Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1909-02-12
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY Ia. 1909.
Are tomobiIists vind;etive7

are Rutom o pitt8tS vtnutettvef
The members of the Automobile Own
ers Association, or at least some of them,
appear to be in vindictive mood.
Through their attorney they have filed
bill in the Massachusetts, legislature, de-
manding that all vehicles, carriages,
wagons, carts, sleighs and sleds, drawn
by horses, shall be registered, the same
as automobilesfare at present, and that
tax shall be paid on each vehicle. There
will undoubtedly be a hearing upon this
unjust and idiotic bill, and those who
have instigated the movement will then
have an opportunity to present their iea-
sons for such action.
1t does not seem possible that COM
mittee of even one can be found who is
30 utterly devoid OF common sense and
regard for justice as to report favorably
upon such a bill. Still one can never
tell what may happen. The reason for
law compelling owners and operators of
automobiles to register their machines is
reasonable and just for they cause great
damage to the public roads. Farmers
are already taxed higher in proportion to
their wealth than any other class
In the hands of an incompetent or in
toxicated person an automobile, even of
the smallest size, is more dangerous on
the highways and streets. than would be
heavy locomotive propelled by steam
power, for the latter by the noise it
makes would enable pedestrians, and
those riding in carriages, drawn by
horses to get out of their way; while the
automobile with rubber tires steals along
so noiselessly that pedestrian or driver
of a carriage drawn by a horse is often
struck without warning.
1t is to help repair the damage they
cause to highways. also to protect inno-
cent people from injury, and to aid in
bringing the guilty to justice that auto
mobiles are compelled to be licensed and
numbered.
Fortunately there is a man of good
common sense, sound judgment and
lover of justice in the executive chair,
who does not hesitate to veto measures
that are Incompatible with justice and
are prejudicial to public interests. Such
bill as that introduced by the Automo-
bile Owners Association is an insult to
all horse owners, and especially to all
men in the Commonwealth of Massachu-
sets who are engaged in any branch of
farming. Owners and lovers of horses
should make it point to be present in
force at the hearing of this bill before
the committee, and express by their pres
ence their emphatic disapproval of such
an unjust, uncalled-for bill. The Driv-
ing Clubs in and around Greater Boston
should see that horsemen are properly
represented at the hearing when it &C.
ours. The farmers in the back districts
to whom such bill if passed would do
great injustice may not be able to be
present or to be represented by an attor-
ney.
The above editorial is by S. w. Parlin
from the American Horse Breeder of
Boston.
The proverbs of the world contain
much history This bill and several
absurd lawsuits recently made by auto
mobilists for damage, because of imper-
fections of highway, ETC., suggests the
old proverb that whom the gods wish to
destroy they first make mad.
In the same Horse Breeder (Feb. 8.
1909 is still more extended communi-
cation directly concerning this proposed
bill for taxing road vehicles, by Frank S.
Billings, NJ. D., Sharon, Mass, who soon
enters into general discussion of
automobiles in the most vigorous terms
that we have yet seen upon the subject.
The letter as a whole is well worth
publishing, as it is as full of truths as a
nut is Of meat, and we hope to be able
TO publish it in full next week. In the
meantime we insert the closing para
graph as follows:
WHAT TO DO.
The one thing is, organized and intelli-
gent action. Let the speedway clubs
unite and get themselves heard by their
representatives. The farmers have their
grudge-let them do the same. The var
ious labor unions, the members of which
depend for their living on the use of
horses, are not powerless. Let them
make themselves heard in the Legisla
ture. AT the coming "March Meeting
"theY eomanry of Massachusetts" whom
the late Gee rye B. Loring used to dilate
upon, should make themselves heard by
strong remonstrances sent to their repre-
sentatives. Let these men know that if
they do not stand up for justice to their
constituents they will be politically and
socially dead from us now. While the
automobiles boast of their money they
represent, and money is power, it is a
drOn in the bucket i'm com ma riaon with