The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1896-02-15
AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL
Meeting at baltimore Productive Of
Good Results to sport
Closing Session Today.

lOlOTc Recognized Dy the IL. "A. w. were
abolished at todays session of the ma
tional convention and cycle riders are
now in exactly the same category rs
are all other athletes and sportsmen.
In future the league will recognize no
grades Of amateurs, and any rider who
does not live strictly UP to the rules
governing on-professional sport will
be placed in the ranks Of professionals.
The result was reached by the repeal
Of all the clauses in league legislation
creating classes A and b and defining
the status of men who formerly be-
longed to them.
The convention took this radical step
during it's afternoon session, while con-
sidering large number of amendments
to the legislation proposed by the rae
ing board and designed to further reg
ulate and define the positions of class
B men. There We're a dozen or more
of these amendments and several of
them had been adopted when Mott OF
this city offered an amendment abol-
ishing class b entirely. 1t was carried
almost without a dissenting voice. A
resolution was then added to the effect
| that all members of the league who are
! at this time class B men shall in the
! future be treated as amateurs, similar
| in every respect to class A men, and
that all others shall be deemed profess
sional The penalty for any act OF pro-
fessionalism WILL therefore, in the fut-
ure be practical expulsion from the
/ league.
The resolution gave most satisfac-
! ton. The other important steps of the
! day were the offer and acceptance OF
proposition from Consul Potter Of New
York to submit to arbitration his law
suit against the l.. A. w. growing ou
of the publication of the Bulletin, ant
which has long been pending in New
| York courts, and the refusal of th'
league to abandon control of racing.
More than half of the proposed
! amendments to the constitution Wer'
disposed of when the convention ad
iourned tonight to attend theate
party at Fords opera house. Many Q
the delegates have already left TO
home.
Vice President Perkins was in tn
chair Of the League of America
, Wheelman today and took upon conslo
, Grafton new business. A great deal G
time was again devoted to the discus
sion of the law suit of l. b. Potte
against the league, growing out OF
legged breach of contract for publicatio
of the L. A. w Bulletin by Potter tn
! sum involved only about $4,000, and tn
+ case has already consumed much OF th
, time of the present convention. III
matter was referred to the committe
on arbitration.
A motion was adopted authorizing tf
president to appoint a committee
! draft a resolution to be presented
various legislatures declaring that b
: cycles be personal baggage. Amen'
ments to the constitution were then tai
J en- up.
The first amendment considered w;
r that proposed by Potter of New Yor
to strike out article l, section 2, II
n words "And to promote and regula
'cycle racing on the track" Potter,
l. discussing the question, created an u
~ roar by making the assertion that the
. . were not enough honest, clean, matu
bicycle racers in this country TO maj
# a respectable meet.
h Sterling Elliott, the new presiden
elect, opposed the amendment
J.B. Roosevelt of New York, advocat
. It. as did also j. B. Townsend or e
70 same state. The amendment was !
iected by a vote of 135 to 40. This mea
"a that the league will retain control OF t
< cycle racing.
t, The amendment providing that di'
e. sions. subdivisions and consulates sh'
m be discontinued whenever the membe
~ ship falls below 25. and all moneys I
- longing to them shall pass to t