Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-04

cars, a local lawyer and motorist
said: Regulation OF motor car
~ operation Is of vital importance to
car owners and operators. both
from the viewpoint OF keeping within the
law and a reasonable desire to protect pub
lie safety. Discriminating legislation Is to
be condemned, and all efforts made to pro-
tect the rights of the road for all concerned
On the whole legislation has been very fair.
both here and in the states, for the interest
of the public, as well the motorist.
Grossly unreasonable and discriminating
enactments have made their appearance
only occasionally, and these have been mod
flied to meet the best interests OF all con-
cerned. Our greatest complaint concerns
the oppressive execution of the laws by I'M
scrupulous officers, rather than the regula-
lions themselves.
The rights of the motor car upon the
public highway are equal to the rights OF
pedestrians and vehicles drawn by horses
Various courts in the United States nave
so ruled a number Of times. However. ow-
ing to the so-called element Of danger In
motoring, many of the state legislatures
have passed enactments requiring the reg
istration of motor cars and the licensing
Of the owners and operators. Many test
cases in reference to motor car legislation
have already been decided. A remarkable
case, protecting the untrammeled freedom
of the motorist was decided by the lllnols
appellate court in 1904. One Chicago auto
asst sought by an injunction to restrain the
enforcement Of an ordinance requiring every
person in charge Of or operating a motor
car to be examined by a board created by
mobile operator for which license fee
was exacted. The court decided in his IA
vor, holding that to compel one who uses
his motor car for private business and
pleasure only to submit to an examination
and take out a license was imposing burden
upon one class OF citizens In the use or
the streets not imposed upon others. There,
indeed. was a champion OF the rights or
motorists.
II
ION the other hand, know Of a case i'm
posing a great hardship. An ordinance OF
the board of supervisors Of Marion county.
Cal, which, after prohibiting the use of
motor cars on certain parts Of some Of the
public roads OF the county and regulating
their use in other respects. provided that
no person shall run a motor car on country
highways between the hours of sunset of
any day and of sunrise on the DAY Hollow
ing and violation of the ordinance was
made punishable by fine or imprisonment
motorist was convicted of violation OF
the provision, and he was sentenced to i'm
prisonment. Habeas corpus proceedings
were instituted and his discharge was de-
manded on the ground that the ordinance
was unreasonable, but the court held that
the ordinance was valid and reasonable or
course. that was the limit for a judicial
enactment.
teresting provisions. That against reckless
motoring makes 1t criminal offense II any
person drives a motor car on public hlgh-
way recklessly or negligently, or at a speed
or in a manner which is dangerous to the
public, having regard to all the circum-
stances OF the case, including the nature,
condition and use Of the highway. and to
the amount of traffic which is actually at
~ time yrhf oh MIC X
pected to be on the highway. There Is a
wise and sensible provision having regard
to all the circumstances Of each particular
case.
* *
"Of course the law and its ministration is
a serious matter, but a statutory enactment
of the Kansas legislature Is certainly hui
morous. \ paragraph in its motoring laws
reads: Nothing in this section shall be con-
strued as in any way preventing. obstruct-
ing impending, embarrassing or in any other
manner or form infringing upon the pre-
rogatfve of any political chauffeur to run an
automobilious band wagon at any rate he
sees fit compatible with the safety of the
occupants thereof; provided, however that
not less than ten nor more than twenty
ropes be allowed at all times to trail behind
this vehicle when in motion. in order to per-
nit those who. have been so fortunate as to
escape with their political lives an opportu-
nifty to be dragged to death; and provided,
further that whenever manSled and
bleeding political corpse implores for mercy
the driver of the vehicle shall, In accord
ance with the provisions of this bill, throw
out the life line"
The coming winter. 1t is expected. will be
a popular one for the closed automobile.
Certain 1t is that the automobile of today,
1t is stated, is an all-weathers and all-sea-
through the beautiful parks of the capital
city the entirely open and unprotected
touring car has ceased to be the general
type A very large number of the cars are
equipped with folding tops.
When cold weather approaches the pro-
tected car comes out in numbers Instead of
putting cars out of commission at the ap-
proach of winter, steadily increasing num-
Der of owners continue using the machines,
some until the snow falls and others
throughout the winter.
x
Some motor car owners complain" an
automobile authority said day or two ago,
that while their machines do very well on
the level they fail miserably when they at
tempt a grade or hill of any gravity A
general test of their machines shows that
the compression in each cylinder is good,
the ignition apparently satisfactory, the
timing correct, the operation OF the valves
usually good-in fact. there is nothing
directly responsible apparently for the COM
plant.
yet" the expert continued. ''in going
carefully and infinitely throuh the motor
it may not be found radically at fault, still
it is more than possible that one of the
spark plugs the spark gaps, are too
large. Then again the electrical connec-
tions ara possibly loose or there is a deposit
in the carburetter, or the gauZe filters at
the bottom of the tank may not be in
shape.
these are not ALL the expert added.
The union close to the feed chamber may
be more or less choked, an exhaust spring
weak, and its valve not closing as readily
as possible; the holes of the silencer may
be choked with mud grease and there
is some back pressure caused thereby; one
of the brakes may be rubbing more or
less upon the drum, Il tire soft, the accu-
mulators down a bit or there may be a
considerable deposit of carbon on the COM
bustion chamber walls and piston heads.
Thus the automobilist continued, the
small matters taken separately do not APP
pear to be particularly serious, but their
sum total of reduction is enough to be no.
ticed and commented upon"
During the past week the Cook & Stod-