The times., 1898-10-05
LASLEY'S LETTER.
In Which He Gives Reasons for
breaking Away From the l.. A. w.

breaking Away From the l.. A. w.
The Times is in receipt of the following
letter from Mr.. ]. d. Lasley. president of
the Park Cycle Club, which is addressed
to the public:
Il wish to say something in regard to
my actions in taking the initiative in
breaking away from the League of
American Wheelmen and the cause of
the Park Bicycle Club in refusing longer
to hold races under the rulings of this
body In the first place: Is it logical that
an organization-not even Incorporated
and surely not responsible-should con-
troll cycle racing in this country? The
aims of this organization, according TO
its constitution, are simply TO work for
the rights and protection of wheelmen,
and the furtherance' of the good roads
| movement. 1t has assumed the control
of racing for revenue only, and apparently
this revenue is for a select few only.
This revenue, on, account of the methods
used to gain it, is of no small proportion.
There has been an attempt al each
meeting of the organization for the past
three or four years, on the part of large
number of riders, 10 divorce racing from
the League of American wheelmen, but
the movement has been defeated each
time, largely through the efforts of this
select few who have been getting the bulk
of the money secured from racing
Il desire TO cite here case of rank
injustice, and show where a reputable
man has been injured by the League Of
American Wheeimen, and can get no re-
| dress on account of the League Of Ameri-
| can Wheelmen being an entirely irrespon-
sible organization. The owner of Berke-
ley Oval, New York City, is also the
| proprietor of the Berkeley School-a
! school attended by the sons of the best
/ people In that section. The oval, along
| with other tracks of the National Track
| Association, has been suspended by the
| League of American Wheelmen racing
| board for something with which the board
| should have had nothing TO do; in fact,
matter that belonged solely in the
| courts. 1t was not that the oval could
| not meet its just obligations, but in this
! instance the alleged debt was in dispute
Owing to the suspension of the oval the
! students of the Berkeley School have
| been unable to use the track for training
| purposes Parents of the students know
,, ing nothing Of the real circumstances. nat
| urally wondered If the school was in
financial distress, this inference being
perfectly logical. OF course, the proprie-
| tor of the school became somewhat
| wearied of the incessant inquiries. Were
| the body incorporated he could sue the
| League of American Wheelmen and un-
| doubtedly obtain heavy damages. AS it is
he can simply grin and bear the injus-
| tice.
with the New York division, the BAN
ner one of the league, in bankrupt con-
! of doll in oh
the futility of suit is plainly apparent.
Take the amount of fines the L. a. w.
has imposed upon the Park track-$l.OO0
and s., 500 on the racing men, 1t is sim
ply laughable. The racing board has been
successful heretofore in collecting all
such fines, but If they expect q mean the
select few to go to the Worlds Fair in
Paris in 1900 they win not get enough out
| of it to pay street car fare to the first
depot And another thing, the l.. A. w.
assumes to control the days on which
race meets shall be held, also denying
the right of track owners in the West to
hold race meets on Sundays, where the
laws of the locality allow all such inno-
cent amusements on that day. AS a mat
ter of fact, in the eastern portion of the
country the people do not want racing,
baseball etc. on Sunday, and l am glad
of it. But that is no reason why we OF
the East should tell our Western breth-
rem what they shall or shall not do.
And the pure league, posing as a rec
tifier(?) of public morals, will hold al
: their annual meetings the most unhoy
orgies With bathtubs full of whisky
: punch. etc, these rectifiers of the public
. morals-God save the word-ceIebrate
while the wicked racing men compete for
money.
1.-The men who have invested thousands
of dollars in bicycle tracks all over thi:
country have been compelled to sit by
!, and allow themselves to be bled by thi.
= pure( y organization for years. Now they
: have taken steps toward the bettering O.
: their condition. A call was issued a few
days ago to the track owners to hold
: meeting on Monday. October 10, at p. m
at the Broadway Central Hotel New
: York City, where they intend to formu
{ late plans and devise means whereof,
J. their money interests may be protected
I 1t is the intention of this body of mel
to form an organization something ol
the order of the National Trotting Asso
ciation or the American Jockey Club
that will take the control of.racing ou
. of the hands of the L. A. w In the frs
place the organization will be responsi
r BILE one, and further, they VIII place tn
!, sport first and the pecuniary part will fol
low In the control of the sport all par
y ties to the sport will have say, and a.
q interests VIII be consulted. The sport ca
s be made second to none, and conducte
on a broad basis, instead of with pea
:, nut idea 1t will thrive and flourish as
/. never has done under the mismanage
ment of the league-a body no longe
competent to direct such an extensiv
!, form of competition.
Now a word in defense of the racin
men, The first keynote of American iii
:. erty was sounded way back at the time {
. the Boston tea party, with the cry ,
taxation without representation This
surely the position of the racing man. +
e is compelled to pay registration fee
s. 81 more than the membership fee
the League of American Wheelmen. ar
% there are three or four thousand men WI
!. have done this; nice little sum for II
select few and still he is not allowed
|. become member of the organiza ito
l; Why? Because as a body they would 4
mand recognition that might not be