Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1911-11-24
PLAN TO CURB JOY RIDERS.
Unique Organization Formed TO
Protect Pedestrians.
PUBLIC HIGHWAY NO LONGER SAFE,
FROM RECKLESS DRIVERS OF

PUBLIC HIGHWAY No LONGER SAGE,
FROM RECKLESS DRIVERS OF
AUTOMOBILES.
In an interview which took as part of
its text the automobile accident early
yesterday morning on Beacon street,
Moorfeld Storey, the lawyer, points
the need of an association which shall
have as its purpose of checking of the
reckless automobilist by program of
rigid prosecution.
TO PROTECT PEDESTRIANS.
Lines for such an organization have
already been quietly laid. twill be alb
soutely unique. While name has not
yet been decided upon, its purpose is
plain-to protect pedestrians and the
drivers of vehicles from the AUTOMOBILE
list who thinks he owns the road, and
who proceeds upon that theory.
Mr.. Storey is the man behind the
idea. He has already enlisted the sym
pathy and the aid of such men as ].
Murray Forbes, Louis Derr, A. E. Pills
bury, Laurence Minot, w. w. Vaughan
and DR.. Frank Piper. Lawrence G.
Brooks is acting treasurer, and as soon
as sufficient funds and an adequate
membership have been assured, organi-
cation will be effected, and warfare on
the joyrider will begin.
Mr.. Storey's efforts toward an organ
ization date back a few days, to his
attention being directed to the state
ment of the Highway Commission, that
carelessness on the part of pedestrians
was resulting in many motor fatalities.
The fact that that seemed to be the
attitude of many automobilists COM
pleted his Indignation.
"The suggestion that a new associa-
ton be formed for the purpose of curb
ing the abuse of automobiles arises from
the very general feeling throughout
this community that the public high
ways are no longer safe" he said in an
interview with The Journal.
"Not a day passes without it's record
of serious accidents, and the account of
an accident almost always contains the
statement either that the machine was
proceeding slowly, or sometimes "at
fair rate of speed" Last night an
automobile going over the Boston and
Albany railroad bridge "skidded' with
such violence as to break large water
main, thereby not only endangering the
lives of its occupants, but doing very
considerable damage to public and pri-
vate property.
VICTIMS NOT ALWAYS INFIRM.
Similar instances constantly occur,
and it is not only to the old, or the
infirm, or the careless, for we read that
Patrolman Malloy of Station l of Cam
bridge was knocked down by an auto
mobile in front of the Mt Auburn car
station, receiving two fractures of his
arm, broken shoulder and two broken
ribs. A patrolman in active service can
hardly be considered as belonging to the
infirm class.
ut is true that there is already
Safe Roads Association, but this had
been in existence for several years, and
the best evidence that it has not sue
ceeded is the constant recurrence of
these accidents without any serious at
tempt to bring anyone to justice.
ut is not enough to say, as we are
often told, that the automobiles have
come to stay.
1--WE hope that on the other hand the
human race has come to stay, and we
think it should be protected. To meet
the suggestion more directly, it is equal
ly true that railroads have come to
stay. gunpowder has come to stay, pos-
ons have come to stay.
I'VE none the less undertake to reg
ulate railroads, and the use of gun
powders and poisons. The railroad train
runs upon definite road. 1t is oper,
ated by a perfectly well known corpora
ton whose responsibility in the event
of accident can easily be enforced. The
engineers are carefully trained for their
work.
''Yet we put the railroad corporation
and the community to enormous ex-
pense for the purpose of preventing ac-
cldents at grade crossings, although it
might be said that if people were not
careless and looked both ways before
they went upon a crossing accidents
would not happen. The carelessness of
men has not been regarded as a suffi-
Gent reason for leaving them open to
the danger of destruction at a railroad
crossing.
GRADE CROSSING OR STREETS.
1--WE have now made a long grade
crossing of all our public streets. We