The sun., 1908-02-07
AMONG THE AUTOMODILISTS
PRESIDENT HOTCHkISS COM
MENTS on JERSEY JUSTICE.
Head Of American Automobile Association
CrltIcIses Mosquito state Motor Vehicle
LAVA. NJ. q. NJ. A. Holds Annual
Meetlng In Detroit to Elect Ofncers.

/
/ Meeting In Detroit to Elect Ofncers.
| The New Jersey Automobile and Motor
! Club held its annual banquet last night at
| Achtel-Stetter's in Newark. a great many
members of the organization being present
Gov. Fort. former Governor Franklin Muir
/ ply, Commissioner Of Motor Vehicles J. b.
r. Smith, Charles Thaddcus Terry. counsel
of the National Association OF Automobile
| Manufacturers. and ". II. Hotchkiss OF
Buffalo. president OF the American Auto
mobile Association. made addresses PTesi-
dent Hotchkss's speech in part was as fol-
lows:
jersey justice! The rogue tis said. here
has short shrift, the punishment: always
| fits the crime. wrong is done man and
! common sense il law, And you sum IL all up
in the phrase Jersey justice'i Still some
| how a New Yorker and mOtorist may he
excused the question; What's wrong with
Jersey Justice when applied to automobile
users. particularly those from other States?
! As ! stepped iron the ferry and walked
= TO the train to-day was not halted and asked
| whether ! had registered and been tagged
I iron, renton. though the officer on guard
! must have guessed thai | would help wear
! oui your sidew alks, be- guided by the ra-
! CInn," Oi our street lights and enjoy the
protection OF your police And yet | was
not stopped and numbered Nor has any
peace officer yet demanded that / execute a
| power OF attorney to some unknown official
over on the Delaware through whom New
Jersey could retain. Jurisdiction OF my body
and property in case 1 might heedlessly Vio-
late your laws or accidentally invade the
rights OF Jerseymen. For, gentlemen. let
il he recorded that like tens Of thousands more
in setting out for New Jersey lett my auto
mobile behind at home.
And so I again ask: What's the matter
with New Jersey In dealing with the motor
carr Prejudice has existed in New YORK,
rustic DODbns still sOmeti mes shy at the
| bee n passed and weird laws enacted and ~
| times emf OrCed. Yet for nearly four years our
/ motor vehicle law has proved so acceptable
! as not to require northumberland by
| motorists, it was passed unanimously by a
| Legislature dominated by the farmer vote
strangers are rec to use our roads, without
registration or tax; motor vehicIe licenses.
! with us are unheard OF; accidents, save IN
congested territories. relatively, rare; speed
! City. all but unknown; and the time seems
! rapidly approaching when the present auto
mobile law Of New York will be dead a
letter as is the bicycle law OF twenty years
ago:
! literally the miles per hour speed clause.
! A good friend OF mine, accustomed to the
sane Buffalo rule, which commands rather. a
| due observance OF the conditions OF the high
wal, and the traffic thereon a. the time.
! made seven contributions 10 Jersey Justice
| trapping violations OF law and vows hence
| forth to keep himself and his purse beyond
your borders. You use the excuse Of neces-
| sary Identification to tax all outlanders.
and thousands voice their protest by spend
! ing their money elsew here. But. most un-
requirement you refuse the right which for
| nearly fifteen centuries, the average man
! has had TO trial in civil suits by jury not
merely Of his peers but OF his neighbors.
Ana when they learn OF cases where heavy
SIsT ScaIs d nEmeR+s and days 9esS ,06tsned
! injuries thousands more will resent this
| cruel and unusual aHrequirement-I had almost
/ said punishment and HE themselves. their
| cars and their cash to more reasonable and
| more hospitable States
What's the matter with New JerseyY
| First, there has not been that cooperation
| among motorists themselves by which alone
unreasonable laws may be prevented; you
have not made the proper regulation OF the
| motor vehicle your busine a. each winter in
| the Legislature. each mo 9Th OF the year, in
assisting the proper enforcement of the or
dinary rules OF the road. Second there are
| reasons far more potent. In New Jersey
he The prejudice Of the horse and his owner
: has not, as elsewhere. materially decreased,
! while the desire for revenue from outlanders
policy. Thus, responsive to prejudice and
pelf. your legislatures have become yearly
more blind to the first principles controlling
We live in the beginning of the motor
vehicle age The day ls dawning when the
cart will both all but vanish from the public
roads mighty revolution in individual
Of changed conditions. which is more sensi-
blp, more Just the enforcement OF Old Gus
toms or the adoption OF new rulesp For a
time. perhaps, the unrestrained use Of the full
powers Of the new vehicle should be checked
by positive laws; This granted, as TO speed
a. least, what should that law he? Unless
am in error, a rational application Of the
simple maxim that In the use Of the public
ways. the individual must so conduct himself
not TO infringe upon the rights or endanRer
the life. limb or property Of another
Very true, admits the motorphobe but
such doctrine comedies the Justice OF Dresen
laws yOur new vehicle constantly endanRers
the lives and property Of others. ! reply:
Does u do 40 on an open country road Visible
for miles. without either a cross road another
vehicle an animal or human being in si0ht2
Does II even In the business streets Of A great
city say. az dawn or at midnight? No; miles
per hour IL 4 statutory speed tran where
pre- judice starts the stop watch al one end
and leRalized ,Dlunder bars the way M the
other The true principle and in road re0,t-
lations II is a. old as the namels OF the cart
is that unla wful speed should be determined
condition Of the highway and the trarTic
thereon ~ the time that is whether in tbs
Judgment of man the rate is such az then and
there TO endsngeT the lives or property OF
others,
But. says the twentieth century camel
man. you would make u impOssibIe to catch
and punish IL would be easier far that is
II all you want is to bring 20 book those who
actually endanger the life, limb or property
Of another. The stop watch would cease
its wranRle with the speedometer, and the
proof would he that Of the ear and the eve
ri the spectators and Of the principals II
would ne easier 10 prosec;ite, no; az now TO
persecute and not the least element making
for conviction would be the general recoRni>
ton OF the rule by the new twentieth century
charioteers, And so. ] repeat New Jersey
has been blind to nrst principles In enaoting