Line 1.0.0 The bicycle has almost got into politics

Line 1.0.1 (says the S. M. Herald). The

Line 1.0.2 Legislative Assembly on Tuesday refused

Line 1.0.3 leave to introduce a bill to provide

Line 1.0.4 for the registration of bicycles.

Line 1.0.5 The House is to be commended on rejecting

Line 1.0.6 the question, if only as showing

Line 1.0.7 that it is not disposed to encourage

Line 1.0.8 fussy legislation. Why should bicycles

Line 1.0.9 be registered ? There is an overt

Line 1.0.10 and a covert reason. Ostensibly the

Line 1.0.11 object is to ensure the identification

Line 1.0.12 of any cyclist who may injure a

Line 1.0.13 pedestrian ; but behind thin praiseworthy

Line 1.0.14 regard for public safety lurks

Line 1.0.15 private interest. So many people find

Line 1.0.16 themselves affected by the present

Line 1.0.17 fashion of cycling that they have a

Line 1.0.18 very hearty illwill to the offending.

Line 1.0.19 vehicle. They would like to tax it out

Line 1.0.20 of use, if they dared to make such a

Line 1.0.21 proposition ; but they know that no

Line 1.0.22 public body would, save under actual

Line 1.0.23 compulsion, propose such a thing.

Line 1.0.24 Failing prohibition they are not un

Line 1.0.25 willing to harass the cyclist. They

Line 1.0.26 ask for continuous bells, for reducing

Line 1.0.27 pace to a funeral march, for compelling

Line 1.0.28 the cyclist to wear distinguishing numbers,

Line 1.0.29 or for requiring him to register

Line 1.0.30 his machine. In this spirit certain

Line 1.0.31 municipal authorities appear to question

Line 1.0.32 whether the rider of a bicycle has

Line 1.0.33 any right in the public thoroughfares.

Line 1.0.34 Some aldermen, for instance, complain

Line 1.0.35 of the damage done to their macadamised

Line 1.0.36 streets by pneumatic tires, but

Line 1.0.37 cyclists themselves are understood to

Line 1.0.38 complain the other way. Suppose it is

Line 1.0.39 admitted that for purposes of public

Line 1.0.40 control bicycles ought to be registered,

Line 1.0.41 is it the affair of Parliament, to give

Line 1.0.42 its attention to the matter, or is it not

Line 1.0.43 rather the province of the municipal

Line 1.0.44 bodies and the police to prevent the

Line 1.0.45 abuse of bicycling ? It is satisfactory

Line 1.0.46 to find Parliament sensible of its own