Omaha daily bee., 1898-12-18
wheeling GOSSIP.
Madison Square show, L.. A. W. Poll
tics and Other Interesting
Matters.

The six-day bicycle race In Madison
Square Garden is a fruitful text for news
paper moralizing on the degeneracy Of bicy-
Gle sport. 1t is condemned as a brutal!zing
exhibition, q useless test Of endurance, q
perversion Of sport to Mammon. But the
critics overlook the fact that while critics.
ing the show they doomed 1t with columns
Of details and contributed to the success Of
what they now condemn. The almighty
dollar is an essential Ingredient Of every
show, good or bad. 1t is q necessary ele-
ment in college foot ball, in "scie3:'hc"
boxing matches, as we'll as In cycling con-
tests. In this respect The show ~as a
great success. The promoters divided rbout
$25, 900. Miller pocketed $1,000. and the
trainers sums ranging from 1000 down to
500. AS a tournament Of science" 1t
was not wholly without lessons. Miller
and Lawson demonstrated that they could
ride while asleep; Waller broke four scant-
lings without breaking his "~slats;' an
other blackened the eyes Of his trainer as
a diversion. Other scientific points Of
minor importance were brought out and
the Unlocking scientists made happy. So
were the promoters and the winners.
League politics Is growing warm. 1t Is
announced that Potter Is out Of the race
for reelection to the presidency. Right on
the heels Of the announcement Pennsyl-
vania selected a delegation solid for Keenan,.
keenan, appears without q competitor in the
race. The rest Of the slated ticket, as pub
lsihed In this column last week, remains
unchanged. The question Of dropping race
control Is receiving serious consideration.
The probabilities are In favor OF discontinue
ing control, for the reason that league con-
troll 10 90 weakened that its continuance
would be folly. Members Of the racing
board admit as much, though they hope by
some means to regain Il. The New York
Times says the west will support 1t at the
assembly, but that the eastern vote will be
sufncient to r%elinquish control. The best
proof Of the approaching end Of race con-
troll by the league is furnished by Chairman
Motifs latest bulletin. The wonderful docu-
.ment teens with the dollar mark from be-
ginning to end, and the foreigners distorted
ideas Of this country's wealth receives an
other verifcation Of the popular fallacy,
after q perusal Of the budget. Five thou
sand dollars In fnes Is imposed on promi-
nent amateur and professional riders who
took part In the races held in Madison
Square Garden, New York City. during the
past week. The board surely doesn't ex-
pect to collect all this money, but the men
transgressed the rules, and Albert Mott
didn't do a thing to them. How many rae
ing mon are losing sleep over this latest
move OF the fearless chairman has not been
discovered yet, but In the years to come
Mr.. Mott will be able to tell how he nearly
made . lot Of money for the league, Just
as the little boy who rushed breathlessly
into his home one day and told his mother
how he nearly had a horse that was feeding
in a pasture near by, because its owner
had told him 1t was his II he could catch 1t.
The report Of the captain Of the Paramount
Park Guards. Philadelphia, as to the num-
Der Of bicycles that entered the park In
1898 rather confirms the report of the Penn
sylvania state railway commissioner as to
the falling off in the popularity Of the wheel.
This does not necessarily mean that the
sport Is on a permanent decline, but more
likely Is evidence that those who took 1t up
as a fad have begun to drop out Of the
ranks. September OF this year shows a fall
ing of of 1888. as compared with Sep
TENDER, 1897; october. a falling of Of 2S, 1872,
and November. 1924. This last nearly
halves the number Of wheels Of November,
1897. S4.525.
The interest in cycling is evidenced by the
number of spaces that have been taken for
the cycle show at Madison Square Garden,
New York City. next month. Two-thirds Of
the area devoted to the exhibition have been
contracted for and 1t Is said only a half
hundred on the ground floor remain unsold.
For these more than enough inquiries have
been sent to insure the sale OF the balance.
Many OF the principal manufacturers Of
wheels have secured space and so have the
makers OF accessories and parts. Horseless
carriages will form a considerable part Of
the exhibition.
A young Englishman named Albert Towner
announces that he has determined to UNDER
take the task, in which Teddy Edwards