The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-01-25
Licensing Motor Gar Drivers.

The city of Milwaukee has offered
the suggestion that there is one real
way to regulate the handling of motor
cars and that is to issue city licenses
to the men-yes and the women too
who drive them. The legality of such
an ordinance has not been passed on
by onr~own city legal department., but
it would appear fair to presume that
IT Milwaukee can put restraining
hand on the drivers of automobiles
that Kenosha would have the same
privilege under the state laws. A Ii
cense for motor car drivers would at
least give the city an easier way to
supervise the handling of this kind of
vehicle, Many a man who is tickled
to death to get off with paying fine
would be sorely disappointed and put
out If after he had paid the usual
{ ten and costs, judge turned over
a new leaf and revoked his license to
drive an automobile The license
would be an excellent way for curbing
speed bugs As a driver of a jitney
would also come under the proposed
license provision, the suggestion may
offer a way to curb the exuberance of
some of these fellows. There are some
excellent men in the jitney business
and some careful women There are
lot Of irresponsible men whose only
claim to the right to operate a jitney
is the fact that they can raise enough
money to buy an old superannuated au-
tomobile. 1t is these fellows that rush
an automobile through the gates in
front of a train. The average man
with care, which should be shown in
taking the custody Of the lives of
others, does not run the chance of
breaking railway gates. He has learn
ed or knows intuitively that the value
of lives is greater than nickles.
With proper license ordinance the
man who is willing to take chances
of running through railway gates
would find his license revoked in short
order and the general public would be
protected by his retirement from the
jitney business. The youngster who
wears out his enthusiasm by keeping
his foot on the cut-out, even if he is
keeping half of the people out of their
beauty sleep, would be easily curbed
because he could be disposed of with
one scratch of the pen. Revocation
of license would prove the best pos
sible weapon in the hands Of the courts
Of the city. 1t would be worth more
than all the other laws that have
been passed to regulate the operation
of the motor ears. To the real auto
mobile crank, the man with the per-
petual desire for the smell of gaso-
line the revocation Of license
would be harder punishment than
six months in jail.
Of course, a lot of people will argue
that the automobiles are now taxed
by the state and that the jitneys are
regulated by the railroad commission.
In response to this, one might reason
ably ask what the state licensing of
gers of the operation of the cars or
what it has accomplished in securing
better enforcement of law. The rail
road permit for the iitney has been
nothing more than license to violate
local ordinances. The commission pays
no attention to the personality of the
man or woman to whom the permit
is granted. Tt never sees the petition
ers and the permit is mostly based on
the ability of the man or woman to
answer certain questions and pay
the fee. Tn fact, the fee is unusually
the controlling factor in the issuance