New-York tribune., 1904-08-06
SUPPORTS MAGISTRATE CORNELL.
Criminal Recklessness Of Some Automo-
bilists Denounced
- tho Kdlto- Of The Tribune.

r., tho Editor of The Tribune
Sir. want TO express my appreciation Of ~" oa'-
,orial in this mornings issue of The Tribune
on the question of the Impeachment OF MagS-
trate Cornell Tv the Autonobiie Ciun OF
America That the suggestion should be madS
that for pure obiter dicta. such as ire
magistrates statement is conceded to ''' ne
should he impeached is little short Of ridiculous
As YOU say in your editorial there is still - great
deal of human lying around loose. and 1t Is
certainly human nature" for n magistrate who Is
coming in with such violations or
the law as continually by autOmObilsts occa-
ejcna1ly TO "Iet himself OUT the general qIes-
ton Of their Tecklessness and its results That
something radical must he done toward curing this
criminal recklessness and that the present laws
or their method OF enforcement do not meet the
situation perfectly apparent.
An ounce OF prevention is worth a pound or cure
and the money verdict OF jury the sending OF
the culprit 10 jail will not compensate for the loss
Of q mans child run over by the recklessness or
the autoTI0Dge driver. In other words there IL a
good deal 10 be said in favor of the proposition
that If a man in a carriage with his family sees
81 automobile tearing toward him at the rate or
forty or nifty miles hour ne has the right. by
every means in his power. TO stop that automo6ile
Within week was driving TO the station win
my family behind a team ot horses An IA, autoIio t
mobilist turned. after going some distance beyond
Us. followed US. going At tremendous rate. anu
within a foot OF the horses noses. and then tore
up a side road. II only by the dexterity Of
have said within myself. this driver took this
means Of showing off his prowess that, should
any accident happen TO my family. had my
redress at law: but 81 I had had a pistol At the
time and had blaZed away at this automobile. l
think would have been doing my duty
Some years ago OF the small steamers In
Long Island Sound gained a reputation for run
ming Gown sloops and packets. and II was said
that nothing would turn that steamer out OF It's
course. II there were no wind and "A slooD hap
pened be in the course OF the steamer and could
not get out Of IL way the steamer ran 1t through.
Some of the captains OF the packets and slOOps
running through the Sound accordingly got to-
Sether and published notice their signatures
the the owners and captain Of this steam
The notice TO the effect that IL thereafter
that steamer came within two hundred yards OF
any Of the sloops whose captains signed that
notice itS pilOthouse would BE- fred into. The re-
suit OF the notice that more boats were
sunk by that steamer
one or two we'll directed shots. used with dis
elimination against the automobiles driven by the
moro reckless or these drivers would. doubtless.
have similar result.
To my mind Judge Cornell ha7 done decidedly
good thing in making the statement attributed to
him. and the deputy sheriff who fred at the wheels
OF automobile going recklessly through the
street the automobiles having refused 10 stop at
! was We" within his rights.
Your advice given 10 the Automobile Club IS
good: They would better serve their interests
by uniting IN an earnest effort TO stop the out
RACES which they lament but too seldom deuOunC1
with appropriate visoT. than 10y seeking impeaCh
a magistrate Very truly yours,
New York. Aug. ). 1904 s. 7. c, Jr.