Evening star., 1920-06-26
HEADLIGHT LAWS
TRAP CITY AUTOS
Baltimore Law Department
Attacks Constituti0nality
of MARYLAND Act.
Special Dispatch to The star.

UpeciAl Dl>pdtch sur.
BALTIMORE. Nd, June 2S.-The
constitutionahty of the new non
clare headlight law has been at
ttcked by the city's law department,
and is given as grounds for an ap-
peal from the decision yesterday OF
Justice Staylor Of the traffic court,
fnding a driver of the street clean
ing department guilty Of violation,
for which a fine of s. and costs was
imposed.
Appeal has been entered by the as
sistant city solicitor. who not only
declares that the headlight law is
Unconstitutional. but that Justice
Staylor has no Jurisdiction over head
lights in daylight. The driver OF the
street cleaning department auto was
arrested during the day for having
Of the assistant city solicitor is sus-
tanned. however. it will be despite the
intent of the law. The law. accord
ing TO the Maryland headlight com ,
mission. was drawn to make illega
the euuinment itself. If il We're not of
approved tvpe. dav or night
In the meanwhile the ti-e d"nart-
nient is also under arrest" Notice
was served upon the city that the
Headlights of the fire apparatus were
not within the law and new lenses
would have to be provided. At the
request OF the city the case has been
postponed. pending the outcome OF
the appeal in the street department
case If the city cannot have the Ia"
declared void because of unconsttu-
tionality. it will claim exemption
All Patented Lenses Allowed.
Pending the rounding up of auto
mobile owners who have clear glass
lenses in their headlights and have
made no effort to comply with the
non-glare law. no arrests OF motor
lists who have patented lensese OF any
make whether approved at this time
or not. are being made.
This announcement was made To-Day
by H. N. Lucius. secretary or the
Maryland Automobile CLUB ana MEM
her of the headlight commission, In
order to quiet the growing uneasiness
of automobile owners who have not
been successful in obtaining lenses
named on the approved list or the
commission.
I'VE propose to go about the busi-
ness of enforcing the law IN ae-
cent, respectable manner, with as nj
tie inconvenience to any one as pos
sble," he said The man We are
after particularly is the one who has
manifested no disposition to meet the
requirements of the law. The MEM
the fact that there is shortage OF
lenses, and do not propose to be un-
reasonable.
Paper Can he Used.
TN my opinion, a man can, for the
present, avoid trouble by painting over.
pasting paper over or by some method
dim his lights. / have had a conference
with Marshal Carter and the police will
be instructed for the present to consider
that clear glass so treated is no
longer clear glass. This is purely
temporary expedient. however. as
the obligation rests upon owners OF
motor cars to provide themselves
with approved lenses at the earliest
possible moment"
The headlight commission has been
made a party to a controversy over
the legality of a patented device
known as the two-way light The
manufacturers of this headlight sub
mitted samples of their device to the
commission. but it was rejected. ac-
cording to Mr.. Lucius. because it was
clear glass lens with a fitting re-
ffector. The reflector. Mr.. Lucius
says, is adjustable by the driver. and
50 makes it possible for him to create
a glaring light at will Representa-
tives of the company were given a
hearing. but were not satisfied with
the decision. They have appealed to
the attorney general of the state for
an opinion. pending which Police
Commissioner Gather has instructed
the police not to make arrests of
motorists displaying the two-way
lights