The record-union., 1892-10-07
TWO LOCAL COMPLAINTS.

TWO LOCAL COMPLAINTS.
The inability of our city police force to
lind and arrest the men who drove furi-
ously through the chief business streets
OF Sacramento last Saturday in broad day
and were the means of injuring and very
nearly killing lady, into whose carriage
the drunken rowdies dashed, is humili-
ating.
If such an outrage, witnessed by scores
of people, can take place in the heart OF
the city, though the rascals were seen by
hundreds, imperiling life and limb as
they dashed along the streets and go
unatoned by the escape Of the perpetrators
and the failure to even ascertain from
what stable they procured the animal
they were maltreating, then there is some
excuse for the country officers and de-
tectives failing to capture Evans and
Sontag in the hills and fastnesses of a
sparsely settled and at times wholly wild
section of the country.
If our wives and children cannot in
broad daylight traverse and cross the
streets of the city without being ridden
down by drunken rowdies and manned
or killed by furious drivers it is full time
that the people knew it, that they may
organize force of specials to apprehend
and secure the punishment of the of
tenders
Notwithstanding and driving is getting
TO be common here simply because no
one is ever punished for the crime now
adays. NJ and n streets are frequently
turned into race course, and half-mile
dashes are run by riders, and quarter
mile clips and spurts driven by people
who appear to hold the ordinance and
laws in utter contempt, to say nothing of
the police.
Sacramento is essentially a driving
town. In the streets at all times of the
day and early evening are buggies, pha-
etons, carts and similar vehicles. driven
by women and children. Family car
riages, hacks, coupes, dog-carts, surreys.
road wagons and light buggies are every
hour to be seen moving here and there
along our handsome driving streets.
bearing youth and age from the homes of
our people. But every day or two there
dashes through these streets, to the terror
of all those who use the highways, men
who take the road and wreck every We
hicle that does not flee into cutters or the
side streets. Riders. boys and men, run
furious races up and down residence
streets; drunken dependents upon lewd
women escort their shame through the
avenues behind teams they cannot guide
and to whose sufferings they are insensi-
BILE.
1t is full time for the police to break the
record by making one lone arrest from
among the many offenders. No such ar
rest has been made in a long time so
long that reckless drivers have some war
rant for presuming that the operation OF
the law has been suspended.
There are needed about a half-dozen
lawful examples" at this time, in order
to inspire some respect for the decencies
of the road. While the police are think
ing the matter over, let them answer WHY
have not the men who committed last
Saturdays outrage been found? We
undertake to say that the newest of conn
try Constables would not be guilty of
confessing inability to locate such rascals
as those referred to.
There is one other matter in this con-
necIion that is worthy of a complaint.
and that is the complete ignoring of the
rights of pedestrians by a very large
class of drivers when turning corners,
No careful driver or decent one ever
rounds corner suddenly or at full speed.
1t is almost miraculous that more people
are not injured than there are by this bad
practice of whirling around street cor
ners. A pedestrian very frequently steps
upon a crossing with full faith that the
vehicle driven rapidly in the same direc-
ton he is going will keep upon its course
but it is suddenly whisked to the right or
left across his path, giving him barely
time TO fall back and escape a crushing.
This is an offense very common, and will
some day, if not checked, result in some
body being sent to prison for reckless
ness Of the grade of manslaughter. Let
drivers understand this: Pedestrians by
reason and by law have the first right at
crossings. They are not compelled by
law to go scurrying across the streets, or
TO dodge back and forth to accommodate
drivers. They have the right to cross de-
hberately, but no right to pause upon the
crossing. Horsemen have the right TO
drive st reasonable speed, the maximum