The San Francisco call., 1896-06-17
Pattern Taken After the Deter.
mined Cyclists of New
York City.
a BILL is NOW BEING DRAWN
Chief Consul Frank H. Kerrigan's
View on the Final Outcome
of the Matter.

Chief Consul Frank H. Kerrigan of the
North California Division League oi
American Wheelmen took the first steps
yesterday in great movement that will
result in bitter fight before the next
Legislature TO force the Southern Pacific
Railroad Company to place bicycles on the
same footing as baggage and to treat them
accordingly. 1t has long been the inten-
tion OF the league representatives to de-
mand what the wheelmen deem to be
their rights in the matter, and the subject
was brought to a sudden focus on Satur-
night last when an important meeting
was held at the Reliance Club in Oakland.
At that gathering letter from Chief
Consul Monaghan of the Southern Cali
fornia Division was raad in which the
writer addressing Chief Consul Kerrigan
stated that he had been credibly informed
that the Southern Pacific Company was
about TO put into effect a charge on all
matter what points.
Chief Consul Kerrigan advocated i'm
mediate action by the division, saying
that there was no time like the present,
while politics were boiling, for fighting
such measure, and showing the strength
of the league to defeat laws calculated to
work hardships on the cyclists.
1t was agreed by the representative
wheelmen present that any such regula-
ton by the company must be fought tooth
and nail, and Consul Kerrigan was en-
powered to take such immediate steps as
would lead to the desired results.
The league has sixty-fve local repre-
sentatives under the jurisdiction of the
division in the various towns Of Northern
California, and to each of these Consul
Kerrigan addressed himself yesterday.
He called attention to the statement that
the railroad company was about to i'm
pose a charge for the transportation OF
bicycles and to the fact that the influence
of the wheelmen, if properly and imme-
diately exeTted, could easily defeat such a
project by having the Legislature pass a
law placing bicycles on the same plane as
baggage and no other.
Each of the local consuls and repre-
sentatives was asked to see the member of
the Legislature from his locality, person
ally if possible, and urge upon him the
necessity of such law to protect the
rights of the wheeImen. All were eau
toned not to let the matter drop with one
effort, but to keep at it persistently until
the Legislature has acted in accordance
with the wishes Of the division, and as
most of the local consuls are men of busi-
ness and affairs their influence is expected
to be felt at once.
1--WE will win this fight on its merits.
Just as the New York wheelmen won
theirs on the same subject" said Chief
Consul Kerrigan yesterday after admit
ting that the movement was on foot. "We
did not care to have this matter made
public Just vet, but as long as it is out we
may as well go ahead.
''The present regulations of the COM
pany, while they may be satisfactory to
the majority of San Francisco wheelmen,
are not so to the division. Some time ago
the company made regulation that all
wheels carried to and from San Francisco
and interior towns within a certain radius
should travel free, while those transported
between two interior towns-Sacramento
and Stockton, for instance-must pay a
tax of 25 cents. AS said before, San
Francisco wheelmen might be satisfied
with this, inasmuch as they have nothing
to pay, but the Northern California Di-
vision Is not run for San Francisco alone,
dua Wo dIS OOuAO " DIObSOO OhA AAA1OA@OA
mem bers from what appears to be unjust
discrimination.
son the top of this comes the rumor
that within short time the thousands of
bicycles that travel in and out of San
Francisco weekly by train must pay just
as our interior brothers do.
This, of course, is not to be tolerated,
and 1 do not think that it will be.
1.-The passage of the Armstrong bill by
the New York Legislature is an evidence
of what the wheeling interest will do. The
cyclists of New York State were COM
PEELED TO pay for the transportation of
their wheels for even short distances, and
rebeIIed. They had bill drawn making
it necessary for the railroad companies to
accept wheels as baggage, and passed it
through the Legislature without hitch
in spite of the vast railroad influence
arrayed against it.
at was predicted that Governor Morton
would not sign it, but he did it and no
doubt some hundreds OF kilograms from
consuls and wheelmen all over the coun-
try had something to do with the prompt
ness with which he affixed his signature.
"Chauncey Depew, the railroad mag
nate was in California when the bill was
signed and Immediately on his return to
New York announced that he would
fight the legality of The measure. am
told that he could not be elected pound
master of New York after the antagonism
he has engendered among the whee linen.
sour committee on rights and privii-
eges acting with the transportation COM
mittee Is now drafting a bill on the lines
of the Armstrong bill and every member
of the Legislature will be familiar with it
before he goes to Sacramento for the next
session."