Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-20

| enforcement and some deeming the Com
missioners' action a hardship, in whole or
| In part. From these selected the fol-
lowing:
Enforce the Regulation:
| To the Editor of The Evening Star:
l am neither a cyclist nor the owner of a
| livery stable, nor yet the imperturbable and
| devil-may-care driver of furniture van
or beer wagon. Just a mere pedestrian
| a plain everyday -and-evenng foot-pas-
| senger, SO to speak, and not an agile one,
| either as to powers of locomotion, nor
blessed with very keen eyesight. / there
lore have an interest equal to that of any
body. whether wheel owner or stable pro
| prletor, IN seeing that the new regulation
requiring all moving vehicles however pro-
| PEELED, to carry, after a certain specified
| date, a lighted lamp or lamps between one
hour after sunset and one hour before sun
rise shall be uniformly and vigorously en-
| forced. 1t is q long and much needed meas
ure OF protection for that class of people
who do not own a vehicle of any class, and
| VINO are largely In the majority in Wash
| lngton. as they are in all populous cities.
| Realizing that they or their property are
| In little danger of being injured in conse-
quence, 1t Is noticeable that drivers Of heavy
| wagons take no care to avoid collision
with lighter vehicle,-rather court 1t, in
1act,-While the driver of the lighter one
| Is, in turn, equally Indifferent in the mat
ter OF running down a person SO unfor-
tunate as to be on foot. The proposed rule
| Is therefore one distinctly in the nature of
defense for the weak and helpless: and
| IN behalf of the thousands of men, wo-
| men and children who are required to be on
the street after nightfall,-often at the risk
OF lie and limb, as things go now-I i'm
plore the District Commissioners not to
neeu the groWlS and protests of those who
set little expense and trouble to them
selves against the rights and safety of the
community, but to stand firm, and employ
the whole power of the police force and of
II q f1I1l and
piete effect to their wise and just regula-
tion from and after the date fixed for it to
become operative. The great public, whose
heart always beats right, will uphold and
sustain them in that course, whatever the
kickers' who are always with us, may
declare they will do or not do about it,
Deer II. 1897. A. WALKER
Cycler's View.
Fair Play" writes as follows:
Several correspondents have claimed in
your paper to represent the great body of
Washington bicyclers upon the question of
lamps upon vehicles drawn by horses. One
SUCH in Fridays Star. claims to be the
spokesman for 5O.Ws, bicyclers. I much
doubt whether the $1,000 have commits
stoned him or any other man to speak for
them. l doubt this. because I do not be-
i1eVe that such large number of people
IN Washington advocate any such dog in
the manger views as the lamp advocates
profess. For one. and 1 feel quite sure
there must be thousands of other hicyclers,
I entertain quite different views from vour
correspondents. This. because the nronosi-
ton is not fair:one However desirable
IT might he to me az hicvcIar that ali
vehicles should he lighted At night vet
as a fair man 7 see a vast difference IN
the drivers position and my own.
liAe sieat usai al iiisnt. anu nave
found anv difficulty in avoiding unliphted
vehicles, and don't believe any one else
finds difficulty. The scorcher is always in
danger and always dangerous, night and
day. But the -queStioniof scorch:ng intro
duces another. Question. The scorcher does
not acknowledge himself to be such, and
when you tell him; that the danger of col
lision with unlfghted vehicles arises solely
from his own recklessness, he sWears by
all the gods OF Olympus that he always
goes at a snaifs pace SO there you are
The reason, and a very simple reason IT
is, and one wen understood, why bicycles
shouid carrytngh's at'night Is because the
bicycle is almost noiSeiess. Even with
the light the bicycle - more daneerous 10
people ON foot than is the unilghted Venlcie
drawn by morse Inc, bicycle ileht does
not accomplish Jas warning al the puI-
poses accomplished pyfIhe NOISY venice
and hooi beats. i MS pecause one hears III
| all directions ana sees IN oht one.
1t Is homely proVern, put true one
| that the PROOF OF the puudlns is III che"ihs
| the bag. VIII some or the advocates OF
lamps VINO represent 30 many thousaius
| of their fellow mortals, ana VINO. no doupt'
| having accepted so large a COMMISSION
| have fitted themselves 10 "oflhily repre-
|