Fast Digs Update: Trouble with the LAW
Before it had attained a year in age, the operators of the Santa Monica track, as well as many racers and officials who competed, or judged races at the coastal city, found themselves in conflict with the League of American Wheelmen (LAW), the governing body for racing in the United States at that time.
At the heart of the matter was the decision of the track to hold Sunday races in direct opposition of L.A.W. rules. In 1896 the desire to hold races on Sunday was a growing concern. Tracks and racers, principally in the western and southern states, were advocating for a change to L.A.W. regulations that would allow races to take place on regional bases. It was a classic case of state versus national rights.
While many of the tracks in California, including those at Bakersfield, Santa Barbara, Sacramento, Stockton, Alameda, and San Francisco, were supportive of Sunday racing, none were willing to confront the L.A.W. until the following year. In early August 1896 cyclists in southern California took the unique and bold step of forming their own racing league - the Wheelmen's Racing League and, to give substance to their rebellion, they leased the Southern Pacific track at Santa Monica where the W.R.L. could hold its own races.
The organizers at the Santa Monica track held their first Sunday meet on the 16th of August 1896. Those who raced, among them many of Los Angeles's most competitive racers, were given an immediate one-year suspension. Those racers were William M. Aldridge, Arthur Griffin, W. H. Hatton, F. W. Holbrook, W. J. Hutton, Charles Miller, J. L. Standefer, W. A. Taylor, Emil Ulbricht, and Clyde Washburn. In addition J. Phil Percival, Thomas McAleer, James Ryan, and Fay Stephenson were handed year-long suspensions for their role in officiating. A few weeks later the list of riders was expanded to include Phil Kitchin, Charles W.Stimson, F. A. Bell, A. D. Tompkins, James W. Cowan, Godfrey Schmidt, and W. Harmon. T. Q. Hall was given a one-year suspension for officiating, while the suspensions of Percival, McAleer, and Ryan were made permanent. While those racers were willing to put their racing careers on the line, there were far more who were not, and thus with only the same dozen, or so, men competing each week, the numbers of spectators continued to decline for each of the first three racing weekends.
At the end of October 1896, the L.A.W. withdrew the rights of both the Southern Pacific Track at Santa Monica and the track at Los Angeles Agricultural Park to hold sanctioned races. While the Santa Monica track had by then been in the crosshairs of the L.A.W. for two months, this is the first reference to Agricultural Park and, at this time, there is no indication as to the reason.
At the beginning of November Ulbricht traveled to San Francisco, but was denied racing privileges there due to his suspension. This is interesting because of what would happen in the northern part of the state in the first half of 1897.
By early February in 1897 the Sunday Rebellion had spread; riders in St. Louis, Missouri had formed their own League of Independent Wheelmen, and the desire for Sunday racing was so widespread across the state that its delegates to the upcoming L.A.W. annual convention were instructed to vote in favor of permitting racing on Sundays. When, in mid-February, the question came to a vote it was defeated 77 to 161 and, perhaps most interesting, and in a seeming rebuke of its members, the four delegates from southern California voted not to allow Sunday racing, one citing as reason, the possibility of public displeasure, even though the same public had already embraced Sunday entertainments such as theatre and other sporting events.
From this point on, the lead in pursuing the change (the debate now shifted to allowing individual districts to determine whether or not to allow racing on Sundays) fell to northern California. Robert Welch and Frank Kerrigan: "We do not see how a division of the L.A.W. racing interests can be avoided, now that the question of Sunday racing has been so disastrously settled for the coming season... and the fact of the matter is that we do not advise the tracks of Northern California or the west to stay in the league... Now it is a case that lies with the track owners of the great west, and we think they will at once make preparations to go out of the league."
If the racers in the northern part of the state were to succeed in their pursuit they would be doing so without support from the south. Though Santa Monica was the only track to actively embrace the idea, the declining numbers of spectators there was pointed to as evidence of the failure of Sunday racing (other factors, most notably the limited number of racers willing to risk suspension, likely played in equal, if not greater, role). While many districts were in favor of being allowed to race on Sundays, none other than northern California, St. Louis, and Minnesota were willing to break from the L.A.W. Never-the-less, at the beginning of April, claiming to assume control of all track and road racing within the state, the California Associated Cycle clubs was formed in direct opposition to the L.A.W.; all member clubs came from the northern part of the state - Acme Club Wheelmen, Alameda Cyclers, Bay City Wheelmen, California Cycling club, Capital City Wheelmen, East Oakland Wheelmen, Garden City Cyclers, Golden Gate Cycling Club, Imperial Cycling Club, Mountain View Cyclers, Olympic Cyclers, Pathfinder Bicycle Club, Reliance Wheelmen, and the San Francisco Road Club.
The C.A.C., and under the direction of chairman R. M. Welch, immediately set to work and in early May 1897 restored sanction privileges to the tracks at both Santa Monica, and Los Angeles Agricultural Park. The first to take advantage of this was well known Chicago trainer, Frank Lyman, who organized Decoration Day races at Agricultural Park. A successful meet would, it was reported, confirm the potential of Sunday racing, and lead to the construction of a new board track, with electric lighting, in the city center area. But that is another story.
While many of the tracks in California, including those at Bakersfield, Santa Barbara, Sacramento, Stockton, Alameda, and San Francisco, were supportive of Sunday racing, none were willing to confront the L.A.W. until the following year. In early August 1896 cyclists in southern California took the unique and bold step of forming their own racing league - the Wheelmen's Racing League and, to give substance to their rebellion, they leased the Southern Pacific track at Santa Monica where the W.R.L. could hold its own races.
The organizers at the Santa Monica track held their first Sunday meet on the 16th of August 1896. Those who raced, among them many of Los Angeles's most competitive racers, were given an immediate one-year suspension. Those racers were William M. Aldridge, Arthur Griffin, W. H. Hatton, F. W. Holbrook, W. J. Hutton, Charles Miller, J. L. Standefer, W. A. Taylor, Emil Ulbricht, and Clyde Washburn. In addition J. Phil Percival, Thomas McAleer, James Ryan, and Fay Stephenson were handed year-long suspensions for their role in officiating. A few weeks later the list of riders was expanded to include Phil Kitchin, Charles W.Stimson, F. A. Bell, A. D. Tompkins, James W. Cowan, Godfrey Schmidt, and W. Harmon. T. Q. Hall was given a one-year suspension for officiating, while the suspensions of Percival, McAleer, and Ryan were made permanent. While those racers were willing to put their racing careers on the line, there were far more who were not, and thus with only the same dozen, or so, men competing each week, the numbers of spectators continued to decline for each of the first three racing weekends.
At the end of October 1896, the L.A.W. withdrew the rights of both the Southern Pacific Track at Santa Monica and the track at Los Angeles Agricultural Park to hold sanctioned races. While the Santa Monica track had by then been in the crosshairs of the L.A.W. for two months, this is the first reference to Agricultural Park and, at this time, there is no indication as to the reason.
At the beginning of November Ulbricht traveled to San Francisco, but was denied racing privileges there due to his suspension. This is interesting because of what would happen in the northern part of the state in the first half of 1897.
By early February in 1897 the Sunday Rebellion had spread; riders in St. Louis, Missouri had formed their own League of Independent Wheelmen, and the desire for Sunday racing was so widespread across the state that its delegates to the upcoming L.A.W. annual convention were instructed to vote in favor of permitting racing on Sundays. When, in mid-February, the question came to a vote it was defeated 77 to 161 and, perhaps most interesting, and in a seeming rebuke of its members, the four delegates from southern California voted not to allow Sunday racing, one citing as reason, the possibility of public displeasure, even though the same public had already embraced Sunday entertainments such as theatre and other sporting events.
From this point on, the lead in pursuing the change (the debate now shifted to allowing individual districts to determine whether or not to allow racing on Sundays) fell to northern California. Robert Welch and Frank Kerrigan: "We do not see how a division of the L.A.W. racing interests can be avoided, now that the question of Sunday racing has been so disastrously settled for the coming season... and the fact of the matter is that we do not advise the tracks of Northern California or the west to stay in the league... Now it is a case that lies with the track owners of the great west, and we think they will at once make preparations to go out of the league."
If the racers in the northern part of the state were to succeed in their pursuit they would be doing so without support from the south. Though Santa Monica was the only track to actively embrace the idea, the declining numbers of spectators there was pointed to as evidence of the failure of Sunday racing (other factors, most notably the limited number of racers willing to risk suspension, likely played in equal, if not greater, role). While many districts were in favor of being allowed to race on Sundays, none other than northern California, St. Louis, and Minnesota were willing to break from the L.A.W. Never-the-less, at the beginning of April, claiming to assume control of all track and road racing within the state, the California Associated Cycle clubs was formed in direct opposition to the L.A.W.; all member clubs came from the northern part of the state - Acme Club Wheelmen, Alameda Cyclers, Bay City Wheelmen, California Cycling club, Capital City Wheelmen, East Oakland Wheelmen, Garden City Cyclers, Golden Gate Cycling Club, Imperial Cycling Club, Mountain View Cyclers, Olympic Cyclers, Pathfinder Bicycle Club, Reliance Wheelmen, and the San Francisco Road Club.
The C.A.C., and under the direction of chairman R. M. Welch, immediately set to work and in early May 1897 restored sanction privileges to the tracks at both Santa Monica, and Los Angeles Agricultural Park. The first to take advantage of this was well known Chicago trainer, Frank Lyman, who organized Decoration Day races at Agricultural Park. A successful meet would, it was reported, confirm the potential of Sunday racing, and lead to the construction of a new board track, with electric lighting, in the city center area. But that is another story.
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