Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-05-02
AUTO sCORCHERs.


II is not too early for Superintendent
Van Liew of the public safety depart
ment to put an end to the automobile
speed maniac. The season is young. But
already the racing which makes life
terror for citizens along Grand avenue
and Kingman Boulevard has begun.
Drivers with no regard for the safety
OF residents along these streets or OF
themselves have begun the annual con-
tests that always result sooner or lat
er in disaster and death. Most OF the
speeding is at night when the pedes-
lrian stands no show for his safety and
when the buggy without a tail light
is in imminent danger Of obliteration.
1t is unfortunate for Des Moines that
the city has no ordinance by which 1t
may check the reckless automobile
t1end and the snorting. ripping motor
cycle. There is a state law which we
are told bears on the subject, but 1t
was framed for the country town rath-
er than the city. 1t is high time that
the city fathers enact regulations
which will limit the autoist in the bus
mess section to eight or ten miles per
hour and shut off his JOY riding in the
residence districts except at a reason :
able rate Of speed, say fifteen to twen-
ty miles.
The regulations should be compre-
hensive and of wide latitude. They
should force carriages and other We
hicles to carry taillights the same as
do Automobiles. 1t is to the interests
of the carriage owner to thus provide
his rig with light SO that the auto
driver may see him before he is d.
no 01lfnllf
fiend should be eliminated and those
compressed air noise producers that
sound exactly the same as the alarm
on the fire and police machines should
be suppressed. II there is one way OF
getting at him, the man who delfber-
ately throws beer bottles and glass on
the pavement should be retired from
circulation. The autoist with all his
THE POINT IN ISSUE.
[Des Moines Register and Leader]
The Fort Dodge Messenger misses
the point in issue in its defense Of the
commerce court.
If there had been nothing more in
volved than merely expediting appeals
from the decisions Of the interstate
commerce commission there would
have been little to quarrel over, altho
there was nothing to show that the
regular courts could not attend to the
business.
But that was not all. The purpose
Of the promoters Of the commerce court
was to have a court with a power of
review over decisions Of the commits
sion, and that power the ordinary
courts do not have, and could not exer-
else without specific authority Of con-
Tess. There was the nub Of the con-
troversy.
It was the contention Of the friends
of the commission that there should
be no appeal from its decisions fur
Their than might seem necessary to
protect the railroads in their consti-
tutional rights-to protect them against
confiscation and spoiliation. It was the
contention of the friends Of the COM
merce court that there should be a
court with general powers Of super
vision-in effect, second commission.
For Illustration, let us take the
decision of the commere court to the
effect that the evidence in q recent
case did not justly the reduction OF
rates ordered by the commission. Now.
whether evidence justifies IN order or
not is 4 matter Of Judgment. Why
should the Judgment Of the commerce
court be taken in preference to the
Judgment OF the commerca, commission