The San Francisco call., 1896-08-30
A GRAND RALLY
OF THE WHEELS
New Element in Local Poll
tics Rolling to the
Front.
THE UNITED BICYCLIsTs
Say the Southern Pacific Will
Not Catch Them Off Their
Guard.
MAssING FOR THE CAMPAIGN
Want Their Bicycles Carried as Bag.
gage After as Well as Before
Election.

spoken in favor of going before the Legis-
ilature next winter with bill classifying
bicycles as baggage, and requiring the
railroad companies of the State to carry
them free of charge. Where at first there
waa only comparatively desultory talk on
the subject, the action of the Southern
Pacific Company in imposing charge on
wheels and then subsequently withdraw
ing that decision had the effect of showing
the organized and ''unattached' wheel
men the extent to which they are at the
mercy of the railroads, and showed them
the necessity of taking action to secure the
transportation of their wheels as baggage
after as well as before the election next
winter.
TIE canvass and the enrolment of
wheelmen and svmpathizers to this end is
progressing steadily and with great pros
pect of future results. For the first time
in the history of local politics the wheel
men will have all opportunity to show
their strength this fall, both in the City
and the legislative tickets. There is new
element now in local politics and It's other
name is wheels.
More wheelmen are telling what they
think of the rescinded order of the rail-
road company and an Armstrong bill.
Mr.. Bill. of the bicycle firm of Leavitt &
Bill, said: "It looks to US as though it
might be a subterfuge on the part OF the
railroad company to stand the matter off
| till after election and then perhaps reim-
pose the charge. If this is .ne case the
company will find that we are not to be
caught mapping There was Southern
Pacific representative in our store last
spring taking measurements of wheels
and frames. He said the company in
doA To hair uvif fb 10
accommodate wheelmen. That is the last
we heard of it, and l guess they changed
their minds, We were talking of this
whole matter in here last night. All
wheelmen whom l have heard express an
opinion are In favor of keeping up a Wig
orous fight and securing the passage of
law similar to the New York law, requir-
ing wheels to be carried free of charge as
baggage. That Is the wisest course to
pursue. / think the railroad company
will lose no money by meeting US half
way in this matter. If cars are properly
fitted up for the care of wheels and wheel
men know that their property will be
safely handled, my opinion is that the
trains will be more extensively patron
lied. The bicycle Board of Trade will
take the matter up, perhaps at its next
regular weekly meeting"
President R. l.. Radke of the Imperial
Bicycle Club said: "Let it drop before
election? Not much. We are not to be
fooled that way--that is, if the Southern
Pacific is resorting to any subterfuge to
throw US off the track. THE CALL won
the fight for US, so far as the resembling of
the order was concerned, but | am for
keeping the battle warm till the Legisla-
ture has passed a measure similar to the
Armstrong bill. Then we will nave the
privilege of free wheels on trains after
election as we'll as after September 1
next.
THE executive committee of the
eelmen's Municipal League has the
matter in charge. understand they have
heard from a number of candidates for the
Assembly who are willing to pledge them
selves to the passage of an Armstrong
bill"
S. Hight, manager of a bicycle COM
pany, said: II regard a charge for the
transportation of bicycles on trains and
boats as unfair and an imposition, par
ticularlv with reference to the ferries. If
that order had been carried out the COM
pany would have lost considerable money.
The result would have been that wheel
men would have had their runs on this
side of the bay or over by way of Tiburon.
If the fight is kept up and an Arm
strong bill passed by the Legislature We
will not run any risk OF being charged
transportation on wheels after election,
Notwithstanding the fact that the ord r
has been rescinded by the railroad COM
pany. Club runs alone in the course of
season amount to good deal of money,
and l think the company will gain in
stead of losing in its receipts from wheel
men by its recall OF the order. Keep up
the fight"
Second Lieutenant Angus Gilmore,
young member of the San Francisco Road
Club, said: There will certainly be a
fight over this thing. We want OR wheels
e. 4,<~,, II Lefz
Our boys do not want to go into politics
unless they find it necessary to protect
their own interests. They think that if
they do not win in this fight they will get
1t .socked to them more than before, and
if they go into the fight they will enter it
to win"
III. G. johnson, manager of leading
cyclery, said: 1.-The railroad gets its fare
and it ought to be prepared TO furnish
W wheelmen with accom- M odation as we'll as
other passengers. liz the first place the
railroads were not prepared for bicycles,
and the handling of them may have been
an inconvenience, but | think the charge
for the transportation of wheels is unfair
Notwithstanding.
IT company carries great big trunk
that it takes two men to handle. Now the
wheelmaD seldom has any baggage but
his wheel, and that in the absence of
trunks, etc., should, think, be carried as
baggage free. The railroad that would
provide hooks or other facilities for caring
for wheels safely and conveniently would
get its full share of the patronage of wheel
men, to say the least. As TO an Arm
strong bill, or law that will enforce prac-
tically the sam privilege, am, of course.
in favor OF it. Wheelmen, both riders and
dealers, should continue to interest them
selves in the matter until such bill is
passed I am inclined to think that if
the wheelmen will unite and work to that
common end they will succeed in showing
members of the Legislature the fairness
and the desirability of such a law"
Randolph Garrity of the firm OF Garrity
Bros. said he had noticed with pleasure
that the railroad company had reconsid-
cred the order to charge for carrying
BICYCLES He thought the 10-cent charge
on the ferries was particularly obnoxious.
1--WE want law in this State, he said,
"like the Armstrong bill of New York.
The agitation should be kept up till we
get it. If the wheelmen make campaign
for such law and stick together there are
enough of us to secure its passage or wreck
some political hopes. Bicycles are bag
gage, particularly when a wheelman has
Al /. Il Il L..