Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-12

\ y lating to prolonged dense smoke
and gases issuing from auto
mobiles. that the Automobile Club
of Washington, through w. S. Du-
WALL it's president and attorney. last
week took prominent part in a case IN
the Police Court Judge Pugh presiding
In the event that the law had not Deen
construed in accordance with President
Duvalrs contentious 1t was intended 10
take the question TO the Court OF Appears
The case referred to was that of Charles
!. Butler q motorist of this city, VINO was
arrested charged with permitting his ma
chine to emit dense smoke ana gases
while ascending 14th street IL. just
above Florida avenue Mr. A.d,i'r hau
20 substantial defense in the case ana
was adjudged guilty. The court took his
personal bonds.
The efforts of President Duvall were
not SO much directed to defending MI
Butler as having the court pass upon the
meaning of the regulation. 10 ehlishtei,
the court as TO this counsel introduces
Charles Z. Miller and A. Gary oaftei,
who testifying as experts, proved to the
court that a certain amount or SMOKE IS
suing from the exhausts OF cars was
necessary and ought to show at all tlmeS,
that when starting or ascending mis-
much greater smoke must be expected
in view of the fact that the motors were
then laboring. The court, after argument
by counsel and a review OF the reguia
tion agreed that the regulation mercy
meant that an automob1llSt must not
have a dense or prolonged smoke. III
other words. the court recognized that
light smoke issuing from the exhaust was
usually necessary; that when starting
car although the smoke might be dense
for a few moments, yet it was not pro
longed, and that in ascending nils tne
smoke and gases would be necessarily
not %
beyond what is necessary. AS this was
the main contention of counsel, no Ell
fort was made to test the legality or the
regulation.
President Duvall and the Commissioners
are working in perfect accord in these
matters. il is stated, and the regulation
In question, when used with proper re-
gard for the circumstances, is not OBJ
aectionable to the autoists. Immediately
rpon complaint by him that the strict
enforcement of the regulation was WORK
ing a hardship, an order was issued IN
regard to the same and instr ucting tLe
police to use discretion ana only enforce
the law where there was plain ana un,
iunistakable violation. President DuvaA
stated yesterday that it was not the
policy Of the club to resist Sood anu
reasonable regulations or to defend evli
,tdoers but only where there was a PAL
pable invasion of a private right or the
regulation was menace TO the autoino
bile owner and that In those cases tue
clut, would stand up for what is believed
to be fair and right. On this point he mas
found the board of Commissioners hearth
lytin favor of the same poncy
Incidentally at the hearing Judge Pugn
took occasion to state from the bench
shaf automobiles, as we'll as other citi-
xens, made mistake in assuming tnat
he would not carefully listen to COM
plaints or that he would necessarily sus-
tain police regulations, be they good or
had He stated that if citizens, instead
of coming into court and testing the
regulations, preferred to FORFEIT thelr
collaterais they had no cause to com
plain.
Further evidence of the fact that local
motorists are not to be Disseminated
against is shown in the favorable report
authorized a few days ago on the bill IN
rroduced by Representative Smith OF
Michigan directing the District Commits
sioners 20 promulgate police regulations
requiring horse-drawn vehicles to carry
lights between darkness and daylight. Up
to the present time only motor vehicles
and BICYCLES have been required to dis
play lights after dark. motorists claiming
that numerous accidents could be avoided
IL horse-drawn vehicles were similarly
provided
The District Commissioners have for
warded to Congress a measure providing
for a newsset of speed regulations in the
District for vehicles of every class. The
present speed laws are the result of acts
passed by Congress from time to time,
which cannot be changed by police regu-
lations. If the new bill becomes law
the Commissioners will be EN-. J~ered to
make rules and regulations : ney see
at from time to time. detinin lie rate
of speed and method and con-, of We
hicles on the roads, highways. streets,
avenues. alleys and public reservations
and in public parks
4 ~
. Probably one of the most unique auto
mobile touring trips ever attempted COW
ering about 1900 miles was commenced
Monday. when a Flanders 10" manu-
fRctured Thy the EMF Company of De-
troit. left Quebec. Canada. bound for
Mexico. The car is being piloted by W.
"a. Lane, who is accompanied by Paul
u. Bruske ,of the EMF Companys pub
1icity department. AS the roads accom-
modation and population of three coun-
tries will be embraced on the tour. the
title OF the undertaking has been justly
affixed under three flags. The radia
tor has been decorated with three flags.
In sending the car on its, long tour the
EMF. Company has beeH actuated very
largely by motives similar to those which
caused them TO volunteer EMF go
car over a year ago for the service of the
pathfinding for the 1909 Giidden tour. 1t
is planned to touch at Montreal Toronto,
Windsor Detroit Toledo indianapolis. ST
Louis, Dallas. San Antonio and Laredo.
Owing to the fact that various possible
entrants and manufacturers have urged
that the length OF the grand prize race
of the Automobile Club of America be
Increased, the promoters of this event
announce that the length of the course
for the race will be increased from oTS OS
miles to 1872 miles. The event will take
place October 10, over the Long Island
motor parkway.
Another speed and endurance victory
was placed to the credit of the Stearns
O. short while ago when j. c. Littlewood
and p p. Thomas established a new
record, Of five -hours and forty EIGHT min
utes'A running time between Minneapolis
and aDuluth, the distance >covered being
dSS miles. This run us "a -favorite record
of the northwest. and although a half
dozen machines have tried to establish