New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-06-02
uOTORuEy SELFCONDEMNED.

The tragedy of Saturday put a heavy re-
snonsibilitv upon the Automobile Club Of
America We have been glad to give that
organization credit for being composed chiefly
OF estimable and law-ahiding men, We have
regarded it as bulwark OF reason and leslt-
macy against the insane practices of few
lawless scorcherS. It has been a pleasure 10
publish and to commend its utterances against
lawhreaking and its action in severely disci-
plning those Of its members who have wan
tonly broken the law, 1t has seemed to us that
hope for the legitimate development OF auto
mobile driving and for the correction OF abuses
rests largely upon the influence OF this and sim
liar organizations exerted for the right. That
estimate Of the club and that expectation OF It's
usefulness may still be cherished. Yet the I'M
pleasant fact is that the tragedy of Saturday is
morally chargeable against that club For 1t
was under the auspices and management OF
that club and with it's sanction, that public
highway was improperly turned into race
course that Internal machines on wheels were
run at an illegal and dangerous rate, and that
an appalling tragedy occurred,
The very holding of such races convicts the
mOtOrmen on their own testimony, Of intent to
break the law. 1t is violation of law in spirit
however it may technically seem TO be sane
toned in letter, TO public highway for
such purposes. The law prescribes the maxi
mum rate at which vehicles may be run on
common roads, and the violation of that law is
none the less reprehensible because 1t is done
by a club instead of by a single individual
Moreover, the fact that there is eager COM
petition in excessive speed is evidence that the
motormen mean and expect to run their engines
at an unlawful rate elsewhere than in races.
Men would not go to the trouble and expense
of making machines capable of running fifty
miles an hour if they meant never to run them
more than ten miles an hour. That automobile
is most priced which runs the fastest. That
would not be the case If the motorman did not
intend to run it at top speed. The construction
of machines calculated to break the law is
prima facie evidence of intent to break the law.
The various colored GHOSTS" and devils and
demons" of the automobile world are thus
seIf-convicted-o their owners and users are.
We might add that such selfconvictiOn is
further affirmed by the costumes worn by auto
mobile drivers. Elaborate goggles and masks
are worn to protect eyes and faces from wind
and dust, and leather or oilcloth coats are
donned Now, there is absolutely no need Of
| such devices unless the machines are to be
run at excessive speed. Horsemen do not use
them when driving their 2:20 trotters; not even
on authorized speedways, where they drive at
three times the speed permitted on common
roads. Yet is is obvious that the horseman
needs protection from dust much more than the
motorman, because the dust is largely stirred
up by the horses hoOfs in front of the vehicle,
while no dust is produced in front of an auto
mobile but only under and behind it. AS for
the wind the motorman needs protection from
ii no more than does the hOrseman, unless he
goes at a more rapid rate than the latter-un-
less that is, he breaks the law. The distinctive
costume of the motorman is therefore nothing
but preparation for lawbreaking.
But this one particular Internal machine
which did the mischief on Staten Island, ac-
cording TO attempted apologists, must have got
out of order, or have struck rut. or something,
to make it swerve from its course. That plea
is contemplate. There would have been no
deadly swerving, rut or no rut, had not the
thing been running at dangerously high rate
of speed And If it thus swerved, from any
such cause what assurance have we that other
machines in our parks and city streets will not
similarly swervef 1t was charged that just
that did happen when an automobile ran down
and killed boy not long ago; but the motor
man Yehemently denied 1t, saying his machine
was under perfect control and could not pos
sibly swerye On Saturday 1t was shown that
a machine one of the most carefully made ana
expertly managed could swerve from its course
beyond the motormans control If ii could do
so running at sixty miles an hour, why may
not Others. in our parks and streets, running at
thirty miles an hour, which is a common rate
of speed with them:
We are inclined TO think that this is time
for uncommonly vigorous and thorough heart
searching OH the part of the Automobile Club