Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1910-11-25
AUTOMOBILES FEARS UN-
FOUNDED.
Col. Battelrs Bill q Sane and Con-
sentative Measure Aimed
at Reckless Driver.
Especial to the Free Press.)

Montpelier, Nov. %. Those who
were looking for something radical in
the way of automobile legislature from
Mr.. Battell of Middlebury, were sur
prised at the moderation of the bill he
introduced in the House. Mr.. Battell's
hostility to automobiles has been verv
pronounced in the past and has brought
him into considerable notoriety. He
even goes so far as to employ a man On
his newspaper, the Middlebury Register,
whose principal duty it is to keep a
record of all automobile accidents wher-
ever they may occur, the more thrilling
of which are published in the Register.
(This is not at all correct. All the
accidents that the Register publishes
are selected from three or four papers.
usually Boston or New York dailies, in
few minutes. 1t would be very easy
to fill up every paper with these so
called accidents. This sort of collation.
should be done by the Government, or
different Governments, so that a full
understanding could be reached of the
terrible suffering not to mention the in
trinsic wrong, caused by these motor
engines running upon the highways.)
| 1t had been known for some time be-
fore the bill made its appearance that
Mr.. Battell, with the assistance Of
Professor Boyce, formerly of Middle
bury College, whom he keeps with him
constantly to aid him in these matters,
was at work on such measure, and the
House would not have been surprised a
a % nA 70 H.
mobile and all of its kind off the face of
the earth.
The bill introduced by Mr.. Battell pro-
vides that the fee for a chauffeur's
license shall be raised to SIS, that the
license shall be granted for one wear
only and that it shall only be granted
after an examination that shall satisfy
the secretary of State that the applicant
understands the operation of an auto
mobile and its mechanism and is a suit
able person to receive such a license
This provision for an examination is the
most important change the bill makes
in existing laws and is the same pro-
vision now in force in the State of New
York under the Callan law and which
Secretary of State Bailey says he has
heard is not working well.
AIMED AT RECKLESS DRIVER.
The bill makes more definite than do
the present laws the operation of an
automobile when approaching or pass
ing a team, prescribing a speed of not
over eight miles an hour, but it imposes
no precautions beyond which are OBJ
served by every careful driver of an
automobile. The only ones who will be
affected by this section, should the bill
become law, are the reckless drivers
who have a supreme disregard of others
rights to the highway" and who are the
bane of not only drivers of teams but
of decent operators of motor cars as
well.
The bill also provides that in case of
collision the operator of the machine
shall stop and give his name, residence
and number and render all possible as
sistance and in case of death shall
surrender himself to the nearest officer.
The penalty for violation of this sec
ton is Imprisonment for at least six
months and in addition a fine of not
more than $1,000. Mr.. Battell also
makes provision where there are prac-
tically parallel roads leading through a
town for the closing by the selectmen
of one of the roads to automobiles.