Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-03-02
OLD BIKE DAYS
WERE RECALLED
JOLLY MEETING IS HELD OF
M0T0RCYCLISTS
JACK PRINCE JOINS THE CLUB AS
A MEMBER
Good Feeling Runs High and Scenes
of other Days Are Recalled by
thuslasm of New Genera=
ton of Riders

III
Monday night meeting of the Los An
geles motorcycle club last evening, at
the clubhouse at the corner of Twenty
third and San Pedro streets, which
| was not unlike q recrudence OF bike
| days" of a generation ago, when en-
| tire communities went bicycle mad and
clubs by thousands We're organized all
| over the country.
Nearly a hundred members we're
present at the meeting and stice of an
unusual order was given 1t by the
presence of that old war-horse or the
| cinder path of nearly two generations
| ago, Jack Prince, at one time the UNI
beaten champion of the world on the
high Wheel"
Business and Pleasure Mix
1t was a business meeting. but bust
ness was made to stand aside at any
time that something for the good or
the club was proposed, and this order
of business seemed to be in order when
ever anyone happened to think OF II.
The result was that good feeling ran
high and the members congratulated
themselves for an hour after the meet
ing was over, while discussing coffee
and sinkers,' upon the hearty sue
cess of the evenings gathering.
The thing that suggested itself to
the veriest lay person present was tnat
1t seemed incredible that any member
of so we'll organized so well conducted
and so enthusiastic a club would alb
sent himself from any regular meeting,
which means so much to motorcycling
In general and the best interests or
motorcyclists in particular, and this
idea doubtless accounted for the read
ing of two score names OF delinquent
due payers.
\
cations received 1t is apparent that,
despite that dropping away of few
lukewarm members, the club Is about
to undergo a rapid growth in member
ship. The club already outnumbers
nearly every similar organization in
the United States and 1t is no flight
of fancy to predict that within another
year the spectacle of a thousand or
more members in uniform will be seen
scurrying through the streets of Los
Angeles on their little speed annihi-
lators, headed for rural byways on their
regular club runs.
Jack Prince, Kreamer, the speedy
French professional who will race on
the new Coliseum saucer track; Arthur
Mitchell, the N. S. U. crack, and
number of others were admitted to
membership and all the new members
responded to calls with brief speeches
which tended to heighten the enuthsi-
asm, Prince especially was given
hearty rounds of applause as he re-
counted his old racing days on the nigh
wheel and his first trip to America 10
meet the cracks on this side OF the
pond.
He saw. he said, marked similarity
between old club meetings he attended
| in those days and the meeting OF last
night of a newer generation, who Will
some day be the pioneers In motor
cycle development. He pledged the club
everything he had, except the clothes
on his back, in advancing the clubs
interests, and the club returned the
compliment by voting to visit the new
Coliseum on it's opening day, March IA,
in a body, making the saucer track the
destination of a short ribbon" run for
that day. Prince promised to reserve
portion of the new grand stand for
the benefit of the club members and
their wives. and also promised to have
new motorcycle in a couple of weeks.
Jake De Rozier, the fact professional
rider of the Indian motorcycle. and his
amateur teammate, Fred Huyck, were
present at the meeting, as was also
Arthur Mitchell, the N. S. u. Pro;
Paul Derkum the idol of Pacific coast
motorcycle fans, and Raymond Sey-
mour, the fast amateur standard bear
err of the Reading Standard.
Garfield the New President
One of the most important matters
of the evening was the election of a
new president in the person of Harry
e. Garfield, to succeed retiring Presi-
dent J. H. Shafer, who has been COM
PEELED to lay down his duties as head of
the organization in accepting position
on the police force of the CITY. Shafer
has made a very popular officer, and
was rendered an ovation every thine
he arose to his feet. Garfield has been
hard and unselfish worker In pro-
noting the clubs interests. and will
doubtless make an ideal president, pos
sessing the confidence and good will of
every member of the club.
Another important matter disposed OF
by the meeting was the appointment of
committee to arrange for the annual
endurance run to San Diego and re-
turn on May 30 and 81, the committee
consisting of Harry Lightcap, o. ID.
Stanton, James Carney, E. Schalmzued
and Frank Mcbride. This run is for
points, as we'll as ribbons. controls / D.
ing distributed along the line of race to
check the riders and to time them, the
riders being penalized in every case
where they fall below or exceed tn time
schedule arrangd by the committee.
The committee will report at subse-
quent meeting the conditions to govern
the run.
Going tor New members
Many matters were brought UP look
ing to the increasing of the member
ship, and detailed plan will be worked
out by means of which 1t is hoped that
all dealers will cooperate more closely
with the club in interesting the new
buyers of motorcycles in joining the
club and to in other ways bring a
closer membership between dealers and
riders
One instance was brought up where
a certain dealer had arranged club
run of riders of his particular machine
for the same day that the club run had
been scheduled, thus bringing about
conflict in attendance on the part OF
the clubs run which certain members
did not think was entirely right. The
dealer In questian had his defenders
however, and the incident was treated
as an incident which was not Intended
as a counter attraction, but merely a
tapping of dates through ignorance of
the plans of the club.