The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-18
TsacE, the Scorchcrs a Lesson |!


Tsac!, the s,corchcrs Lesson!
So far as we know. Il legal decision
has never been rendered as To whether
Il pedestrian who is injured 10y bicycle !
propo He'd in violation Of y law which
the municipal authorities make no cl-
fort to enforce may no; claim damages
from the city. Yet from the laym2u'S
point Of view it would seem as If Su"h
Il claim might be successfully defended
in the courts. 1t certainly is III" duty
of the municipality to protect ped'S-
trians from defective sidewalks and pit
falls. The courts, indeed. have held
that the man who is injured by reason
of such Il nuisance may recover from
the city. which is presumed to see that
nuisances are not permitted to exist. Ii
seems reasonable to infer, therefore,
that the courts would apply the same
logic to the case Of the man who Is
run down by a scOrcher, upon the rea-
sonable presumption that it is the mu-
nicipality's business to prevent scorch-
ing.
If our surmise be correct, then the city
of Scranton is running Il serious iinan-
cal as well as a grave moral FISK in
making no apparent effort To- curb the
speed of careless local whculmen. The
city has passed an ordinance furbidding
the riding of bicycles ON much-travelcd
streets al a faster rate than eight miles
AN hour. Every rider who exceeds this
limit breaks a law and ought to be pun
ished lie has no more righ; to ride
at a faster paGe than the driver has to
do speeding in the principal streets.
Every time he goes beyond the legal
limit he imperils the safety of pedes-
trians, who have as good right to llNe
and breathe and be happy as he has.
Yet there is not an hour in the day nor
day in the week. not even excepting
Sunday, when this reasonable speed
limit is not ignored, often to the serious
menace q: those who yet venture to
walk abroad without first cncasing
themselves in testproOf suits OF armOr.
The growth of the bicycle habit has
invested this subject with real and live
importance. So Ions as only few per-
Sons rode wheels, the risks To pcdes-
trials from fast riding were not such
nsro "vclte special nterrs. 5ut now
adays aImos. every other resident Of
Scranton rides bicycle. There Is
scarcely il moment in the day when the
man. woman. or child who desires To
cross any one Of the chief huSincSS
thuruuehfares In the central city does
not have to wait Gol the chance 70 dart
nervousiy betwepm spinning wheels
propelled hy riders who imagine that
when they have sounded small bell
their whole duty tc pedestrians is dis
charged.
Coastlng down our steep hills is also
growing source Of danger. 1t is eX-
tremcly difficult even for a practtced
eye to gauge the rate Of cOastin%
wheelman's approach with sufficient ac-
curacy 70 enable its possessor to keep
sail out of the wheels way. In the
case of aged persons and children, the
coasting nuisance is doubly abomn-
able. 1t is almost miraculous that there
have hitherto been so few accidents
from this cause. The risk is such that
serious. parhaps fatal. accidents are
bound to occur sooner or later, If the
practice be not stopped, and it is out of
the question to suppose that the prac-
tice will be stopped unless vigorous
means he taken to stop it, So long as
the police take nc steps in the matter.
lust that long will reckless riders keep
up their criminal negligence, and just
that long will it he unsafe for the walk
ing citizen TO venture forth,
For two or three years the local press
has followed the moral suasion plan
of trying to coax scorchers not to
scorch. 1t has failed Scorching is rap
idly on the increase. The percentage of
careless riders may be small: hut the
steady growth which is taking place in
the whole number of wheelmen is bring
ing the careless fraction up to danger
ors proportions, and the only way to
reduce 1t is to apply the law. Those
riders who are law-abidinS and consid-
crate of the publics rights will not re-
sent they will rather applaud the haul
ing of the chronic scorchers before the
courts. They will realize that they
themselves have nothing to fear from
an enforcement of the law, and will
welcome the chance to rid their favorite
pastlme from the odium forced upon It
by the class of wheelmen who act upon
tn principle that the individual with
out wheel possesses no rights worthy
Of respect.
Mr.. Cleveland need not be so eager
! 70 deny that he told Wash Hesing Of