Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1906-10-05
AUTOMOBILES.

Having heard considerable discussion
of the right, or supposed right. Of the
automobile people to take our public
highways for their own and exclusive
use, and having been repeatedly ques-
toned by prominent men who have
the welfare of the general public at
heart, would ask leave to state my |
opinion and reasons for the same, not
that claim to be an authority in any |
manner; but possibly to provoke dis
cusson, whereby all may be benefited
by having all sides of this important
question presented.
make the broad claim that these
machines have and can have no right
to invade the public highways. First
Because the highways were built and
have been kept in repair by the general
public for the benefit of the general
public, built long before such machines
we're invented, built for carriages pro-
PEELED by animal power, built in general
too narrow to accommodate one of these
machines and a pleasure carriage farm
WdBOb, VI DuBSy az blC odthC biihty
that while it is true that at wide
intervals, places can be found where
the legitimate traffic and the machines
can pass each other, they are so few
as to be of no practical use on our
average roads. besides which, they are
standing menace to life and property,
for but few horses will take kindly to
their insufferable stencil and noise and
it is the horse-drawn vehicle that suffers
every time while the intruder moves on,
generally regardless of the damage he
may have done. Their presence on our
roads keeps many persons who have
by their labor, or their money helped
build and repair the roads from being
benefited by them, which leads to OBJ
lection.
By Article 2, Amendments to the Con-
stitution of the United States it is pro-
vided. NOR shall private property be taken
for public Use, without just compensa-
tion.' And Article 2, Constitution Of
the State of Vermont ''That private
! property ought to be subservient to pub
lie uses when necessity requires it, never
theless, whenever any persons property
is taken for the use of the public, the
owner ought to receive an equivalent in
money" Now, if that proposition is
just and sound, how would its converse
be practically wrought out by allow
ing private parties to take public pro-
perty for their own use without Just
compensation ? And, provided it is de-
cided that public property can be taken
for private use, how can it be ascertained
what would be a just compensation for
the exclusion of great number of our
population from their own roads by rea-
son of fear of these machines How is
one to be compensated for the loss of his
life by reason of the acts of the drivers
of these machines Or if the victim es.
capes with life, but is injured physically
i how is he to be compensated for the
t agony he endures before his recovery
How for the disability after recovery
= Will the automobilists establish a fund
y for the payment for the lives they take
Il and to pension the widows, orphans, 'and
crpples they make?
u can see no good reason why these
e fadists should not have the right to oper
ate their machines in the State, if it i:
done on the same principles, and same
safeguards as railroads operate their ma
chimes. In other words, let them buy
the right of way, build their own roads
under charters, procured from the Leg
islature-such charters holding then
! strictly responsible in every respect.
: j. S. CHANDLER.