The San Francisco call., 1897-02-24
Local Wheelmen Heartily
in Sympathy With the
Proposed Movement.
Secession and Independence
Is the New Cry, Adopted
Since the Convention.
If California Takes the Lead, She
Will Have the Support of
Many Sister States.

Among the cyclers and those interested
in the sport there was but one topic OF
conversation yesterday, and it was such a
satisfying morsel of gossip that none
seemed to tire of discussing it. They
talked of the League of American Wheel
men and the proposed secession of Cali
fornia and many other Western divisions.
The secession movement is gaining
friends here with every hour. The return
of r. NJ. Welch and mis- report of the un-
favorable and selfish legislation admins
tered by the National assembly has in
censed the local cycling leaders, and they
are anxious to take the initiative in a
movement to better the racing interests
here and elsewhere, with the full assur-
ance of hearty support from all the West
ern and many of the Southern and Central
States.
Great faith is placed in Mr.. Welch, and
rightly, too, and the wheelmen feel that
his view shall be theirs. He was the Or
ganizer of the California Division eleven
years ago, and has been actively con-
nected with it and has been indetatigable
in his efforts tor the general good of the
members ever since. He is known to be
fair, unbiased and impartial, and is not
O10 W pass 100 quickly 1HcE6-
fore when he returned here and told OF
the state of affairs in the East it needed
no confirmation, though such had been
received by several in the shape of private
letters from his fellow-delegate, Judge
Kerrig&n, who is still in New York.
Regarding what may be done, and to
show the feeling of other States besides
California over the action of the recent as
sem bly,, 1t may be opportuna to quote
here an editorial from the last issue of
Cycling West of Denver, one of the strong
est wheel papers published, and which
presents the sentiments of Colorado, Wy
oming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri,
Texas, Utah and the whole Northwest.
With no desire TO be sensational 1 cannot
resist the prophecy that the arrogance of the
Eastern L. A. w. contingent, as demonstrated
in the last assembly, will result in secession
on the part of the entire West, If not indeed,
OF the South as well. To be brutally frank
about 1t, the seeds OF rebellion sown in previ-
Gus diSepntent have already terminated in
the heat of natural resentment and the l.. A.
w. structure is crum bling in rottenness. The
New York and Massachusetts, coterie have
pressed their supercilious dominance too far
and the back OF the long suffering camel has
broken.
Will have sense as its fundamental basis with
q superstructure of equity, and, better still,
efficiency. league of wheelmen in which
the meantDges ehete. obsolete term "ama-
teur" win have no recognition. 1t will be q
white mans league; a league which will
recognize the sovereign right of every State TO
formulate its own regulations as to the hold
ing of Sunday races, contingent on the
desires of its own constituency. league
which will institute no star chambers of any
kind and a league which will from lis very In
ception control cycle racing in its entirety.
1t will be, primarily, an associated union of
State leagues under the general direction of
a National directorate. II will assume and
usurp no inequable power, no ludicrous arro-
gance of jurisdiction over any but those whom
| it has legal and moral right to govern. There
will be no imbecility and injustice of ''sus-
pension pending investigation of spiteful
charges. 1t will support no personal "offi-
cial" organ for the convenience of any edi-
tortal ass who lusts to inflict his opinionate
idiocy upon q suffering constituency. In
short, it viii have Incorporated none of the
senseless features which havesmade the L. A.
W. monstrosity butt for contumely and rid :
cule. The pretensions of the new league will
be no insult to every decent mans intelli-
gence. 1t will simply be what the L. A. w. is
not-an organization for the conservation and
prom otion of the interests of cycling in their
entirety.
The necessity of secession from any form OF
government is deplorable in itself The advis-
ability thereof is always more or less prob
lematical, but the results are always beneficial
when such secession leads to the elimination
of an abuse or the adjusting of q wrong
Human patience is an exceedingly circum-