Evening star., 1915-01-09
N0EX7ENS|ON Of TIME
FOR AUT0|STS IN STATE
Sheriff Whalen Shifts Attitude.
Lack of 1915 Tags in Mary
land Means Arrest.
,pecIal Correspondence Of The Star.

Cpec1dl Correspondence u Auc otoi.
ROCKVILLE, Md. January o.
Sheriff B. Peyton Wha1en Of Mont
gomery county and his deputies will
not grant any further time to auto
mobilists for the procuring of 1915
license tags under the Maryland auto
mobile license law.
Sheriff whalen today issued state
ment in which he declared he is con-
vinced that he made a mistake in his
construction of the law, under which
he originally intended to allow auto
mobilists until January IS to procure
licenses, and that he will instruct his
deputies to see that the automobile
laws are strictly enforced from now
on.
"At no time" Mr.. Whalen says. had
intended to exceed my authority; and
1 acted in good faith throughout"
State Automobile Commissioner Harry
A. Roe, who arrived at Rockville yester-
day afternoon, accompanied by several
deputies from his office, also issued a
statement in which he says:
Will Withdraw Deputies.
sheriff Whalen has assured men that
he will instruct his deputies to see that
the law regarding the licensing of auto.
mobiles is carried out without further de-
lay, and upon this assurance I shall with
draw from the county the deputies from
my office. 1 hope the automobilists will
take due notice and obtain their 1916
license tags Immediately, thereby saving
themselves from annoyance"
The conclusions reached in the state
ments of the two officials were arrived at
after a conference yesterday afternoon
between them. arranged by John A. Gar
reported in yesterdays Star. when the
state automobile commissioner and his
deputies arrived here they accosted sew
eral drivers of automobiles to learn why
they were not carrying 1915 license tags
on their machines, and were all made to
understand that they must procure
licenses at once or be prosecuted. AT
the conference. Sheriff Whalen made 1t
plain that in having originally said tina,
automobilists would be allowed, SO far
as he was concerned. until January 10 to
procure licenses, he was actuated solely
by a desire to be what he regarded as
fair to the automobilists. An agreement
for hearty cooperation in the enforce
ment OF the laws was reached at the con-
ference, after which Commissioner Roe
and his deputies returned to- their office
in Baltimore.
Roe Visits Deputy Coale.
Before coming to Rockville yesterday
afternoon Commissioner Roe visited the
Office of Deputy Commissioner S. G.
Coale in Washington for a conference,
after which state deputy motor cycle
men were stationed for a while at va
rious points along the roads in the
county with orders to arrest all auto
mobilists without 1915 tags. Among
those placed on duty were George Glib
son, state Investigator; Deputy George
Hodge, Deputy Thomas H. Wildman
and Deputy Louis H. Ely. The latter
the county road commits
of Montgomery county, and he
and Mr.. Wildman remained on duty for
q while at Sligo.
Several arrests were made of motor
lists driving cars without 1915 tags. J,
H. Sawyer, justice of the peace at Sligo,
will hear these cases this afternoon.
One arrest of yesterday afternoon, in
which the motorist was taken tmme-
diately before the justice, resulted in a
fine of IS.
Automobiles who venture across the
line of Prince Georges county, Md. to-
morrow may expect arrest and trial,
Deputy Sheriff Garrison and Magis-
trate Robert E. Joyce say they will be
out looking for offenders.