The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-25
ROLLER SKATING
 LAW IS NUISANCE
Much Indignation Caused Yesterday by Order to
 Arrest Children

The order issued to the police depart ment Tuesday that the use of roller skates by children upon the city side walks must be stopped, caused much amusement and condemnation yester- day A lady who refused to allow the use of her name, called The Age-Herald over the phone last night. She said;
 That order of Judge Lanes about forbidding roller skating upon the city sidewalks is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of. If the children are not allowed to skate on the side walks, where are they going to skate? have just purchased new pair or skates for my little daughter and she was having the time of her life until this order was issued and now she is afraid that if she puts on her skates she will be arrested.
 She told me today that those big. fat policemen with their nicely pressed trousers and shining helmets would hit her on the head and carry her off to jail. Now, do you think that Judge Lane or Chief Bodeker, either one, is really going to try to enforce that rule? Judge Lane has no more right to order my little girl to get off the sidewalks with her roller skates than he has to tell my husband to get off the sidewalks because he has on pair of tan shoes"
 Yesterday afternoon down in front of Loveman.5 Joseph & Loeb's store a prom inent lady of the city returned to her automobile and found the chauffeur gone. A policeman had been standing round in front of the store watching pretty clothes of the society women when he glaced at the chauffeur and remembered that he had seen him driving six miles an hour several days before. He promptly placed him. under arrest. A man has to do some thing to keep his job. When he doesn't feel like tramping about in the alleys and dark ways of the city where there really are criminals, he just waits until a nice, prosperous looking chauffeur comes along and arrests him. It gives him a stand in.
 Birmingham's police force at present, with the single exception of Theodore Roosevelt, is the biggest fake in the land. If the roller skating law is enforced, Roosevelt stands defeated. That's the way a fellow put 1t last night.
 If they actually did try to enforce an ordinance as 1.-Two as the roller skating rule, they would have to send to Mont gomery for aid There isn't enough po- lioemen in this town to arrest really live and vigorous 10-year-old boy. The boy would run in the first place, and that would necessitate the officer leav- ing his corner and exerting himself, and that never would do.
 Which is the more dangerous, roller skating, grade crossings, automobiles or crazy drunken negroes.
 The roller skate offender will prob ably he the easiest and, of course, the least dangerous to ai1est. So the little children of Birmingham have an enjoy able life ahead of them.
 They dare not skate on the sidewalks.
 They dare not go into the street. An automobile will run over them.
 They dare not venture out after dark, A drunken negro might knock them down and steal a, little girls hair ribbon or a little boys pocketknife.
 Verify, verify, Birmingham has offended the good will of the gods. We don know where we're going but s
 We're on our way,