The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-02-26
CYCLING NEWS.
LEA G UE or 4 lfERICAN WI EELMEN
CONGR4TULATED
of the Cycle Racing De-
pnrtment VIII Result In Incrcas Il
Membership Almost Immediately.

phftmeni VIII Result In Incrcns (
| Membership Almost Immediately.
From Maine to California and from
the lakes to the gulf the press congratu-
lates the League Of American Wheel
men upon it's divorce from cycle rae
ing. For four years the question OF
Whether the League should discontinue
It's control Of racing department hae
agltated the organization and wheel
men generally. During the past veal
the question assumed an acute stage
owing to the opposition of purely rae
ing body and because of the stand talk
en- against the department by many Of
the leaders of the League. The state
ment was repeatedly made that racing
troubles were the cause of the decline
in League membership, and that if the
National Assembly discontinued this
feature the organization would receive
many applications from wheemen who
take greater interest in the more digni-
fled objects of the League, such as high
way Improvement, securing Of wheel
mems rights and privileges, hotel ac
cancellations, road maps, and touring IA
cilities and the many other objects for
which the l.. A. w. has been constantly
striving.
Since the Assembly almost unan-
mously decided to drop the racing de-
partment those who have constantly OPP
posed 1t as well as those who favored
it have congratulated the, League and
freely predict that the organization viii
Immediately feel the effect OF the action.
In the centres of population this effect
is already being felt, and it will prob
ably soon extend itself to the other 10
calities of the country. The larger cities
have usually taken the lead in League
recruiting, and as they have been the
most opposed to racing 1t is natural to
suppose they will be the first to show
the favorable effect of the action.
Milwaukee Preparing to Meet
Now that it has been definitely de-
cided that the l.. A. w. national meet
will be held in Milwaukee this summer,
the wheelmen of that city are making
active preparations for the reception
and entertainment of the prospective
guests. The Citizens Business League,
of Milwaukee, is cooperating with the
Wisconsin Division of the l.. A. W. and
the result should be one of the most
successful meets in the history of the
League. Milwaukee has been extending
an invitation to the League chiefly
through r. P. Van Vakenburg, for the
past two years, and now that the
League has given its official acceptance
the Milwaukee city may be depended
upon to do the honors in BETTING fash
ion.
A Net Work of Side-Pa
In line with ite good roads work the
League of American Wheelmen will
place all its machinery of agitation into
the movement for side-paths, where en-
tire good roads are not Immediately |
practical Under the leadership of the |
League hundreds of miles of these
paths have been built during the past !
year, and hundreds of thousands Of dol
lars have been spent in their construc-
ton. In the State of New York alone
nearly 100000 We're collected for eide
path building, and much of 1T has al
ready been expended. The New York
division of the l.. A. w. is to be credited
with the introduction and passage OF
this bill and for the good work follow
ing. A similar bill was passed by the !
Pennsylvania division, and other States
are following the lead thus given. So
successful has been this project thus
far that it is freely predicted that many
of the States will be a network of the
paths within short time.
While all of this good work has been
done by the l.. A. W. during the past
year, much more will be accomplished
during the present year, for the organi-
cation has learned by the year the les
sons of experience and will be able to
improve it's work in every direction
Thia is question which Is of the ut
most Importance to every bicycle rider,
for the building of paths, when UNDER
taken in an organized way, Is very sim
pie and easily accomplished. But it Is
necessary for greatest success to have
united effort, and the League expects
many recruits to its ranks from this
work alone. If 1t secures them the
,ide-path movement will assume proper
ions which will be almost astounding.
Good Roads for Government Office.
For several years the Department Of
Agriculture has maintained an office of
Dad inquiry, upon which devoved the
luty of circulating and collecting in {
ormation regarding the good roads
movement in this country. The office !
las had only very small appropria- ,
ion; so email, In fact, that contributions ,
or it's support have had to be made by +
hose interested in it's maintenance. This q
of affairs is one Of which the !,
government should be ashamed in view
+ the progress made in the same direc- ,
ion by several of the European gov n
rnments. !,
At the present time this office is with
ut even a competent head, General q
Roy Stone having left the dictatorship +
acant. These facts were called to the n
ttention of the Government in resolu- n
ions passed by the l.. A. W. Assembly, c
which follow: II
Resolved, BY the National Assembly n
the League of American Wheelmen, u
hat we heartily recommend the passage n
f the bill now pending in Congress y
laking larger appropriations for the
!. s. Office of Road inquiry, to enable ~
to be permanently established, and ri
BILE to respond to the calls continually n
lade upon it fop educational assistance II
it's field of work in the interest of n
merican agriculture. I'll
We respectfully urge that the selection o.
new director of said office should
e made on the basis of fitness alone, n
nd recommend as the best available
ian for the position. Mr.. Otto Dorner. =
NTil,yai,l-aa Iybp for wears leVOt- |