Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-10
AMONG THE WHEELMEN
Don't Want the Tax Caterer
\ ..,.. After Them.
si's Ss~ 1lr7
TRAINING FOR CONTESTS
Birmingham Has a Good Club-Races at the
Fair Grounds Track-lnteresting Items
to Enthusiastic WheeImen.

W IHtIuoldSlC WlteIlHCI1s
Whenever the treasures of governing
bodies become depleted fussy individuals
look around for something that can be
taxed without reaching their own poclS-
| cts. Hence it is that bicycles have not
| escaped the attention of people who de-
| sire revenue, but who never consider the
| justice of their proportion. A London
paper thus refers to a proposed tax on
| bicycles in England: mo cabinet minis
| ter who did not wish to qualify himself
| for lunatic asylum would propose tax
| upon wheels. 1t would be one of the most
| unpopular taxes that could be suggested
| But that is very far from exhausting the
| objections to it. tax should be easily
| collected, should be cheap to collect
| should be difficult to evade, and should
| fall on those who could best afford it. A
| tax on bicycles would sin, and sin heavi-
| ly, against all these canons. The fact is
| there are very large number of fussy
| people in this country who want to inter-
| fere with the taxes and don't know what
| a tax is. The legitimate purpose of a tax
| is to raise money for the purpose of rev.
enue. The best tax is that which raises
the most money compared with the loss
or Inconvenience it inflicts upon the in
dividual. But there seems to be a fash
ionabe idea that a tax is something to
restrain your neighbors from doing what
| you don't like for them to do"
Only very recently in our own state
| has the tax on bicycle question brought
| about hot fight in the courts. The city
| of Mobile has for the past two years
| levied a tax of 25 cents per year on
| wheels. AS it seemed to be a good thing
| for the city, the council decided to fur
| ther fill the Golfers of the town by rails
| ing the ante to 81. The cyclists did not
| KICK at the 20 cent tax, as 1t was small
| that they would rather have paid it than
| to call on the courts for protection, but
| when it was announced that they would
| have to come across" with four times
| the amount then being paid they resist
| ed, and an attorney was appointed to
| look into the legality of the tax. A de-
| elsion against the city was rendered in
| the county court, but the city appealed
| to the supreme court. This action, how
| ever is not looked upon with any great
| Tear, as the Wheelmen know that they
are right and intend sticking to their
| original refusal to pay what they claim
| is an unjust tax.
| When dog runs out al you don't kick
| at him or try to drive him back. Just
whistle vigorously for him to come. You
VIII be surprised to see how quickly he
| will stop and turn back. 1t beats the
ammonia gun out of sight
The wheelmen of Montgomery have
| Just won a glorious victory by blocking
| the proposed ordinance of a buggy" al
| derman, which, If passed would have
| marred the pleasure of cycling to a great
| extent The proposed ordinance pro-
| hibited the riding of wheels on sidewalks
| In any part of the city. The Capital City
| does not boast of good streets in the res
ident portion, and the wheelmen have
| always been accorded the privilege of
| riding on the sidewalks where the streets
| are in bad condition. The proposed or
| dinance 1t will be seen, would have done
| great damage to the cycle dealers. II
| is not hard for the wheelmen to get what
| they want If they go about it in the right
| way.
Mr. Ped A. Hickman, who has been
| with the Loosely Cycle company since
| its organization, and who prior to that
| time was connected with Mr.. e. A. Loos-
| ley, has accepted a position with the
| Montgomery Arms company of Mont
1 gomery to take charge of their repair
| shop. Ped's experience dates back sew
eral years and it would be hard to find
| a young man who deserves the success
| that he is meeting with more than he
The boys will be sorry to lose his com
| partnership, but will be delighted to know
that he is doing so well.
The Birming ham team that will go
| uOWn " lJclilODOnS LOT tnH races there
| next week are rapidly getting into good
racing form. Fleck and Pickens have
been training on the fair grounds track
for the past week and have made good
showing at sprinting trials Mr.. Sam
elson, who will have charge of the team
is confident that the boys will return
with several scalps in their belt They
will leave early Monday morning.
|
The races to be given at the fair
grounds track some time in June or July
| promise to be very exciting Several
of the best men in the state have written
that they will compete and some records
may be looked for. We have some of
the best local talent in any city of the
south, and the men who will compose
| the birmingham team can be depended
on to hold our end up. The dates will be
announced the last part of the week
and the racing men will at once start In
training.
A strong local company has been
| formed for the purpose of conducting a
bicycle repair renting and sales business,
and will on the 1st of June open one of
the best equipped places in the south.
One of the best repairmen in the country
is at the head of the organization and
that they will get large share of the
business is not doubted. The officers and
| stockholders will be announced in a week
or so. This is something that has long
been lacking in Birmingham, and this
piece of news will be very gratifying to
many of the local wheelmen.
|
Chairman Gideon's weekly bulletin,
just issued, announced the fact that all
the crack riders who rode under class
BIS protecting wing have been trans
ferred to the professional class Bald,
Cooper, Zeigler Coulter, Murphy, Co
burn, Gardiner and a host of others are
included in the list. When the national
assembly abolished class B in February
the riders of that class could either ride
| as amateurs or join the professional
| ranks. Some of the best men remained
amateurs, while others made contracts