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Show - , ( the wheelmen protest. They Think They Were ot Treated Fairly hy the Council. Some of the Salt Lake wheelmen have a griovance at the city council, which laid their petition for sidewalk riding on tho tablo last night without action. They claim tho document should have been considered, aud in support of the assertion submit the petition as follows: The Hon. Mayor and the City Council, Salt Lake City, Utah: Gentlemen It having come to our unUer-HtandliiR unUer-HtandliiR that your honorable body anticipate executing an ordinance curtailing the privileges privi-leges of wheelmen, especially in regard to riding rid-ing upon the sidewalks, we wish to protest against t he same aud otter the following, as we think valid reasons for such protest: First Our sidewalks are broad and unoccupied, unoccu-pied, (compared with other cities). Second Our streets are, for many months tn the year, very muddy aud unrideable and for other months dusty and rutty. Third Any wheelman prefers the street when it is rldcable as the gutters of the side walk are very destructive to the machine, and we think when the pavements are completed will do away with sidewalk riding without tho enactment of any ordinance. Fourth So far as any harm resulting from riding among pedestrians we would call your attention to the fact that in tho past ten years no one has been seriously hurt. In fact no one lias lost a day by any injury resulting from collision with a bicycle (except perhaps the bicycler bi-cycler himself). If there is any danger It is ten to one that it will be the wheetman. Fifth The fraternity of wheelmen of this city represent an intelligent and law abiding class no class of people stand higher in this or any part of the -world. They are men and women helping to build up the country, aud am not of the transient or evanescent order. They are here to Btay. Sixth If any harm should occur to any pedestrian pe-destrian by reason of tho carelessness of any wheelman though in view of past facts there is more damage to be apprehended from an open or closed umbrella the person Injured may at all times recover damages through the regular courts. As a matter of note, there has not been such a suit entered since wheelmen became a necessity in this city. Seventh The bicycle has become a great factor in social, political aud domestic economy. econ-omy. Not only hundreds but thousands, oven millions, of people now vide. Tho Germun army has several thousand enlisted wheelmen. England is looking to the same. Since tho invention in-vention of the ladles' bicycle many thousands of ladles put thorn to good use. They are much more adaptable, comfortable and enjoyable enjoy-able to a lady than the use of a horse would be aud are thus growing largely in public favor. To compel them to take our rough streets would deprive ladies of one of the greatest boons ever bestowed upon her in the way of a health-giving exercise. Women will raiue a race of men that will be glorious when the bicycle has been in use a hundred yoars. Eighth The Increase in the number of riders of the wheel means that each and all will strive to improve the roads. Their influence is materially felt now in the east. Ninth We desire to urge upon your minds that with the Improvement of streets sidewalk riding would be Instinctively abandoned, and until some Improvements are made we deem it an injustice to a large class of taxpayers to deprive de-prive us of riding where thero is so much room and so little if any harm. We consider that prejudice has often ruled in matters comparatively compara-tively new to the world when reason would not have curtailed privileges. We deem tt a matter mat-ter of mere Justice between man and man that no action be token iu this matter until we have further conference with your honorable body, or better that it be shelved entirely until the street improvements now in contemplation by the city are completed. This was signed hy twenty-eight wheelmen. |
