Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1909-06-09
"AUTOS AND JEALOUSY"

The following editorial article per-
tanning to reckless automobiling. was
brought to The Herald with request
for it's publication, which we do,
not because of the belief that it ''fits
the CASE of local autoists, but more
/ to point out evils which every man
should so far as possible avoid. Editor
| Herald.
Under the above head "A Defender"
of reckless automobiling, in Fridays
Pioneer Press, takes on himself to say
that the statement made on this page
on the day preceding, concerning
automobiles speeding and throwing
mud on other conveyances and on
pedestrians, - are not sustained by
the facts. The statement simply
shows that TIA Defender" wrote in
total ignorance of the facts-facts
of actual personal apprehension
which; the Pioneer Press paragraph
was based, and to the reality of which
any number of residents along country
roads will testify. City streets were
not. referred to-. His fippancy in
this respect throws some doubt upon
the accuracy of Defenders alleged
quotation from an interview with
Chief O'Connor, in which that official
is made to say. in effect, that most of
the complaints made against speeding
automobiles come from people "who
are too, pour to-own a machine, and
are jealous of the fellow who does
own one.
If Chief O'Connor did say that,
he simply attacked the manhood of
the great body of our middlecla SO
American citizenship. A marked
characteristic of that citizenship is the
cheerfulness and entire absence Of
jealousy with which it views all the
ordinary exhibitions of superior luxury
and ability in expenditure by the
rich. The more elegant horses, richer
dress, finer equipages and more ex-
pensive habits of the wealthy, move
not to jealousy, but to applause and
admiration, so long as none of these
involves any attack on any body else's
rights. TIE average American dreams
that he, too, may some day be
wealthy-that he may some day, like
his now more prosperous neighbor,
draw a prize in life's lottery, and be-
able to enjoy all those luxuries him
self. Meanwhile. let him who is
already in luck" enjoy them;
The automobile is by no means
luxury of the rich exclusively. 1t
is notorious that many machines are
ostensibly owned by men who have
little else in the world, and that
others are owned by men who have
had to mortgage their homes in order
to be sin the swim with their
richer neighbors. But so far as its
possession is a mark of superior
means. popular antagonism has not
been reused by It's display as such,
but solely b. the fact that, in the
hands of a great many owners it mas
been an instrument of aggression
upon the principle of equal rights in
the highways. In defense of that
principle the true American always
grows Jealous +" Did he not, he
would be unworthy of his name.
The automobilist too often can't
resist the temptation, the fascination,
of pseeding to the limit of his ma
chimes capacity. He often does so,
when the roads seem clear, without
being conscious of any infringement
of anybody else's rights, and with no
Intentional violation of law. On
city streets the majority of automobile
owners must be credited with as
earnest effort to respect the rights of
all, and to obey the law to the letter.
On country roads it is unfortunately
not so.
:. The year 1909, so far, has shown a