Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1910-04-20
AUToEs ON COUNTRY ROADS.
Farmer Complains That Drivers of
Horses Do Not Get Square Deal.
Automobiles Thinks Other
wise
wise.

two well written articles on auto
mobiles on country roads. One from
!. farmer who complains that the
drivers of horses do not have a
square deal with the automobile
drivers. The other says he knows
that the farmer is the road hog and
not the automobile driver. On
these two sides Wallace's Farmer
comments as follows:
There you have the two sides of
the picture and We think both of
them are reasonably true to life.
The fact of the matter is that hui
man nature is pretty much the same,
whether the man is sitting behind
the, steering wheel of an automobile
or driving a spirited horse. There
are some men whose natures seem
to undergo a, complete transforma-
ton after beginning to run auto
mobiles. They become speed mani
acs and tear over the country with
out regard to the rights of other
people on the road or to the safety
of the people who are riding with
them. These men, however are
comparatively few. The average
driver of an automobile is a level
headed man who is just as consider
ate of the rights of the travelling
| public as the average driver of the
team. There are exceptions and ex-
tremes in both cases. There are
some men who drive teams with no
regard whatever apparently for the
| rights of anyone else on the road,
except as they are compelled to OBJ
serve them. Speaking generally,
there are three classes of men who
drive automobiles. First, and by the
largest, the owners of the cars, bust
ness men, professional men, and in
some cases, farmers Second, pro-
fessional chauffeurs, who are usu-
ally expert drivers, but not as con-
siderate Of others as they should be,
and not as responsible, for the rea-
son that they are not driving their
own cars and are not paying their
own bills. Third, young men who
are driving the cars owned by their
| fathers and who are more or less
reckless; fortunately there are not
so many of these. The members
of the first class, the owners of the
cars, are usually careful drivers.
They have no desire to go at rate
of speed which endangers their own
and the lives of others with them,
or which is likely to injure the car,
which is costly vehicle. They have
decent regard for the rights of
other people and will not willingly
do anything to cause inconvenience
or injury.
The law in the state of Iowa gives
quite adequate protection for the
drivers of vehicles. Briefly, it pro-
vides, first, that the owner of an
automobile must register it with the
secretary of the state and take out
number. which must be displayed
prominently On the car. Second, it
forbids anyone driving a motor We
hicle at a rate of speed greater than
is reasonable and proper, having re-
gard to the traffic in use of the high
way, Or to endanger the life or limb
of any person. Upon approaching
crossing or intersecting public highv
ways, or a bridge, sharp curve or
steep descent, the person operat1
ing the car shall have it under con-
troll and operate at a safe rate of
speed. Third, any person operating
motor vehicle shall at the request
or on signal by the putting up of
the hand of a person riding or driv-
| ing FESTIVE horse or other draft
or domestic animal, bring such mo-
tor vehicle Immediately to a stop;
and If travelling in the opposite di-
rection remain stationary so long as
may be reasonable to allow such
horse or animal to pass. And in
travelling in the same direction, use
reasonable caution in passing such
horse Or animal, and the OPERATOR
and occupants of any motor vehicle
shall render assistance to the party
having in charge such horse or otheri
draft animal in so passing
Folks who are driving FESTIVE or
nervous horses should, on meeting
an automobile, require an observ-
ance of the last provision of the
law. If the horse gives symptoms
OF fright the thing to do is to get
out of the buggy, take the horse
by the bit and raise the hand to
/ stop the approaching car Nine
auto drivers out of every ten will
promptly give what assistance they
can in cases of this sort. The reck-
less driver should be prosecuted to
/ INV itii SAtOhI VI tAe law. ne
number on the car furnishes the
means of Identification. The auto--I
mobile question will be vexing one
for several years. The automobile
has passed the experimental stage.
1t has come to stay. 1t will increase
in number very rapidly during the
next five years and will be common
in every county in the corn belt.
Gradually horses will become ac-s
customed to them and pay no more
attention to them than they do any
other vehicles they meet. In the
meantime the driver of the automo-
bile and the driver of the team must
exercise mutual forbearance and
good sense. They have equal rights
to the road, and both are bound to
respect these rights. There will al
ways be drivers of automobiles who
go careering over the country at
dangerous speed, and without COM
fort of the other people using the
roads; and there will always be
drivers of teams who are road
hogs" and will give no more consid-
Grafton to the rights of others than
these reckless automobile drivers.
But the great majority of the driv-
ers of automobiles and of drivers of
teams are decent folks who use the
roads together in peace and har-
mOny