The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-07-18
"RULES" FOR THE MOTORIsT

RULES" FOR THE MOTORIST
A motorist cannot be too careful. He should
be as careful at least, as the engineer of a passen-
ger train. The motorist has a harder job, in many
ways, than the engineer, because the latter has
a clear track ahead and need only watch for sig
mails.
There is this important difference, however, in
the methods of the motorist and the engineer
the former need not and usually does not heed ev-
cry sign of danger, while the latter must.
That the motorist who really needs the die
tates of safety first" feels himself i~rritated at
the large number of rules flung at his guild, is
indicated by the rules" one of these gentlemen
framed, probably after being told for the one mil
lioneth time to "stop, 10 k and listen" when ap-
preaching a crossing. Tho rules are as follows:
"In case horse will not pass an automobile,
the auomobilist will talc the machine apart as
rapidly as possible and conceal the parts in the
grass.
upon discovering a. approaching team the
automobilist must stop c.fside and cover his ma
chine with a blanket parted to correspond with
the scenery.
1.-THE speed limit on country roads this year
will be a secret, and the penalty for violation will
be $40 for every mile an offender is caught exceed
ing it.
"On approaching a corner where the autonlo"
bilist cannot command a view of the road, he must
stop not less than 100 yards from the turn, toot
his horn, rattle bones, fire a revolver, halo and
send up three bombs at intervals of five minutes.
Automobiles running on country roads at
nigh must send up a rocket every mile and wait ten
minutes for the road to clear. They may then
proceed, carefully blowing their horns and shoot
ing Roman candles.
"In case an automobile approaches a house
when the roads are dusty it will slow down to one
mile an hour and the chauffeur will sprinkle the
dust in front of the house with a hand sprinkler
before proceeding.
"In case an automobile makes a team run away
the penalty will be $50 for the first mile, $500 for
the second and 5000 for the third ETC., that the
team runs, in addition o the damage done"
y r. y - = = =
DEMOCRATIC RUMBLINGS IN GERMANY.
The United States has already done the Ger
man people a service. Our entry into the war,
the Liberty loan, CONSUMPTION, the shipping plans
and all the rest Of our war-making activities, are
not unknown by the German people. AS a conse-
quence public opinion in Germany is beginning
to have a heretofore unknown effect.
The empire-wide disturbance over the chan
cellor is an instance. According to the %constitu-
ton, the chancellor was responsible to no one but
the kaiser. The diet was a nonentity so far as
this pair were concerned. The reichstag could talk,
but the kaiser and the chancellor did he acting.
Public opinion made no difference-the kaiser and
the chancellor could consider it with contempt.
But now there are two powers of a different
texture. A war with no overwhelming victory in
sight and with the United States furnishing the
backbone to the enemies Of Germany has nullified
the power of the chancellor. The two powers re-
naming are the kaiser and the public opinion.
In other words, we have forced Germany to prog
ress sufficiently to put power behind public opin-
ion.
The remaining good turn we can do for the
deluded, mistreated and deceived German people
is to encourage German public opinion to increas-
ed strength until it ~overtops the kaiser.
With public opinion ruling in Germany-and
not the kaiser and circle of autocrats-the world
will be safe for democracy, because a nation ruled
by public opinion is a democracy.
IA m n "a "a "a "a
THE l. w. w. IN THE WEST
Co,rco1v bod tho oycitanoent over the race