The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-07

rode oceanward estimated at 10000,
one-tenth being women-Police say
crowds were orderly, hut warnings sent
riders scurrying for bells.
"A Loyal L. A. W. Member" in
communication to last Sundays Her.
aid, took exceptions to the writer's ex-
pressed opinion that the l.. A. w. was
in very bad way and in a state of
disintegration. We cannot help but
believe that he is one of the few old
L. A. w. workers who have served the
old organization SO long that it has
| im5ued him with a feeling of affection
that blinds them to the signs of the
times and to the change which has
taken place in the organization since
it has abandoned the purposes for
which IL was organized, and degener-
ated into an organization controlled by
a lot of Offices seeking politicians, whose
sole end and aim seems to be to see
how much prestige and pap" they can
get out Of it, by automatically taxing
and filming and debating to the racing
fraternity without giving the men
themselves even a hearing or oppor-
tunity to suggest how they would like
to see racing conducted.
The primary objects and aims of the
J.. a. w. have all been lost sight of in
this disgraceful wrangle and squabble.
until all self-respecting members have
sheer disgust. We would like to in
quire of the loyal supporter" why it
is that the league has $4,000 less men,
bers than ii had one year ago? If the
L. A. w. is not going down the tobog-
gan at a hair-raising clip, why has the
membership of the Illinois division
dwindled down TO a paltry 2,20O mem
bers, and this in a state that has a
city of a million population and 100000
wheelmen? What has become of the
membership of our own division? We
do not believe that there are six mem
bers in the entire state of Utah whose
membership has expired in the past
six months that have renewed their
membership.
| The writer agrees with the loyal
supporter" entirely that the l.. A. w.
/ is not a racing organization, but that
it was organized for the purpose of
promoting the welfare of the wheel
men, building good roads, and in
general way TO promote the interests of
the cycling fraternity in every possible
way. Unfortunately. the trouble with
the wire-pulling politicians who con-
troll the machine is that they seem to
have lost sight of this fact entirely, and
therein lies the reason that unless the
whole outfit is ouSted and the l.. A. w.
washes its hands of the nasty mess it
has made of the racing business, and
goes back to the fulfillment of the
mission and purposes for which it was
organized, the L. a. w. will be nothing
but an unsavory memory, and that
within a very few months
1t is not too late to mend, and if the
few who are left within the ranks of
the League of American Wheelmen
will demand of it that it return to its
old original purposes, the writer will
be first among those who will be glad |
to return and help along the work
which has been entirely lost sight of
in the unseemly scramble to govern |
bicycle racing. to the utter disregard of |
every avowed purpose for which it was
organized.
Bicycle race control has no place |
among the functions of the L. A W.. !
and it has got to go. Blindly persist |
ent to all the best interests and good /
Of its membership. the league officials !
will not see the handwriting on the /
wall, even though all the flower of the /
l.. a. w. membership has given up in
disgust the hopes of 4 reformation.
Almost every trackowner in the east
has announced that there will be no
race meets held on their tracks under
the L. \. w. rules from henceforth.
and there is hardly a racing man of
note in the east or west who will ever
again acknowledge L. A. w. author
ity in race matters. The National Cy-
dSSOtldliOH VIII govern racing III
the east from now on, and such men
as Bald, Cooper, Mcfarland, Stevens.
Gardiner Kiser. Mertens, and Johnson
will be among the stars of the n. C. A
meet.
In the west, the California Associated
Cycling Clubs will have governing
control over racing. Every Pacific
coast state now practically ac-
knowledgeS no other racing au-
thority. These two organizations
are composed of members whose
sole interests lie in racing affairs The
riders are members, and the owners
of tracks have equal voice in governing
its affairs and outlining its policy. In
the natural fitness of things, such or
CARNATIONS are logically in better po-
sition to wisely conduct and control
racing than an organization whose
rules deny membership. voice and rep
resentation to the very men it seeks to
control and govern.
The proposed gigantic bicycle trust
now being engineered by a. G. Spald-
ing was progressing swImmingly until
the announcement was made by r. L.
Coleman. president of the Western
Wheel Works company, few days ago,
that the option on his big Chicago plant
which expired May l, would not be re-
Mr.. Spalding had no difficulty what
ever in securing options on all the !
largest bicycle plants in the country, !
and many of the parts manufacturing |
also willingly gave options OH ;
their factories. The majority of these !
options ran until June l. at which time | {
Mr. Spalding hoped TO be able to con- {
clude negotiations and to launch the
trust. 1t was expected that without
doubt the option on the Western Wheel {
Works plant could be extended until s
June l, and the announcement that Mr. I
Coleman had withdrawn from the pool
and would not consider an extension of
his option has caused CONSERVATION in {
the ranks of the remainder All manu- q
facturers. with the exception of Mr.
Coleman. were heartily in favor of the I
and much pressure has
been brought to bear upon him to re- t
his determination, but he has
remained obdurate. s
Mr.. Spalding, however. is undaunted,
and the appraisers are at work in the {
different factories, and it is expected
that by June l the trust will be an as !
sured fact. @
Just what effect this new trust will
nave upon the bicycle trade is a much c
disputed question, and Mr.. Spalding,
With his usual suave taciturnity, re C
uses to shed any light upon the sub
ect. Il
1t is naturally inferred. however that
much of the heavy expense of market u
ng bicycles Will be done away with
Less travellers will be employed, and n
agencies will probably be limited
One noticeable reform that will be
in case the trust is formed