South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-06-10
KELLER DEFENDS
ATTITUDE TOWARD
AUTO TRAVELLERS
Issues Statement Outlining
Policy and Says Every Cour-
teSy Consistent With Law
enforcement Is Shown.


plants and public claims that the at
titude OF his administration toward
nonresident autOmObilists, causing
their arrest. and making them ugly,
IS working a detriment 10 South
Bend, Mayor Fred w. Keller decided
"Wednesday TO issue a public state
ment, Ia which he pTesumes TO relate
just what has been going on UP to the
present time, and TO give the why's
and wherefores.
The mayor in defense Of his ad
ministration asserts that If any in
Jury has resulted TO the city, it is
rot because Of any arrests that have
been made but because of the utterly
false reports that have been sent or
given to outside papers. by those who
do not know or care TO know the
facts"
The executive denies any attitude
toward resident or nonresident auto
mObilists other than TO extend them
courtesy consistent with proper en-
fOrcement OF the law" His signed
statement continues:
Many Are Allowed to Go.
'Tn numerous instances where au-
of police that they had lost their IL
cense tags while coming TO the city,
or presented other reasonable eX-
cuses. the chief has personally seen
TO IL that they were allowed TO pass
through the city unmOlested.
"The traffic police cannot hold
pOlice court on the street corner. IT
IS their duty when they see an OBJ
vious violation of the statutes or or
dinances. TO bring the offender to the
police station where his case will be
given due consideration by the prop
er authorities.
"The chief purpose Of the license
plates on automobiles is TO serve as a
means Of Identification in case the
automobiles does injury to person or
property.
1T so happened that the day fol
lowing that upon which a large num-
her of nOn-residents were arrested for
lack of proper tags, another non
resident in a machine without license
plates ran over and seriously injured
a citizen and then attempted to get !
away. He was however stopped and
arrested.
Had this injury TO a citizen by an
unlicensed car occurred before the
other arrests. the administration, no
doubt. would have been severely
criticised for allowing these uu-
licensed cars to run in the city.
Only Few Violate Law.
ION the day that the largest num- /
Der of arrests of nonresident autOmo- |
bilists were made it is estimated that |
from two to three hundred nOn-resi- /
dent Automobiles passed through |
The city. all properly equipped with H.
cense plates except a few, and each of /
the latter knowing perfectly well that
suitable plates were required.
There are on file in the Office Of |
the chief of police letters from the +
secretary Of state Of Illinois and sec /
rotary Of state of Michigan advising I
that all those arrested were subject 70 /
arrest in their own states, and that |
the use of paper license applied for /
or dealers tags are not permitted in /
any instance.
THE Illinois law Is less liberal !
than that OF Indiana. in that a dealer I
must remove his number plates inn |
when a car is sold while in .
this state the buyer may use the deal /
ers' plates for 10 days.
No arrests have been made or .
anything else done which is not .
necessary for the proper protection
of the life and limbs of our citizens
Refuses TO Discriminate.
eff one set of autOmObilists are al
lowed to run without license plates,
even-handed justice requires that
others be allowed 10 do so. This
would very soon mean trouble. We
are sure the vast majority of auto
mobilists who have complied with the
law desire that the remainder be
made TO comply.
There is no state i'm which num-
Der plates are not required. The
paper tags used by some of the non
resident automobiles are, as stated
above, Illegal ia their own states, and
were doubtless used with full knOwl-
edge that they were illegal. but in
the expectation that they would get
by with them. When they failed they
had the bad judgment TO resort TO the
usual tactics of the buffer. which is
not a good method 10 adopt in South
Bend or anywhere else where the
laws are being enforced impartially.
There are two reasons why non
residents should be required to dis
play number plates which reasons do
not apply 10 resident automobilists
One reason is on account of the
plates being the only means
of Identification in case of injury 70
n citizen while a resident automobiles
is most sure To be recognized by
some citizen.
Cause the Most Accidents.
Another reason is that the tour
fists usually so at a high rate of speed
and cause most of the accidents. I'M
some cases they have been known 10
conceal their number
plates with grease and dirt or some
other means Only last week one
was apprehended who
was displaying a 1914 number plate
In front and. in the rear. a 1913
plate likely not the plate be
himself used that year either When
his attention was called 20 the mat
ter he removed his other 1914 plate
from under the seat and Dfaca1 4 ,