The San Francisco call., 1896-08-25
A Mass-Meeting May Be Held
to Fight the Company Po-
litically.
BILL FOR THE LEGISLATURE.
An Attorney Thinks the Supreme
Court Would Hold That Bicycles
Are Baggage.


any two points and for taxing bicyclists
who cross the bay 10 cents for each wheel.
A boycott has been declared on the
Southern Pacific by large number OF
wheelmen, and the others, it is said, will
doubtless take the same course.
A mass-meeting of wheelmen Of this
City will be called in the near future for
the purpose of taking action politically.
This will be the beginning of the wheel
mems campaign against the Southern Pa
cifc and against any candidate for the
Legislature who is opposed to the passage
of bill compelling the Southern Pacific
Company and the railroads of the State to
carry bicycles free as baggage, as is the
law now in the State of New York.
An attorney who is president of one of
the cycling clubs, has given an opinion to
the effect that he thinks bicycles properly
come under the head OF baggage, and says
he thinks the Supreme Court of the State
would so hold.
Charles A. Adams, an attorney, and
president of the Olympic Bicycle Club,
said yesterday afternoon: when the
Armstrong bill, requiring railroads to
carry bicycles free as baggage, was passed
in New York, looked into the law bear
ing on the subject to a considerable e1-
tent, and am of the opinion that bicycles
are baggage. Ny research extended back
to an English case in which the Chief
Justices of England decided that thing
carried for the comfort and convenience of
the passenger is baggage. For instance.
an easel would be baggage for an artist,
but not for sportsman. and gun would
be baggage for sportsman, but not for an
artist Thus you can see that a bicycle is
a comfort and convenience for a wheel
man. 1 am of the opinion that our
Supreme Court would hold that bicycle
is baggage"
Have any provisions been made for q
test case in order to bring the question
before the Supreme CourtP"
None that / am aware of. You see
nobody wants to spend his time and
money fighting the Southern Pacific.
81 did not know of this decision of the
Southern Pacific until we were coming in
on the train from Stockton last night.
Some of the Olympics went out there
Yesterday. We all decided to boycott the
Southern Pacific. We will make our runs
up in Marin County. The roads are good
up that wav for a very long distance. On
the other side of the bay we will go up the
Sonoma Valley and patronize the Stetson
road, the North Pacific Coast, which does
not charge for bicycles. The roads are
good UP that way, also. We shall not
lack for room at all, and l think the
Southern Pacific Railroad Company will
not make much money by requiring wheel
men to pay for carrying their wheels. If
the wheelmen will stick together politi-
cally, and in this instance as there is a
personal interest at stake l am inclined to
think they may, and undertake to prevent
the election of any man to the Legislature
who is opposed to giving the wheelmen
their rights, we can accomplish some
thing. L believe they have already under
taken this in the organization OF wheel
mems municipal league"
R. l.. Radke, president of the Imperial
Bicycle Club, said: I'VE don't have to
cross the bay to get to San Jose. We can
go around the other way, you know. We
don't have to patroniZe the Southern
Pacific. There are others. Between 700
anu 1000 wheelmen go over on the ferries
to Oakland every Sunday. Yes l have
heard some talk of an opposition ferry
line and / know the wheelmen would
patronize it. l think they would stick to-
gether better than the general public did
in its patronage of the Davie ferry, which
was not patronized after 1t had compelled
the Southern Pacific to reduce the ferry
fare to ten cents.
Politically we can accomplish great
DEAL" he said. "It is estimated that there
are 1900 people in San Francisco who
ride bicycles and the mber in the State
is probably about &c, 900. That numb Der of
men, with their personal, political and
business influence with others, ought to be
a considerable political power and prevent
the election of men to the Legislature who
are opposed to the passage of bill COM
pelling railroads to carry bicycles free as
baggage, as is done in the State of New
York. The Wheelmen's Municipal
I I nd toll fhox
ter up in connection with its work for good
roads and good Streets"
Judge Frank Ii. Kerrigan, who is chief
consul of the L. A. W. Cor the Northern
Division of California, in giving his views
on the coming contest between the wheel
men and the Southern Pacific of Ken
lucky, and speaking for the organization
of which he is the head, said substan-
tally:
1.-THE railroad company could not have
thrown down the gauntlet at a more op-
perfume time. 1t will cause the wheelmen
TO assume the aggressive political and
take steps to protect their rights.
There are 100 local branch consuls in
the Northern Division of this State,' he
continued, land among the members of
this organization are many repre-
sentative citizens, Senators and pros
pective Assemblymen, besides we'll
known business men and active politi-
CldnSs All OF LneSe Will see TO IL Ilat a
bill, similar to the Armstrong bill, which
has become law in the State of New
York, will be introduced at the next
meeting of the Legislature. This will
classify bicycles as merchandise and en-
title passenger to carry with him the
usual weight by virtue of his ticket. As it
is now there is no fixed rule even between
any two towns in this State.
"For instance, a wheelman is charged
nothing for the Carr1aQa 0f his Whoal
between San Francisco and San Jose, but
between Monterey and San Francisco the
charge is 65 cents. and between Monterey
and San Jose 40 cents. Thus it will be
seen that the railroad company do the
squeezing act when and wherever they
think the people will submit without
murmur."
At a meeting of the board of directors, at
which Chief Consul F. H. Kerrigan, Vice.
Consul III. T. Winn, Secretary and Treas
urer Stanley g. Scovern and others, were
present, it was decided to call a meeting