New-York tribune., 1910-02-06
TO URGE AUTO BILL
4 COMMITTEE- MINED.
Leading Men to attend Legis-
lathe Contention.

committee thoroughly representative
Of automobile and such other interests
throughout the country as viii be benenteo
by the passage Of the federal automooue
registration bill has been appointed oy
Chairman Charles Thaddeus Terry as the
national legislative convention coInmlttee.
This committee will have general charse OF
the convention to be held in Washington
February Is. is and II. to discuss the mer'es
or uniform automobile legislation. by oo-
tanning the passage of the federai auto
mobile registration bill by Congress- Wnlch
will be the chief effort of the convention,
the first step on broad lines toward secur-
ing the much needed uniformity in auto
mobile legislation will be insured. The ma
tionaI committee as selected by Mr. Terry
chairman of the legislative board of the
American Automobile Association. con-
sists Of:
Robert p. Hooper. vice-chaIrman. presi-
dent PENNSYLVANIA Motor Federation; eI-
Governor n. J. Bachelor of New Hamp-
shire. master of the National Grange:
Charles Clifton. of Buffalo, president AS
sociation of Licensed Automobile Manu-
fscturers; l.. H. kittredge. OF Cleveland
president National Association of Auto
mobile Manufacturers; Lewis r. Speare, or
Boston. president American Automobile AS
sociation: Charles P. Allen. Of Denver
chairman Colorado State Highway Com
mission: John Bancroft OF wilmington
Delaware Automobile Association; Neal
Brown. state Senator, Wisconsin; II. Chad
wick Hunter, president Automobile Club of
Washington: George 3. Ellis, of Los An
geles. president Automobile Club of South
ern California: Walter Phelps Emo, Wash
ineton, author of traffic regulations New
York and other cities, and Frederick H.
Elliott, secretary American Automobile As
ISOLATION, New York
Senator Depew, of New York, as has
previously been announced, has consented
to make the opening address at the con-
vention in favor of more enlightened auto
mobile legislation, and among the other
speakers whose acceptance Of invitations
to address the delegates was received last
week will be Ex-Governor Bachelor of
New Hampshire, State Senator Neal
Brown. of Wisconsin; Walter S. Schultz, of
the Automobile Club of Hartford. and
Walter Phelps Emo. Of Washington. who
has made thorough study of traffic resu-
Iations Of New York and other large cities
IF anything were needed to reveal the
widespread personal interest Oh the sub
ject of reasona BILE automobile laws through
out the country, II has remained for the
coming national legislative convention to
supply that want. While the officers of
the American Automobile Association and
the members of its Legislative board have
for several wears been devoting attention
and study toward obtaining better fdcln-
ties for motor tourists in travelling from
state to state. the widespread personal IN
terest aroused by their efforts among the
thousands of users of motor cars has been
illustrated to q remarkable degree by the
assurances from hundreds of clubs and
thousands of individual members repre-
senting nearly every state in the Union. Of
fering to do their share toward the success
of the coming convention
The most encoura ging feature of this
campaign for uniform automobile legisla-
tion is that not only do these assurances
of help como from the motorists them
selves but in scores of cases from other
organizations and by the Governors from
a score of states who have already prom
ised to send one or more state officials to
Washington as delegates.
The federal automobile registration bill,
which was introduced into Congress by
W. ". Cocks of New York, is now before
the Committee on Interstate and fGrelgn
Commerce, and arrangements were MADE
last week to hold a public hearing on the
hill before the members of this committee.
Of which James r. Mann. of Illinois, is
chairman, on February II. the closing day
or the convention. Arguments will then be
presented before the members of this COM
mittee clearly explaining the interstate
commerce features of the bill and the jul
risdiction that Congress can invoke to reg
ulate automobiles while enga ged in travel
from state to state.
It Is interesting to note that the argu
1nent that Congress has jurisdiction in this
matter was expressed by several members
of the Judiciary Committee in March, 1908,
when the first hearing on this bill was held
in Washington. It was admitted then that
the question was an entirely new one to
Congress, as indeed. was affirmed by many
members in the discussions over the merits
of the bill Preliminary work on a large
scale was. therefore, necessary, and al
though two years have elapsed since that
hearing. the automobilists of the country.
represented by the American Automobile
Association realize that this preparatory
work has been energetically conducted. in
formation on the benefits of the bill inteli-
gently disseminated and the consolidation
of many national interests perfected, all OF
which Will exert an important influence in
Washington when the bill is clearly ex-
planned to the members of the committee
and other legislators.
Governor Frank &. Weeks of ConneCti-
cut has appointed Matthew H. Rogers
Secretary of State, and Arthur Fffoot Of
fcially to represent Connecticut at the con-
vention. Governor G. II. Prouty of Yer
mont has appointed Guy W. Bailey, Sec
retary of State. 10 represent that state.
The Automobile Club of Vermont has
named the following delegates: ". W.
Brown, president; Allen NJ. Fletcher,
Charles r. Warren, Addison Ely, James
Boutwell, and Secretary S. S. Ballard.
President John =. Coghln of the Worcester
Automobile Club and President W. II.
Chase of the Wachusetts Automobile Club
will be among the delegates from Massa-
chusetts. President Allen c. Alderman of
tho Long Island Automobile Club will be
among the delegates from Brooklyn.