The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-03
GASpED FOR BREATH
REPRESENTATIVE GRONDAHES
BICYCLE BILL GETS ROUGH
TREATMENT IN THE HOUSE.
SAVED FROM UNTIMELY FATE
BY A REFERENCE BACK TO THE
STATESMAN FROM GOODHUE
COUNTY.
PROTECT ROADS OF THE FARMERS.
Judge LittIetOn and Representative
jacobson Were the Ones Who
Were Strong Opponents.
SAVED FROM UNTIMELY FATE
PROTECT ROADS OF THE FARMERS.

The farmers do not like bicycles;
they never have, and it will probably
be long time before they entirely
divorce themselves from the idea that
they are a 'tarnaI nuisance" 1t re-
manned for plucky little Jens Grondahl.
of Goodhue county, to introduce, early
In the session, a bill authorizing coun-
ty commissioners to lay out and con-
struct cycle paths along the side of
the highway, the funds to be furnished
not by the county but by private sub
scription. When it was introduced, the
comment was heard that it was incom-
plete as it stood, but Mr. Grondahl
proved he was right when he said that
at present all he could Aope for was
an entering wedge. The opposition was
apparently tremendous. The bill came
up on general orders yesterday, and
Mr.. Grondahl moved a favorable report
upon it.
The original intent of the bill was
to facilitate the construction Of q path
between Red Wing and Lake City, but
the weakness Of the bill lies in the
fact that there is no law at present
to protect a cycle path once built, and
what is more there is no definite au-
thority for it's construction. The bill
simply sought to permit the building
of such paths along the highway I'M
der the direction Of the county com
missioners.
Mr.. Grondahl followed his motion
with an extended explanation of the
growth and development Of the wheel
as a factor in the community, and
traced the law for the protection of
Wheelmen back to the time when the
bicycle had no rights which the horse
and wagon were called upon to re-
spect, through the various stages of
recognition by the courts up to the
present, when it is proposed to allow
the wheelmen to build road of their
own at the side Of the public highway,
provided they are willing to pay for it.
Mr. Meyers recommendation that such
paths should be built in the center Of
the highway met with no approval.
Mr.. Dahl, of Hennepin, declared in
favor Of the bill and offered an amend
ment to the effect that the expense be
borne by the county commissioners. In
support of his amendment, he cited the
TACT that the assessed valuation Of BIZ
cycles was far greater than that of all
the horses and carriages and wagons
in the state, and that as the bicyclists
paid large share Of the taxes they de-
served the consideration Of good roads.
The gallant champion of the farmer
who was to be irretrievably ruined by
having his fair acres girded about with
eXcellently made and kept paths, was
Representative Louis o. Foss, living
at Wendell, Grant county. He rose in
the Vehemence of his wrath at the pro
posed invasion and fought with all the
vigor and ability he possessed against
the measure. He entered a strong pro-
test against what he termed "this
sacred Gordon about his farm" He
magnified the provisions against the
willful and malicious injury to the cy-
Gle path into robbing the farmer Of his
rights, making plea which was al
most pathetic, and he plead for the
support Of his friends, the farmer mem
bers, who were afraid or the inroad Of
the athletic young man, his best girl
and their wheels.
Farmer Sloan, of Steele county, was
not to be stampeded by the sacred
GORDON" argument. Said he: 81 will be
glad to have some company Of bicyclists
build path along the side of my farm.
or all around it for that matter, and 1
don't ride a wheel either"
Henry Feig, himself also a farmer
proved to be a staunch supporter Of
the Dill which he said could in no pos
sIbIe way injure the farmers. With
proper encouragement instead of ig-
norant opposition he argued, the wheel
men would construct at their own ex-
penSe, paths which would be a boon to
the farmer when the roads were cut
wit J7faI.
was in favor Of the bills provisions.
Representative Mcdonald wanted the
bill so amended as to prevent "sc0rch-
ing" CT at least he wanted it fixed so
that the rider must slow down when
passing a pedestrian, and must also
sound a bell or give other adequate
warning Of his approach.
Up to this time, it was anybody's
light, with the ODDS slightly in favor
OF Mr.. Grondahl. But Judge Littleton,
who is no farmer, but a LAWYER. rose
with a copy of the printed bill in his
hand, and after explaining that he
had not before read it, declared that
as 1t stood. it contained provisions
which We're dangerous and would be a
menace to the farmers. He advised
them TO vote it down. Grondahls face
heightened at this, and when Represen-
tative Jacobson took his turn the Good
Mr.. jacobson is nothing if not empha-
tic. His words fell like honey on the
ears Of the farmers and seemed to add
the finishing touches to the killing
Judge LittletOn had started. Said Mr.
Jacobson:
''The biggest nuisance In any part
of the state are the bicycle riders. For
ten miles in every direction from any
village, these pestiferous persons
q hn1Un6 q TO
to the citizens. If the bill was to pro
vide for any needed paths near St.
Paul or Minneapolis or Red Wing, why
that would be all right, but to drag
all the farming country into i'll tell
you Its too prepoSterous If we pass
this bill all the grown folks will be
put to no end of Inconvenience by these
young men who want to ride their
wheels. It's getting pretty bad, and
after while. II we do not put a stop
to 1t, a farmer will be arrested If he
allows enc Of his COWS to look at a
cycle path" He would vote, he said,
for q bill which filled the needs Of the
larger cities but he could not listen
to this bill and felt sure 1t would never
become a law in its present form.
Representative Scott's motion that
the bill be recQmmitted to the commit
tee on general legislation brought forth
the plea from Representative Staples,
who had, before that, made an even
tempered speech in defense Of the bill,
speaking as a farmer, too, for he lives
on his farm in Dakota county. that it
would be unwise to recomnmt 1T to the
comrnittee from which it had been
favorably reported for passage. The
vote to recommend for passage by the
committee Of the whole was lost by
a vote Of As to A, and Mr.. Grondahls