The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-11-25
Good Roads Question Presented from
View of Manufacturer Of Automobiles

I The most that the automobile In
( dustry can do in the way OF further
| ing good roads is what the mem pers
1 OF this association are doing, mann ~,
! carry on missionary wofk-Uy 10
! mold public sentiment so that X WIZ
} take action. More especially We are
bending our efforts toward trying to
I get Congreas 10 commit the Federal
; government 10 the good roads move
fnent.
Every Improvement that was ever
accomplished In this country has 10
go through the three lagos OF aSi-
iatfeu. education ano organization.
We have been going Through The agi-
Eating part of this program, and also
the educating part of IT. and now
We are up to the Organization, ana
q ls through this organization ana
similar organizations that We hope
Finally to accomplish the thing we
want
When ail Is said and done, tins
question OF good roads is a political
question. Nearly all questions are
political questions in this country
necessarily Sc We govern ourselves.
and the means whereby We do our
government We cali politics. There
fore we are all Interested in poll
ties and nearly everything we under
take is accomplished, directly or ih-
directly, by political means In the
minds Of great number OF our peo-
pie. unfortunately. there Is q stigma
attached TO the word politics ~ ct
thvre are good politics and bad poll
tics, and We Will have To go into poll
tics before we can ever get this road
question settled in the right way, In
my opinion 1t will need to be made
Wants National Laws.
The automobile Interests are IN
favor OF uniform legislation control-
ling thu use OF automobiles. There
should he national laws governing
the licensing speed, lighting, danger
signals and everything else connect
ed with tho use Of motor vehicles,
Much automobile legislation is class
! legislation. and class legislation Is
contrary TO the principles Of Ameri-
can government. 1t is no more fair
70 legisiate against n class able to
own motor vehicles than il would be
s 10 legisate against a class that "
not able 10 own motor vehicles,
NOW, one of the most troublesome
results Of cur American system OF
! government comes from the fact that
/ our nation is made up of some forty
. odd sovereign states, each and every
+ ono Of which is constantly enacting
+ laws with regard to common sub
+ jeCt. go that We have as conse-
/ quenca more than forty various and
varying laws affecting citizen OF
. the United States with respect 10 the
same subject, according $ he may
happen to be at - moment, In one
! part or another of hN country This
is true particularly with regard TO
; automobile legislation There are no
two States IN the Union which have
the same automobile law regulating
the use Of the highways by that We
/, hicle.
! autotmible may. and Frequently
does, travel In TWO or more States
I'm the course of a single day. Under
the present system il il subject to
new set OF law every time II crosses
a State line. II is impossible for the
. ino1orisl- Ia -he- familiar with AL al the
provisions of the automobile laws of
the various States through which he
" may travel. and the result is that d
J large rort Of the time he must neces-
! sarily become law breaker ana 9
> criminal.
The highways are the highways OF
J the nation and not OF any particular
locality. Every citizen is citizer
} Of tho nation and OF Of ay particular
com MUMMY. ne mas Il iIEfli w ~ oNN
/ from State to State over the nations
highways aud to know substantially
4 what the regulations are during the
% whole length Of his route, without
q regard to the different States lines.
n The motorist claims no special priv
t jleges but he claims the right Of fail
= treatment He claims too, that wha
60 Is reasonable and safe and proper
9 regarding motor cars III one state |!
i reasonable. safe an proper regarding
e tho same vehicle In another state.
- Takes Time to Unity.
{ We do not expec ito have this eVi
= ~ .oniiicfjn regulations remediet
- in It's entirety and all at once: ii viii
- take time to standardile and unit,
"a the laws Of the various States. bu
d that 1t Will he accomplished eventual,
there can be no doubt.
Right at this time. however, tn
Y difficulty in one Very important re
= snect can be obviated. ! mean in TIM
o tlatter OF registration. There is NJ
- reason why registration and iicensni
to o5 motor vehicle by one State shonlc
=. not afford to tha owner of such moto
4 vehicle the right to operate 1t with
n ont further necessity OF registration
q in every other State 0f the Union. 4
license good in New York City shoult
II be equally good in San Francisco.
Z TO aCCumNltSh This is the purpose
OF the Federal Automobile Registra
., ton bill which viii be considered b,
- Congress at its present session. TIT
obJect OF this .hfl is to enable tn
: owner Of an automobile using Il II
=, interstate travel to register his We
- hicie with Il bureau in some depart
, mcnt Of tht federal government, afte
= having previously registered in tn
= state of his. residence, and so Obtain
= ways OF the nation without the neces
q SHY of further registration and with
e out having TO pay any additional fee
- or taxes for the Use ef the highways
This bill does not In any way inter
q f@se @ith4 MS. sc-eNallon States right
T nor WITH the police power Of the
Il several States. II is based upon th'
~ proposition that the end sought b,
q State registration Is simply TO secur,
y Tho means 81 Identification Of motor
e vehicles. Tho proposed measure pro
yldes for sufficiently large and plainl,
t. legible indenhcation marks to b,
r issued l,y the federal government
I, which crtainiy viii answer as we'll TIL,
s purpose OF naturalization rs two o.
4 thres or more local Naturalization
numbers hung unpn the front or real
4 or both ends Of the vehicle. to thu
utter confuA on OF the ohserver-th'
( police officer.
. The question as to tn" constitution
ality of such measure has beer
raised. After three wears OF thorough
Discussion before the Interstate nnt