The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-27
ANTE-AUTOMORELE CAMPAIGN.
A Movement 10 Restore the Highways to
the Public.

To THE EDITOR or Tai Sun Sir: read
nearly every dny Of from one 20 half a dozen
deaths caused by automobiles, TO say nothing
Of the innumerahle accidents OF more or less
serious nature caused BY them. and nOtioing
the strenuous efforts made by the onicers OF
the law TO arrest some OF the guilty persons.
\ am led to say that II your city taxpayers
are content to pay large sums each year for
a police force to try to keep the autoists
somewhere within the law. we people I'D, here
In the country have no fault to find with you:
but as to ourselves We propose 70 force our
legislators to pass laws to give back to us the
use OF our highways and to redeem them
from the monopoly Of the automobile.
No one would think Of permitting a rail-
road engine or a trolley car TO 60 humping
and humping along our highways at a rate
Of speed OF from fifty to seventy miles an
hour. and even traction engines, when al
lowed In the highways at all. with q speed
Of perhaps four or Ave miles an hour. are
required 60 send q messenger ahead to an
nounce their coming. An automobile seems
to have the right OF way and only limits its
speed by its capacity.
The automobile il not a public conveyance.
not a carriage, but an engine with q cab In
which to ride. Automobiles have no business In
Q public highway used by horses and wagons.
Notwithstanding the fact that the IeRislA-
ture. in its great wisdom. has seen At to per-
NIT thep 10 use such ways under proper
restrictions
But what do such restrictions mean to an
automobilist? They care no more for thu
law than a yellow dog running along the road
would, Automobiles are occasionally ar
rested for running over and killing some one.
and then they are very severely punished by
the court imposing Q fine Of $40. The autolst
pays the fine with q smile. thanks the court
and goes out to m his search for an
other victim. and when an oficer attempts
to arrest him for exceeding the speed limit.
the ladies who ocoupy the car, perchance,
will catch the onicer by the hair OF the head
or his whiskers and pull hin along at the rate
OF sixty or seventy miles an hour until the
jolt OF the car throws him into the ditch and
they have lost the object Of their Jolly good
ime."
Il seems to me that this matter has stunned
proportions where something should be done
to protect the people. IL has become so seri-
Gus that the people are practically driven
from the highways. Women are afraid to
ride with q horse. and il is almost impossible
to drive q horse at night. To meet one OF
these devil wagons all lighted up at night Ii
pretty sure TO result In the OF a
carriage drawn by 4 horse being landed / In tho
ditch or thrown over q fence.
II automobile have come to stay they
should be compelled to make roads for their
own use. the same as railroad companies do
for their trains. They are a constant menace
to life. and considering the very small per-
centage OF people who use them as compared
to the people who use highv avs, and taking
into consideration the fact that country high
ways were built and are maintained for and
by the country people, l insist that the peo-
pie should have a right to the use of the high
ways TO the exclusion Of the automobiles.
We are circulating petitions TO our legisla-
tors urging them to make an en- Tort 10 exclude
the auto from the country highway, and we
hope every reader OF this letter will Join us
in the movement. HORACE O.. PHELPS.
SIDNEY, n. Y, October 20.