The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-18
RIGHTS OF AUroMoBILIsTs.

At the recent meeting of the park commission a petition was submitted from local automobilists asking for the privilege of using either West Rock or East Rock park for occasional hill climbing tests. The reply given by the park commission was the only reply that body could make. that the city had enacted an ordinance forbiddlng autoists to drive their machines in
 either of the elevated parks. It is question, however, whether the condi- tions which existed at the time that or dinanee was enacted and which ap- peared to warrant this discrimination against machine owners still exist. We are strongly inclined to doubt it.
 It is not difficult to follow the req soning of the board of aldermen when
 the prohibitive ordinance was enacted.
 There were few autos in the city
 Neither the people nor the horses had
 become accustomed to them. The community was apprehensive with re-
 gard to them and was easily led to see
 danger in their use of the elevated parks There was a disposition on the
 part of the general public to forbid them the use of the streets and that doubtless would have been undertaken had the way been clear to the enact
 ment of such a statute. To-day there are in the neighhorhood of a thousand automobiles in this city and their num-
 Der is added to daily during the entire automobile season. The community and the horses thereof have become accustomed to them No one would
 think of forbidding them the use of the streets. The State has undertaken
 in wise spirit to guard against reck- less driving and associations of auto ists are preparing to see that the law is oheyed by residents of the State and
 by visitors In other words the auto has come to stay and all are alive to
 the necessity of permitting It's use in such a way as to recognize the rights
 of its owners and the rights of the
 horse owner and the pedestrian
 It is this new condition and this new spirit which naturally and logically stimulate the auto owners to ask for larger privileges in their use of the ele- vated parks. It is manifest that 1t would
 not yet be safe to open the parks on
 even terms to both autoists and horse owners. That would be sure to invite A | disaster and one disaster would be enough to keep them closed altogether for an indefinite number of years. We have no idea that the machine owners
 would urge an even use of the elevated
 parks The question arises, however if
 their number is not now large enough
 to compel consideration of their rights as taxpayers and citizens? Is there not A way in which the rights of the great
 CT number, who still depend upon
 horses. can he fully recognized and the rights of the minority. who have dis carded the horse for the machine, ad-
 mitted also? Other cities have met the proposal in an affirmative spirit and acknowledged the inevitable. These parks cannot forever be kept closed to the automobilists. The more they 1 grow in number the surer their con l trol of the situation, for there will be seen to lie at the bottom of their con i tention the principle of equal rights II
 is even conceivable that if they should | finally outnumber the horse users i they would have right on their side in demanding that the latter be forbid den the use of the parks on the very ! Si'uili iilal iDN ltdhS ip lllt tSlId- csm of the auto.
 This leads us to make the suggestion | that the board of aldermen approach
 the consideration of the question from
 the point of view of concession Could not a certain day or two in the
 week be set aside for the use of the elevated parks by the autoists. all oth-
 CT vehicles with the exception of the J bicycle being excluded. Or if this ap- l pears too sweeping a provision, could
 not the machines he given the use oi
 the parks during specified hours2 II seems as if some such consideration a, this of the controversy would inevit.
 ably lead to a satisfactory compromise
 Upon no theory that We can consider
 just. in view of the growing number ot
 auto users, can they much longer be
 kept all of the time out of the parks The ultimate scheme which brings un-
 der the constant enjoyment of these