Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-09
LEAWTT GIVES
UP RACE HOPES
STEARNS FINALLY REFUSES
TO RISK MONEY
SHOWS ENTIRE UNWILLlNGNESS
!, TO RACE 500 MILES
Opinion of Dealers Is That Stearns
Would Have Been Wise to Have
Risked Wager, Even Though
Losing

With the decision of Ralph j. LeaVitt
to entirely drop all further negotiations
with the Stearns officials looking 10 a
match race, as a return or consolation
to the Stearns, following it's defeat by
the Locomobile four weeks ago, all nope
of that event has gone glimmering.
Leavitt exhaused every effort in his
mower to bring about the match, but, as
stated in these columns a week ago, the
Stearns SHE'D away from race with
the Iocomobile SO long as LeaVltt IN
sisted upon the one condition OF oOO
miles.
I,eayitt yielded his demand for 300
mile race with the Stearns car at the
time the two machines met at Ascot,
meeting the demands of the Stearns Tor
a 15O-mile contest. At the close or the
race and after the Locomobile mad de-
feated the Stearns, LeaVitt announced
very promptly that he would grant the
Stearns a return match, the only con-
dition of which should be that 1t should
he at his distance, he, as victor, claim
ing the right to make that demand.
Manager Gordon of the Stearns seemed
to agree that this contention was per-
fectly fair by as promptly agreeing 10
give Leavitt the 500 miles that he de-
manded.
Now. for some unknown or uneX-
plained reason, the Stearns VIII not
consider the question of a 50O-nile race
and failed to cover Leavitts $4,000 in
hard cash when the latter planked IL
down one day the past week In the
offices of the Stearns. This failure or
the Stearns people to meet LeaVitt at
his pet distance. aside from proving a
distinct disappointment to the pupllc,
who looked forward to the race, mas
the effect in spirit, if not in letter, OF
confirming Leavitt's original asser-
tions that the Stearns would not care
to race him for the longer distance. 1t
is the opinion of many automobile men
that it would have been far better for
the Stearns to have met LeaVitts de-
mands and risked the $4,000 which he
offered to cover, even though they
eventually lost the race, rather than
not to have covered LeaVitts money
and thus have forced themselves into
the position of being afraid to back
their car for the amount that they
charge the public in case of sale.
The entire matter presents moral IN
automobile wagers and raises the ques-
tion of whether it would not be better
for n dealer to never discuss a race or
to offer large bet unless he stood Will
ing to go through to the end, as other-
wise the public is quite apt to get the
impression that the dealer has not that
full confidence in his car when he
talks racing, as he processes to have
when offering the car for sale to the
public.
Ieavitt has never belittled the
Stearns car but has always claimed
that the Stearns could not stand the
hard grind of a 500-mile race with the
same immunity from breaking parts of
engine or chassis as the Locomobile
can, and just because of this claim the
failure of the Stearns to come to the
scratch and risk their money, even
though they lost it, has the effect-un-
conscious, perhaps-of leading the pub
lie to feel that Leavitt was right all the
time.