Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1905-10-04
The Auto Terror.
EL1swoRTH, Oct. A, 1906,
10 the Editor Of The American:


call to your readers attention few facts
overlooked in that article. The doctor has
evidently applied himself too closely to
his valuable services in his profession and
neglected recently to visit cur metropolis
where the auto is used largely for business
purposes. Especially is this true among
those OF his craft, where by the aid Of the
auto the physician finds he can accom-
plish more than twice the amount of work
he finds 1t possible to accomplish with the
aid OF his former faithful horse.
The merchant to-day in our larger cities
uses the auto almost exclusively in deliv-
ering his wares. The chief Of the fire de-
partment is able to reach his destination
with much less time for the fire to get be-
yond control. Auto ambulanccs are
valuable addition to many New York hos
pitfalls. In many instances the rural letter
carrier finds he can give much better ser
vice in his work by the use OF the auto in
making his rounds. He finds ii more
economical.
In short, the auto is an invention of the
twentieth century, to aid US IN keeping
hNtSf stA AAe ttAiNNs AfI fNh h5t hA6Ns
doctor, that our time for this life's useful
ness is limited, and that IL you can sc-
complish twice as much with an auto as
with a horse you can do twice as much
good in the time allotted You to work?
Even il it is a little more exhilerating
riding behind the auto than behind the
best horse, that fact alone should not con-
denim 1t.
The auto has come to stay, because we
are living in an age that demands IL The
sailing vessel few years ago carried all
our passengers across the Atlantic. To-
day the trans Atlantic steamers are much
better adapted to our wants. And al
though 1t would be fearful to contemplate
drunken fool' as an engineer OF one OF
these monster engines, yet would you go
way back 10 the cid method OF transpor-
tstion in crossing the Atlantics
Our railroads are modern method OF
transportation, and while they do some
times Brighten horses, and while the en-
CINE in the hands Of drunken fool"
would be a shocking thing to contemplate,
would you go back to the stage-coachs
Tbs auto is the product of modern in
gernity with which we are blessed. Ii
enables us to accomplish more work than
by the older methods Of conveyance.
When you say the road mnst be widened
to give room for the auto, you, too, are
begging the question. The ordinary tour
ing car or runabout is no wider than the
ordinary horse carriage, and we insist that
the auto is more safe 10 ride in than the
ordinary horse propelled carriage. We
must not lose sight OF this fsct-the auto
is more surely under control. Two autos
can pass upon the narrow road with less
danger OF collision than two carriages.
We insist that horse that will not
readily become accustomed to the auto is
not a safe horse to drive upon our streets,
and would not be II no autos frequented
them. How many OF such horses are be-
coming frightened every day upon our
streets when no auto is near and causing
broken limbs. Did you not, doctor, have
calls TO reduce such fractures before you
ever heard OF the auto?
The argument that the tourists to our
beautiful summer resorts objects TO our
using autos should have weight; but so
long as their garages contains from one to
six autos, is 1t not a little selfish of them
to say that our garages shall not contain
one?
Consistency is jewel. Can we give too
much weight TO the appeal Of the presi-
dent of the national automobile sssocia-
tion when he persists in owning half
dozen autos and says We cannot own one?
The common people have rights, and
We speak as one of them. Aside from the
first cost, the auto is cheaper as a mode
OF conveyance than the horse. Our
liverymen will soon learn that a thou
sand-dollar auto will do the work OF a
half-dozen horses, and can be maintained
at one half the cost. Only to-day heard
one well-informed liveryman say that he
would be obliged to put in one another
year, as his people demanded more
modern methods of conveyance than the
horse.
IL you, doctor, by the aid of the tele-
phone, are informed of the broken limb
demanding your skill to be reduced, and
by the aid of the auto you can cover the
ten miles intervening In half the time
you can with the horse, is it not your duty
in relieving suffering to hasten your jour
neyq
We are surprised that our good friend,
the doctor, so far forgot himself and his
good citizenship as TO suggest the anar-
chistic method of boycotting, when he
well knows that the good government
under which he lives so far puts it's
stamp of approval upon the use of the
auto as to entertain its international
guests by its use, and when our own State
has, by its assembled Legislators, passed
laws licensing them upon our country
roads.
This method Of attack viii never drive
them out, for we have too many good loyal
citizens yet in our community to tolerate
such treatment to one using the auto well
within the law limits prescribed.