The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-02
SAYS TRAFFIC LAW
IS TOO DESPOT|C
J. T. Endsley Enters Protest
Against Manner in Which
1t Is Being Enforced

To the Editor of The Age Herald:
AS an automobile owner and citizen
of the city of Birmingham 1 wish to
take this means of entering my pro-
test against the present traffic ordi-
nance as 1t is applied to the citizens.
No despotic practice of the kingdom
of Pharoah is one-half as despotic
as the way this ordinance is enforced.
1t is almost impossible to drive a car
on the streets without breaking some
section of the law.
: In the absence Of any parking space
it is absolutely necessary at times to
leave your car while you go into some
store or other place of business. A
brave. defender of the laws of the city
will stand by and watch you go in.
never offering word of warning, but
on your return you are placed under
arrest.
1t is amusing to drive out and watch
the methods OF these brave defenders;
pole and step out in time to play the
act of a hero and place some citizen
under arrest for failure to have his
rear light burning. Everybody realizes
that the rear light is liable to be blown
out at any time. 1t is impossible for
a man to drive his car and watch the
light at the same time.
l could go on and enumerate various
other ways in which car owners are
harassed by the working of the ordi-
nance but the methods used to harass
are too numerous and too we'll known
by automobile owners of the city for
me to go into the details here
However. / would like to hear from
others on this subject, and see If there
cannot be some way found whereby
we can get relief 1t should certainly
be amended enough TO make it possible
for man to drive downtown and get
home again without getting in Jail
1t is my desire to comply with all
laws but the traffic ordinance is so
complicated in its workings that it is
impossible to comply with all it's reg
ulations.
1t is my firm belief that the repeal
of this ordinance would be of great
service to the city; that it would give
the officers now stationed behind tele-
graph poles and other hiding places
time to try to catch some of the mur-
derers, highwaymen, burglars and other
criminals that now infest the city.
Every man who owns an automobile is
not millionaire and cannot pay a fine
every time he goes out
1t may be that the city has an ex-
cess of officers and is placing them out
behind telegraph poles. If this be true,
would suggest that they be relieved
of duty. 1t would save a tidy sum for
the citizens
In The Age Herald of this date I no.
ticed an item to the effect that viola
tors of the traffic ordinance would not
be allowed bond in the future until they
had first been taken to the city Jail,
like common criminal. As rule tire
persons who violate this blue law do
SO unthinkingly, and, in my opinion 1t
is working an unnecessary hardship
on man to compel Finn to go to jail
before allowing him bail. In the past,
bond has been allowed violators of the
traffic ordinance and I Know of no In
stance where anyone has. forfeited the
paper 1t would seem that we have in
deed come to low level when a citizen
cannot make bond for trivial viola
tion of petty law. Judge Lane would
do we'll to rescind his latest order
anent this none too popular traffic or
dinance T. r. ENDSLEY.