Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-17
REVOLT AMONG
RACING DRIVERS
IS IN THE AIR
COMBINATION FORMED WILL
INSIST ON RECOGNITION
CLAIM GLORY is ALL RIGHT, BUT
COIN COUNTS
Breaking Neck on Track All Right,
Providing There Is Something
in Sight for the
Effort

II nEVOLT is written upon the pages
* of automobile history in the city
~ of Los Angeles today as it has
never been written before. There is
war in sight everywhere among the
drivers of racing cars, and remove the
racing drivers and you leave the track
as destitute of interest as the story of
Munchausen without the harmless lies
therein laid bare.
Quietly there has been a silent but
nevertheless transparent mutterlng
among the drivers of the cars that
have been doing the racing stunts at
Ascot park in the meets scheduled at
that place for some time and 1t remains
for The Herald, as usual, to give the
facts to the public, quietly as the mat
ter has been discussed among those
most interested. Keep 1t still,
whispers the fellow who does not wish
the public to know what is going on,
but The Herald is here to give the facts
to the public just as 1t finds them, re-
gardless as to how 1t may ut the inner
circles of mOtordom.
1t may create somewhat of a sensa-
tion to be advised this morning that
there is movement on foot among the
racing drivers of Los Angeles to take
a hand in the matter of racing them
selves, and to this end 1t is known
to this paper that a number OF these
men have considered the question as TO
concerted action among them for q
specific understanding as to where they
get off, to put il Vulgarly, in the pro-
ceeds of the meets that are pulled OF
at Ascot park
1t is known to The Herald that sew
eral of the most renowned of the track
men have met in secret conclaVe ana
declared that as they take the nam
risk of life and limb every time they
appear on the track they are entitled
to more than the announced emolu-
ments of the raving cards. That Is TO
say, that where a driver goes out ana
races for six hours, we will say, ana
the purse for the winner is $500, tne
other drivers receive nothing for their
part in the contest.
Let us see how this works out. on
last Sunday the Stearns, with Charlie
Soules, drove that car to the post with
the race to his credit, and Coney
Slaughter, prior to the race, said TO his
men vaIiantly: "I'll put in the car and
you boys can take all there Is in 1t In
prizes"
Splendidly done for Slaughter. for
that gentleman. through the magnffi-
cent showing of his car in that race,
has sold to waiting prospective buyers
eight cars this week, because they were
satisfied with the results of that event,
for the car had demonstrated to the
everlasting satisfaction of those who
were desirous of purchasing n car that
the machine was there in everything
that any human being could ack in the
way of mechanical skill and material.
But the drivers insist that they are
as large a part of the program as any
other part of the scheme of racing.
what would the race track be with
out the drivers of the cars to pilot
them around?" say the men who han
die the cars. 1--WE take the risk-all
the risk" say the men with the knowl-
edge of turning the course at a mile
minute gait, land what do we get
out of it, other than the prize money
offered to the man who comes in
first?"
TO this end a meeting Of those whose
names are most prominent in the world
of fast driving has been held and some
concerted action is being prepared
with the ultimatum that If there is
not some additional compensation COM
ing to the drivers other than the prize
offered there is to be no racing driver
take his place on a car on the track.
This question brings up problem,