New-York tribune., 1905-06-19

halls from out of the State or not
Most often he is some one who is making a tour.
To put sort of brake these drivers is
the main idea OF the State law. But wheth-
it will in actual operation be any effective
than the present law is question. Ever since
bcycnsts suddenly became public nuisance and.
more recently, since the automobiistS have doomed
up as even q greater public danger. the difficulty
has been to put into effect the regulations on the
statute books Nothing is deader than a dead law.
and If some life can be infused into the new regu-
latons everybody is going to be satisfied.
The speed limit allowed for horseless vehicles
from July on will be twelve miles hour in
the cities and twenty miles hour in the country
Furthermore all motor cycles are hereafter TO be
classed with automobiles and licensed. numbered
and regulated similarly so that these w1erd ana
clattering machines will now be brought under
the speed law. From on the present swinging
number signs must be stationary. so that they
can be read by any suddenly bewildered ana lnIu-
rated citizen whose collar buttons may nave oeen
sawed off in passing and the autos must be num-
berad fore and aft. A dollar is 70 be charged py
the State for each license. A section OF the Id"
which will light kindly ray in out OF stare az
yers' eyes is that nonresident owners VINO oesile
r. cross Connecticut and who have complied with
their home regulations may run their machLnes
here for fifteen days in any one year without reg
istering
FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
AS to the speed regulations. TINS nue. @
NAV be said: The scorching autononIiists' aCco'
ing 10 the new law. to be furnished srdIis' ~
seems bv statute with what emotions OF respect
e. o+bar ,eonla that they themselves may happen
to lack For instance, the new law Win pro-
found statesmanship. says that all drivers al7
hereafter if they do not happen 20 thlnK Oh II lor
tber,snlves to run their vehicles with due re-
gard for public safety: they are 10 feuuce sPeeu
,rbep annroachng a team or people who do not
beopen to know they are coming ana 10 $40" up
on curves. bridges and at Intersections OF roauS
This brilliant attempt at personal resuld'lo SeiS
lacfs s1afTr TrFa
ways aiming at, and which, for all the soou 'heS
do might as we'll be omitted. Just how such an
order is going be worked by the authorlues does
not appear. 1t probably will not De worked lo~ns
and cities are by the new law not aIo"eo 10
specfy local speed limits. but may issue special
arroits 1,ber exhibitions or speed contests are to
be held.
JAII, FOR AUTOMOBILE sPEEDERs.
The nenaltv mart of the new State Automobile
sneed law provides that the violation OF these
itemized regulations is to be paid 10 )usuces OF
the peace by fines running up to S1oo or ny thlrtE
davs in TAIL For the first offence. the new law
imposes fine of 5000. and not less than SEo ana
ironrisonnoent for not more than a month For
the second offence the fine is not 10 be less thaI
$50 than 500. and Imprisonment Iol not
more than sixty days For all otner hlILoi 'loia
tions the new law imposes fines OF not more than
$50 While imprisonment was part OF the ola law 1t
was never weapon that used by the state
The new law generally increases the penalties ana
puts Connecticut among the few states tnat nave
strict regulations While it is to take eHeet ON
July l next, it is agreed that there Shall oe ho
prosecutions until August l.
Just what will come of the new speed regulations
for motor cars will not be certain untl aiter lhe
first prosecutions The automophlst VINO shd'eS'
careening, through the State slowing up whenever
he meets a team is going to think that he has
lost half the fun of motoring. And the pedestrian
who has his straw hat fringed and his shoe faces
trimmed by a passing car is going to get out OF
the way the next time and let prosecution tdhe
care of itself. But the State means business thls
time 1t really looks II at last some or these
extra fast motorists would catch a tartar. or a
local sheriff. il the new laws are not obeyed But
regulations of this sort are peculiarly inpotent un-
less the imprisonment clause is actually enforced
Financial penalties mean nothing to the ordinary
fast driver. who is usually wealthy enough TO add
prospective fines the annual cost of running MS
machine. Gasolene. punctures and fines mile
seem to be part OF every well regulated automobl
lists account book For several years Connecticut
has had law which could imprson particularly
reckless driver yet there have been no cases of i'm
prisonment in spite OF too numerous occasions for
II II has been so dead law that few people
nrobably even know it is on the books The point
Is that any such law this is probably entirely
useless unless It is put into rigorous effect An
casonal example might do the business.
Connecticut highways the whole pretty
popular with New-York automObilists. and they
ought TO be as safe a they popular The proper
enforcement of this new law will make for the
best interests of all concerned. as the average
owner of an automobile belongs to the law-abiding
and peaceful class. Here and there Connecticut
pedestrians life may be prolonged 70 an Osler
length by the avoidance OF accident. and here
and there reckless driver may be kept from meet
ing a deserved, If early. demise Thirty days In
fail ought TO clear up some of the eobwebs in some
of these automohilistc conscerces. II IL does that
It is likely that the law will be of some value
all conosrned
THE PARDON VETO.
Governor Roberts came UP against we'll defined
public feeling when the Senate passed over his veto