Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-08-19

ness by some one that contributed,
entirely avoidably. to the inevitab BILE
ness, and for which there can be
named no explanation save that OF
criminal or insane readiness to take
a chance" and. fatty. no excuse. The
fact that the fellow who expresses
readiness to take the chance generally
escapes with whole skin while the
broken bones belong to the fellow who
did not mean to take chances at all
ought to operate upon the public mind
in two ways: to stimulate it to in
sistence on ironclad. restricting con-
troll Of the agencies Of disaster, and to
encourage greater prudence in the
first person singular.
Control of the mail van, empty per-
haps and plaything Of speed bitten
driver; Of the private car rushing the
"magnate" to The Street in the morn
ing and back to his home or club at
night; Of the taxi dashing to catch a
patrons train or to save the loss of
five minutes at tango party; of the
private chauffeur taking her out''
without his employers knowledge and
teasing his GREATNESS. ecstatically
scared lady friend with a performance
on the high; reasonably complete
control of these menaces is in the
power of the police. They cannot
make the f1nancier rise earlier, but
they can make the penalty Of tardi-
ness his instead Of the innocent by.
standers. They cannot make the
traveller start on time, but they can
make him miss his train instead of
endangering other riders or foot pas
sengers.
Error should be stopped at the
source. The recklessness Of some
competent drivers is one source. and II
is susceptible of police control or at
least severe restraint. Incompetence
is another source. and the license is
suing agency can check its outflow
with the sluices of discriminating ex-
aminations and stern censorship of
gasoline aspiration. No INFESTED
hand, no hand of "a child, an I'M
| trained amateur. a neurasthenic. an
excitable person or weaking," as the
Health Department competently ex-
presses it, should be permitted to
touch the starting lever or the steer
ing wheel.
The first safeguard Of the public
afoot against the public a-wheel
would be a we'll enforced code of
traffic rules for pedestrians. But
when this great. clumsy. stupid. ir-
responsible. irrepressible, laughable
and lovable overlooking family of
Father Knickerbocker becomes sensi-
BILE and careful and submissive to in
telligent measures for it's protection
against it's own laundering, obstinate
self, men will have attained immortal
ity, and the snorting. screeching, FUN
ing. plunging automobile will have no
more power to say.
| Meanwhile it is the part Of the wise
and practical individual with no long
ing for early investigation Of the mys-
teries back of the beyond to walk cir
cumspectly, that he may lose a minute
and save a leg.
The first need of every community.
| it appears to us, is traffic rules for
both drivers and pedestrians. and rig1o
enforcement Of the penalties. Au-
gusta, as much as any other city of
its size, needs such traffic rules. Per-
haps we need them more than the
average city of $1,000 inhabitants be-
cause of the importance of our single
business street, which is congested a.
almost any hour of the day.
Perhaps first should be arranged
parking facilities for automobiles, to
take many of those that stand along
the business street day after day and
also crowd other traffic out Of Market
Square. A good suggestion has been
many times been made that the va
cant space along Commercial street
be secured for parking automobiles.
Other Maine cities are taking de-
cisive measures for relief from traffic
congestion and for the restriction of
such gambling on chances as Is every
where found among those who are
given (under lax conditions) control
| of powerful engines