Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-13
NO MORE CLASS B RACING
League Will Recognizes 0nly Professionals
and Lily Whites.
VOTE WAS PRACTICALLY UN 'NlMcUS
Proposition to Have She League
Abandon Control OF Rncinr Voted
nowu-Consul Potter Agrees
To Arbitrnte Ills Suit.

HONu-t puSul tOttcr RGgccb
to Arbitrnte Ills Suit.
| BALTIMORE. Feb. 12.-All classes hero
tcrore recognized by the League OF Ameri-
can Wheelmen were abolished at today's
! session of the national convention and cycle
riders are now in exactly tho s1me category
as are all other athletes and sportsmen. In
the future the league will recognize no
grades Of amateurs and any rider who does
not live strictly up to the rules governing
non-professlonal sport will be placed in the
ranks of the professionals This result was
reached by the repeal of all the clauses in
the league constitution creating classes y
and n, and defining the status Of the men
who formerly belonged to them. The con-
vention took this radical step during its
afternoon session, while considering a large
number of amendments to the constitution
proposed by the racing board and designed
| to further regulate and define the positions
of class men. There were a dozen or
more of these amendments and several of
| them had been adopted, when Mr.. Mott of
| this city offered amendment abcishng
| class entirely. II was carr ell almost with
out a dissenting voice. If indeed there was
any, and the chair decided that it was
| unanimous.
A resolution was then adopted to the effect
that all members of the league who are at
this time class d men, shall in the future
| be treated as amateurs, similar in every
| respect to class A men, and that all Others
| shall be deemed professionals. The penalty
| for any act of professionalism will, there
| fore, in the future be practical expulsion
| from the league. The result gave the most
general satisfaction.
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 League
Of American Whselmen. growing out of the
publication of "The Bulletin" and which
has long been pending in the New York
courts, and the refusal of the league TO
abandon control of racing. More than half
Of the proposed amendments to the consti
tuition were disposed of when the convention
adjourned tonight to attend a thCater party
at Ford's opera house, and there is no doubt
it will conclude its deliberations tomorrow.
ARBITRATION FOR POTTER.
Vice President Perkins was in the chair
when the League of American Wheelmen
assembled today ard took up the conHld-
Grafton of new business. A great deal Cr
time was again devoted to the discussion
Of the lawsuit Of l. b. Potter against the
league, growing out of an alleged breach
Of contract for the publication of the League
of American Wheelmen Bulletin by Mr. Pot
ter. The sum involved is about $4,000, and
the case has already consumed much Of the
time of the present convention.
The discussion arose on a motion by Mr..
Mott that a committee be appointed to ad-
wise the executive committee as to the status
Of the case and the advisabi,y of proceed
ing further with it. Mr.. Mott thought the
committee ought to consist of .wo lawyers
and one layman. Mr.. Potter offered to leave
the matter to an arbitration commttee.
one to be selected by the league, one by
Mr.. Potter and third to be selected by the
other two. This proposition was unanimously
accepted.
Conway Sims of Baltimore unani-
mousy chosen to represent the league on
the arbitration committee.
motion was adopted authorizing the
president to appoint a committee to draft
resolutions to be presented to the various |
legislatures declaring bicycles to be personal |
baggage. +! .fI
The seventy-four amendments to the con-
stitution were then taken up.
The first amendment considered was that |
proposed by Mr.. Potter of New York to !
strike out of article /, section 2, the words
land to promote and regulate cycle racing |
On the track"
Mr.. Potter, in discussing this question:
created something of an uproar by making |
the assertion that there were mot enough |
honest, clean amateur bicycle racers in this |
country to make a respectable meet
Sterling Elliott, the new pres.dent-elect, |
opposed the amendment. ]. b. Roosevelt |
Of New York advocated it, as did also j.
b. Townsend of the same state
The amendment was rejected by a vote |
of 135 to 40. This means that the league |
will retain control of cycle racing.
An amendment providing that divisions, |
subdivisions and consulates shall be discon- |
tinued whenever the membership falls below |
twenty-five and all moneys belonging to
them to pass to the league was adopted,
as was also another providing that all mem
berships shall expire one year from the
publication of the application in the official
organ. Amendments providing that member
ship may be renewed and that the penal
ties for lapses in dues shall in no case eX-
ceed 81 for a full year were adopted
The convention took recess until
o'clock
SOME ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS.
The afternoon session, aside from the
action taken in regard to racing matters, was
not productive of important or interesting
results After taking up and disposng of the
offered by Chairman Gideon, of
the racing board,s as previously mentioned,
the convention considered the other amend
ments in the order in which they were Of
fered The most important of those adopted
were as follows: Providing that an amateur
shall not compete in a race outside of his
own state at a greater distance than 100
miles by the usual line or route from his
legal residence, except at national or closed
college championship meetings, except
by special permission from the member of
the racing board in charge OF his district;
making the chairman Of the auditing commit
tee member Of the national assembly,
liking the date for the annual meetings OF the
league for the second "Wednesday in Feb
-uary, instead of the second Monday; pro
viding that the place of annual meeting
,hall be determined by the national assem-
oly, unless delegated to the executive COM
nittee; providing that division secretary |
reasurer shall hold Office until removed by
he board of officers; adding to the list of
rational committees that of local organiza-
ion"
Adjournment was then had until o'clock ,
omorrow morning.
NATIONAL TROTTING CONGRESS-.