The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-04

asaielliis uilem py their with
checks attached, Just as checks are AZ.
tached to other baggage; and the only dis..
terminating feature Of this bill Walich
raises any question is the question Of
lariII. II is not whether we shall carry
rnem as baggage, but whether Or not we
VIII make the wheelmen pay Something
extra for That little 20-pound wheel.
Anotner remarkable feature that occurs
70 me Is that the railroad that carries
nine-tenths of the bicycles in this, State ID
not present by its officers or by any hired
attorneys. There is no feeling on the part
OF une wheelmen that they desire anything
unreasonable. If this bill Is not only rea-
sonable. but lawful also, the wheelmen do
not desire its passage. But 1t is lawful.
Inc reported cases of the common law
cases IN this country number about ESQ. In
winch What is baggage and what Is NOT
baggage has been covered. In more than
20 per Cent. Of the cases the railroad
companies have LOST. The courts Of this
country, have decided, as the courts of
England have decided, that what is bag
age depends upon the person travelling.
Coming down to the practical end of this
question. Is 1T reasonable? Fifteen years
ago every wheelman who rode a bicycle in
this country rode a big, awkward thing,
and there was not a railroad company In
the country but gladly took these big
wheels and carried them as baggage. And
they continued to do 1t down to within the
last Two years. About that time the happy
idea occurred to somebody in the, railroad
business that perhaps by imposing an ex-
ira charge upon the wheelmen the income
OF the railroad companies might be enor-
mousiy increased, and SO the charge has
been imposed ever since.
There Is q little railroad on Staten Is
iiand that aas made a specially of cater,
carry, bicycles without extra charge. IN
Esq, ~ betw y en- April and November, they
months last year they carried 45,i5s. and
that they carry bicycles without extra
charge. And they are making money,
James $. Allen. representing the Erie
Railroad Company. took the door to re-
ply to MT. Potter, when Mr.. Roll, who
T Treuton As said.a as well as any man in
na nWilI s the he g g,a.E please give his
la nySsyoq Ssa whG g wS|ls go tIae j0ks
subsidized Mr.. Allen went ON in the usual ad
STRAIN employed by the railroad men in all
tournament. He said he wanted time to
LOOK at the authorities presented by Mr..
k li Z mi,e especially eel the Missouri case.
State Of Missouri would justify such 4
decision whereas the common law and the
statutes Of New Jersey would MT JUSTIFY
aware, certainly my opponents are We'll
aware, that the word baggage,' as use,i IN
rasiroad parlance, has never been defined
- AN III L his state, 1T is sea roe
" mentioned In the railroad laws pub
iisned by Mr.. Grey in 1896. so that yh.ie
me courts of Missouri might say tfAt a
never nesxg'e defined Mas Wbat 6a because bee ! they nave
might add that the courts Of this
s soaee nave never said that q. railroad
mater tpaAe of n earryi nary Sag any has e ayese This
t mat mas grown up as a sort of conconli.-
taa t q railroad Il tratic, ana, if / may use
te y efj Besf u Is sort OF a railroad cour-
which they have madeEsnIsn-
qlo from their standpoint, not from nIIrs-
! would like to have time to consider the
me Erie carried during the last ten
10 oonmn, OF the year 1886 Something over
sz,ovo picyeies on its roads, and i presume
number. We viii give Won the erae+ go
ures and will endeavor to show what #
costs TO carry bicycles to enable Won to
see what It means in dollars and cents
lon operate ~ anat line OF traffic. This ques-
hese. been presented to this Legislatures
perore. There was a bill presented late
n the session last year, but it was not
VIII not oppose our request for a slight
adjournment, in order that we might
gument.'
Tor Herbert ". Knight of Newark made
q very spirited argument against the
p~ostponing of the hearing. 1--WE have
fair trs here m today he said, asking for
representing the opposition to orr Hill
coming before this committee, and. after
nearing all of u ammunition. asking
Ior an adjournment, is something IN
nearu OF. l say it is the most unfair
proposition that I ever heard in ali INV
practice in the courts during the last
twenty years. Every notice has been
given. Ine pubic press has been full of
the State. The committee met in nerfact
good faith. Expecting some of that rail
road courtesy that the gentleman smoke
OF, we went ahead n presented our
arguments, and 1t does seem most unfair
to ask for an adjournment. On behalf of
tne Wneelmen protest against this I'M
reasonable and unfair and unhesard of re-
guest. His reason for asking fol. this adj
JouInment IS for the purpose of training
their guns upon US and hurting our own
ammunition back at us. He seeks to con-
vey the idea hat he has no knowledge
OF the questions of law which lave been
brought out in argument. There is
not a lawyer in the State of New Jersey
that has not heard from the time he
began to know anything about law all
the questlons that We're contained in the
arguments. 1t is rudimental knowledge
IN law. We have not brought out any-
thing new. He says the Belts case NAV
nave been decided upon some. statute.
me decision states plainly that it was
decided upon common law, which ap-
plies to the breadth of the Union.
Chairman Roll held a brief consultation
with the members of the committee and
then laid great stress upon the fact that
the one desire of the committee was to
be fair and just to all sides. IF this COM
mittee." he said, ~..adjourns to give those
who are opposed to the bill a chance to
be heard again at any time and the wheel
men feel that they want to be heard
again we win give them ample oppor-
tunity. 1t is customary to adjourn to
give the opposition a chance to lie heard,
He then read a telegram from Counsellor
-Vredenburgh of the Pennsylvania Rail-
road asking for an adjournment; and,
added Mr.. Roll, II do not see how this
committee can do otherwise"
The wheelmen made one last attempt
to prevent the postponement of the hear.
ing, desiring the bill to be reported one
way or the other Monday night. but see
ing that things were against them. suc-.
ceeded in having the next hearing set
down for Wednesday, February II, which
is after the close of the general assembly
of the League at Albany.
The bill has certainly fallen upon
troublesome times.
TRINITY OHUROH'S REVEALS n
There was a large attendance III Trinity