The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-04-29
THAT BICYCLE ORDINANCE.
A Strong Sentiment Developed in
Opposition to 1t.
Salt Lake City, April 27, 1896.

A Strong Sentiment Developed in
! Opposition to 1t.
Salt Lake City, April 27, 1896
To the Editor of The Herald.
Will you permit the older and conser-
Vative element of wheelmen to speak
| through The Herald in reference to the
ordinance DR.. Hewett hopes to have
enacted and the opposition to it. Re
viewing discussion and action pertain
ing TO the question 1 will state that
the matter was sprung in a general
way by this gentleman at a meeting
OF the Social Wheel club, in which it
seemed 70 be his desire to have that
club father police methods. Upon a
vote five members favored and five OPP
posed the idea; the doctor cast
the deciding vote in favor
and afterwards drafted the or
dinance which is so objection
able to so many wheelmen. The
doctor brought the draft to me to dis
cuss as an executive officer of THE club.
l objected, believing the ordinance to
De spec1ous and contrary to general
wish, and as it was intimated that 7
would have to" discuss and act upon
1T as an officer of the club, declined
and resigned as a club member. Since
then several have followed the same
course. The doctor still fpammering
away to force the ordinance down I'M
willing Threats, brought 1t up at a sub
sequent meeting of the club, and 1
learn that at that meeting the doctor
was not generally supported. The
mass meeting, at which the farce of
Shutting out free discussion and the
Introduction of proxies, followed. 1t
was then proven that a large party OBJ
Jected to the doctors methods and
ideas, for many left and protested at
a meeting held elsewhere
The matter bhen gets to the council
and committee again, and we find the
doctor there with special pleaders for
his measure. Some inaccuracies were
presented at that meeting however, by
those present, and 1 consider it nv
duty to revert to them
DR.. Hewett claimed that the League
of American Wheelmen was a Boston
outfit; that western wheelmen were
taxed to support" 1t is a national or
ganization. with the object of band
ing American wheelmen together for
mutual benefit, but primarily for OBJ
tanning throughout the nation sys-
tenn of good roads. This is an object
in itself sufficient to league all wheel
men, not only bicyclists, but those
who use carriages (both classes will
yet work together to obtain the COM
mon object.)
The amount the headquarters re-
ceive from Utah is much more than
compensated by many benefits receiv-
ed by the wheelmen in literature, re-
duced hotel bills and so forth 1 think
it could be proved that the Utah di-
vision is an expense to the league.
The attorney general of the depart
ment of justice of the United States
has declared the bicycle to be car
riage and thus entitled to the rights
of the road with ether vehicles. Mr.
Neill intina}tes that he fused to be of
the same opinion, until he investigat-
ed rthe question" Possibly the su-
preme bench may yet afford a vacancy
for this gentleman to fill. He says the
proposed ordinance would be accep-
table to Is per cent of the wheelmen,
burt the doctor says 95 per cent. This
was not the result of the mass meeting
by any means, for its supporters were
hopelessly in the minority. The doctor
thinks that nearly all the dealers will
favor the ordinance now he has placed
the tax at so cents Let him peruSe the
following. It ought to convince him
that he is assuming a Quixotic role:
There are none so blind as those who
will not see
I'VE, bicycle dealers Of Salt Lake,
hereby declare that we are opposed to
a special tax being levied upon bicy-
cles.
INTER MOUNTAIN WHEEL CO.,
NJ. r. EVANS,
PIERCE & RAIBLE,
A. H. MEREDITH,
BROWNING BROS,
A. r. MEREDITH,
J. S. JENSEN,
COOP FURNITURE CO.
COOP. WAGON & MACHINE CO.,
WESTERN HARDWARE CO.,
COLUMBIA CYCLE CO,
GEO. MULLETT & CO.,
YOUNG BROS. CO.,
JOHNSON-PRATT DRUG CO."
Mr.. Groschell of the Salt Lake BIZ
cycle Co. says he is opposed to the
principle OF a special tax upon wheels,
if such tax is to be paid into the gem
eral fund.
One firm refused to sign; one desired
connection of other questions and
refused signature unless such questions
were ATTACHED.
This I believe includes all dealers; if
any are missed it is because they are
NOT known to undersigned. George NJ.
Scott & Co. were given no opportunity
Of expression for obvious reasons.
Assuming that the doctors statement
that 95 per cent of the wfeelnen are
in favor of the tax ordinance is ON a
par with his thought that nearly all
the dealers Support it, when it IS
shown above that they are almost all !
opposed to 1T, how much reliance is to
be put upon his statements? Can the
committee or council attach any impor-
ltance to whatever he may say upon the
subject?
Now we, representing the sentiment
as we think of the majority of wheel |
men, declare that we are very glad Of
the privilege granted by the public of |
riding upon the sidewalks; that such |
privilege is a great boon to the ladies
who ride, and the weak and inexper-
fenced riders who as a general thing |
find the roads too difficult TO ride COM
fnrLa lalv. We should denlore the talirno. |