The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-02
nryIyINa AN oLp ONE

Commenting on the many accidents
 caused by reckless automobiling and
 the growing disregard for human life
 shown by the drivers of the red dew
 ils," and also of the inadequate punish
 ment inflicted on the offenders. The
 New York Post intimates that it might
 be well for our lawmakers to go back
 a half century or more and resurrect
 the old Saxon deodand and put 1t in
 sonal chattel which had been the in-
 mediate occasion of the death of a rn-
 tional creature. For example, if cart ran over a man and killed him, the cart was by law forfeited as a deodand, and the coroner's jury was required to fix the value of the forfeited property. In the early days the deodand was turned over to the king for pious purposes and distributed in aims. but this pious dis position was lost sight of and we are told that the king often gave the for feited article to private individuals.
 That something will be done to put stop to the reckless disregard for hu- man life displayed by owners of auto mobiles in the large cities is certain. Hardly a day passes that we do not read In some newspaper an account of man, woman or child being killed or crippled by being run over. and this in- humanity is arousing very decided public sentiment against the machines. MT. Winthrop E. Scarritt. a former President of the Automobile Club of America, recently said that "every &C., cident on the highway makes tighter the tension between the great public and the automobilist," and he added that if such accidents continue ''nn en- ragged and outraged public will rise in their might and drive us from the hieh- way"
 He was correct, though entirely too mild and polite when he refers 10 these occurrences in general terms as acci- many cases 1t seems to be a murderous auto madness which takes no note of human life. We might as well call It an accident when a mad bull gores a helpless victim, for the cases are simi- lar. many of them. And this brings us back to The Post and its som swhat whimsical reference to the deodand It says:
 The law seemed just to the ancient law-givers because they believsd that the murderous chattel was possessed of an evil spirit, from which # was necessary to separate the owner of the cart. If this reason seems insufficient now. let us remember how one kicks a door for slamming in ones face. CT how %rte in our eartS %e have jsst e much faith in demonology as ever. and 1t is even easier than ever to believe that that sn machine Is possessed d. Of , de- incandescent eyes, running us down In the night. Why. then. not try our rem edy? Why persist in depicting the S25 fines? Free the man from his hoo doc; take the possessed from the pos- sessor. It is not he. t is the adtomo- confiseated machine must be applied, according to the ancient law, to a pious use. let 1t be used as an ambulance for the victims of all the others,
 There is no question about the senti- ment that exists in some portions of the North and East, and unless the law "h PAObcNS ehS PSOptO tho NiHhO iS ShAC- iy coming when they will protect them- selves. and if they do 1t with guns or dynamite where will the primary blame rest? As general thing the American people are patient and iong-suffering but there is a limit to almost every thing, and 1t may be reached in this matter. The deodand idea may appear a little out of date. but if the law would confscate every automobile that in- jures a human being would 1t not make the owners and drivers much more We think it would. It would have more restraining effect than the nominal fines which are usu- ally imposed. But there Is bound to be trouble if some plan is not found to remedy the evil.