The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-02-10
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New Jersey Automobiles
Fight Autocratio Power Of
Frelinghuysen Bill
CHANNEL FOR ''GRAFT"
PROFESSOR GILL, ASSOCIATED
CLUBs' SECRETARY. DE
NoUNCEs MEASURE OFFERED
IN LEGISLATURE.
Especial to THE Jersey city News,

OF New Jersey are Sflrreu up. as never De
fore over the Introduction in the Legis-
lature of Senator Frelinghuysen's bill
which imposes 50 many drastic restric-
tions on the use of the horseless vehicle
in this State, and the greatest crusade
the Commonwealth has ever seen will be
waged to a finish to prevent the measure
from becoming law. The fight against
the Frelinghuysen bill is being led by the
Associated Automobile Clubs of New
Jersey, Of which Prof. John g. Gill, of
this city, is the secretary.
Discussing the movement of the club
tonight, Professor Gill said
"The automobilists of New Jersey.
whether members of the associated clubs
or not, are in the fight against the FIRE.
linghuysen bill to win, and remarkable
demonstration against the measure will
be made. Six thousand letters will be
mailed this week to as many automobile
lists in all parts of the State, and a hear
ing will be asked of the Legislative COM
mittee to which the bill has been referr-
ed. When that hearing is held believe
fully FIVE thousand automobilists will be
here in demonstration against the bill.
IN the meantime, a campaign of edu-
cation will be carried on, and members
of the Legislature will be made aequaint-
ed with the facts as they actually exist.
One of the objects of our club is to pro-
mote and encourage the maintenance and
construction Of good roads, and generally
to maintain the rights and privileges of
all persons who own or are interested in
automobiles, and this we intend to do.
I'VE are affiliated with the american
Automobile Association, and whatever
assistance that organization can give will
be Forthcoming. There are $4,000 auto
mobiles registered in New Jersey and s.
600 are owned by people living in this
State. OF the resident automobiles full
" 400 are members of our club.
First of all, we object to the Freling-
huysen bill because it proposes to estab-
lish an Automobile Department with a
high-salaried chief, whose department
will receive from $4,000 to $4,000 an
nually of the taxpayers money. This
money had better be spent on improve
ment of the roads of the State, especially
when the present Office of the Secretary
of State has proven its ability to look
after automobile affairs in very salts
factory manner.
"We also object to the authority which
the bill would invest in the automobile
commissioner. He would have the right
to dictate as to the kind of tire protec-
tors, skidding preventers and similar de-
vices to be used on machines. and this
would open demand for graft and an
noyance of all kinds.
.sThen again, we object because the
commissioner would be the only person
with power to renew a license that had
been revoked by magistrate, the bill
giving to every magistrate power to re-
woke, but not to renew. Under such pro-
vision it would often be necessary for an
automobilist from a distant part of the
State to come to Trenton, to the automo-
bile department for a renewal of license.
at much expense and Inconvenience. We
doubt the legality of bill that gives the
power to revoke a license to a man who
cannot give such privilege. We hold
that the power to revoke should exist
only in the man who can give or renew.
.'We object to the provisions requiring
the examination of all drivers, and to the
limiting of the age of drivers to eighteen
years. We think these restrictions un-
necessary. 1t is not the inexperienced
driver that does damage; it is the care
less one, and for him there is a remedy
in the present law.
I'VE are not opposed to the paying Of
an annual registration fee based on the
horsepower or the weight of the ma
chimes, but We think the Frelinguysen
81.