The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-04-30
THAT BICYCLE ORDINANCE.
DR.. Hewett Replies to the Letter of
Mr.. Pembroke.

T. -
MIR. Pembroke.
To the Editor of The Herald:
Some weeks ago an article contain
ing much bad grammar and many
missts.tements signed ''P" appeared
with attractive headlines in the Tri-
bune, calling me oethat erratic' per-
son" and giving me a general shaking
up. 1 replied as well as my hating pen
would permit and the city editor, after
running his pencil through every pas
sage that had any point ito it, hid it
away at the tail end of the paper at
the bottom of the page where none
but an expert could find it.
Well here comes this same ready
writer again in this mornings Herald
with another eNtinguisher for me and
now l have reason to hope for better
treatment in my feeble autempt to re-
ply than I received before. The gen
tlemans grammar this time is better
but his statements worse He says
this matter was sprung at the Social
Wheel club, five voting for and five
against" This matter was not breach
ed at the meeting he speaks of. 1t
was q different matter altogether L
alone originated this plan and at tine
time Of the meeting he refers to it had
not entered my mind. Farther on he
saws: .Objecting to its discussion as a
club member [ resigned from the club.
Since then several have followed the
same course There has been but
one resignation from the club since.
Still farther, 1.-THE doctor, still ham
merirg away, brought up the subject
at a subsequent meeting of the club
81 l,oit OF 1oqf
was not generally supported" At the
meeting referred to every member
present save one spoke emphatically in
favor of the measure. What would he
call generally supported"
Father on, 1.-THE encouragement of
the United States has declared the
bicycle to be a carriage" If that
august officer could read that he would
smile 1 should think. have heard the
bicycle called all sorts of bad names
but rtever heard it called a carriage"
before He then says: "Mr. Neill in
Inmates that he used to be of the same
opinion" / know Mr. Neill quite we'll
and will assert that he never intimated
anything of the kind. He has long
list Of dealers who oppose the ordi-
nance. Some fourteen as opposed to
I,twenty-four or twenty-five hundred
w,heeImen who are in favor of the
measure That cuts no ice. / did not
assume to speak for the dealers but
stated distinctly I had seen but three
and they We're in favor of it, whereas
I did speak for the wheelmen as L had
oonversed with two or three hundred
of them and 80 per cent of those
favored the ordinance. He concludes:
IF necessary mount two or three regu-
lar policemen on wheels that they may
overhaul violators of the present ordi-
nance Now we have plan at last.
The city, out of it's we'll filled tresury,
is to buy two or three wheels and pay
two Or three regular policemen that we
may enjoy the pleasure of riding on
the sidewalks when we are too mean1y
stingy to pay the sum of S1s cents
each per month for that privilege and
are raising a great big howl because
we are about to be asked to in a way
we will be compelled to say yes to, or
ride in ,the street where, by the way,
this same persistent Director said to
me he does ride and does not want
the Sidewalks and does not believe the
rest of us should ride because the
bicycle is a carriage" q have no
doubt he meant vehicle
I intended TO pay my respects to
c. n. Butler but as this is now too
long will defer that pleasure until to-
morrow.
Thanking you for past courtesies
which have not BEEN few nor grudg-
ingly given Very respectfully,
o. B. HEWETT.