Will come, through
the State division of the League of Ameri-
can Wheelmen. The league made the
fight in New York and Ohio and gained
the point. Wheels are baggage and the
railroads should be compelled to carry
them as such. We cannot hardly get out
Of town here, even on a wheel, without
paying tribute to the Southern Pacific and
il Is time that something was done.
"We are peculiarly situated. Few other
cities have confronting them an Alameda,
an Oakland and a Berkeley, and now,
after the 1st of September we must paw to
get our wheels out of town in that direc-
tion.'
F. H. Mohrig, another dealer, said:
THE matter properly belongs to the
League of American Wheelmen of the
State. The action of the railroad company
in charging for carrying wheels across the
bay and on the trains ought to be fought
hard, and it ought to be seen that NOBODY
gets into the Legislature who is opposed
10 the passage OF an Armstrong bill.
The Wheelmen's Municipal League,
just barely organized will take up the
matter at the meeting tomorrow night
! The fight with the railroad ought to be
: carried into the State"
The Wneelmen's Municipal League
will hold meeting tonight at the San
Francisco Road Clubs rooms, at SOB
. Golden Gate avenue, at which some action
is expected to be taken In regard to OPEN
ing the fight.