From 2.10 to Two Minutes and Better 19 



by the use of a wind-shield, and by resort to ball- 

 bearing axles. 



When Mr. R. E. Bonner sent the protest to me 

 for an opinion, I, in substance, replied that I did 

 not believe that Mr. Billings was a party to the 

 concealing of the use of ball-bearing axles on the 

 sulky of Lou Dillon ; that unreflecting employees 

 of that gentleman should be held responsible for 

 this action ; that the major point at issue was not 

 ball-bearing axles, but the use of a dirt-shield and 

 a pace-maker in front. The judges of racing can- 

 not discriminate between high- wheel and low- 

 wheel sulkies. Each manufacturer has his own 

 ideas, and competition is open to all builders. If 

 one high wheel is lighter and less friction-produc- 

 ing than another, you cannot impose a handicap 

 on the man who is shrewd enough to take advan- 

 tage of it. There is a marked difference between 

 the speed-contributing power of an old-fashioned 

 high-wheel sulky and the up-to-date bicycle sulky ; 

 but if a man has a horse properly entered in a 

 race and is not so fortunate as to own a ball- 

 bearing bicycle, you cannot refuse him the privi- 

 lege of starting to high wheel, unless you take the 

 ground that the handicap is self-imposed for a 

 fraudulent purpose. Under registration rules 



