New-York tribune., 1903-05-17
THE AUTOMOBILE LAW.

Governor OdelI has signed the Bailey autono-
bile bill, and it has thus been made law III
SO doing he has fulfilled confident expectation.
He has also we unhesitatingly believe, greatly
served the public welfare The latter TACT is
widely recognized by the owners and users OF
automobiles, of whom large number favored
the enactment of the bill. We believe II VIII
receive more general recognition as time goes
Oh and the practical workings of the new law
are observed and appreciated
The provisions OF the law have already been
explained in these columns. Some OF them
seem stringent Perhaps they are So 1t is
necessary that the safety Of the public on pub
lie highways shall be guarded, no matter how
stringent the needed law may be. A machine
nust not traverse a dam or causeway less than
twenty feet wide at a faster rate than four
miles an hour That, some cry, is a hardship.
Have they noticed on how many bridges
throughout the country horses are forbldden 10
be driven at faster pace than Walk! Wouio
1t be reasonable to let ponderous steam engines
go rushing at high speed over such brloges anu
along narrow causewayS, where every cohslo-
GRAFTON of safety prescribes a slow pace! Again.
there is much protesting against the rule tnat
a machine must be stopped on request OF
rider or driver. Such requests are mace only
uben the horse is frightened by the machine.
How often does tDaI nappeh! II iS PAOD'-'
within bounds TO say that in this city and its
suburbs not more than one horse in hundred
is afraid of an automobile. Again, there are
exclarnations Of horror at the imposition OF
penalty of imprisonment for repeated and per
sistent violations of the law. Well that penalty
NAV be avoided by obeying the law. 1t would
doubtless be q shocking thing for some lash
iooable Young man to get locked up for speed
ing an engine at unlawful rate. But then IL
would also be a shocking thing for somebody TO
get run down and killed or crippled by that
same engine
Long ago we warned the makers and owners
and users OF automobiles that the violation OF
law and the abuse of the highways would, II
unchecked arouse an Irresistible demand 1or
moro stringent legislation. That is precisely
what has happened. and the persistent and de
fant ..scorchers" are to be held responsible for
it. 1t would be great pity TO have an lmpor-
tant industry depressed and the use OF yalu-
ahIa invention circumscribed because of such
abuses But there is no reason why such should
he the case The new law permits the full use
of automobiles in rational and safe manner
II simply imposes heavier penalties upon those
who use them irrationally and dangerously.
What is needed is that people shall recognize
that automobiles are made for use, not for hare
brained and reckless ''scorching." There was
time when our highways were infested by
hun1pl,acked 'scorchers' on bicycles who made
every street crossing a place of terror and OF
peril That craze has passed, and if now not SO
many bicycles are ridden as before, at least
more of them are nationally used for pleasure
for health and for business locomoton. So. we
expect IL will be with automobiles. If so, that
manufacturer will prosper most who most an
ticipates the change, and who stakes his reputa-
ton. not upon a machine that will run mile
a minute o. climb the Capitol steps. but upon
one that wifi travel at lawful pace without
getting out of order or beyond control anu
without emitting nauseating stencil or nerve
racking sounds.