Evening star., 1920-04-11
BY THEODORE p. MOVES.

"Obey the speed law of twenty miles
an hour in the open country of Vir
ginia" is the warning sent broadcast
by the American Automobile Associa-
tion. working in the interests of Dis
trict of Columbia motorists. many of
whom have been recently penalized
for exceeding this limit.
The law is most rigidly enforced in
that part of Virginia most accessible
to the District motorist. Alexandria,
Camp Humphreys. Accotink and its
environs. and automobilists contem
plating a trip in this section will be
on the safe side by strictly observing
the speed limit of twenty miles an
| hour.
Young boys with checkered flags and
circulars will be stationed OH the road
from the District into Virginia by the
association to give motorists the
proper warning. The circulars read
as follows.
The speed limit in the open country
/ of Virginia is twenty miles an hour.
| The law is being rigidly enforced on
! this road. Several signs in Fail fax
county read twenty-five miles ar hour,
/ but apparently were not erected by
the county authorities and do not gov
i ern the rate of speed; hence we sug-
sest that you strictly observe the Vir-
ginia law
Complain of Methods.
! Complaints have been received at
the office of the association relative
!, 10 the manner of making arrests on
the Camp Humphreys road. III. r. Lit
tie, District motorist. writes as fol-
lows:
About o'clock Sunday afternoon.
March 2S. about four miles north of
| Camp Humphreys, my machine was
stopped by an armed man, who de-
manded $15 collateral for my appear
ance at Accotink. Va, on Monday
This man threatened to seize my car
| II l did not put up the SIS, and IN
formed me that l had been stopped
| for exceeding the speed limit Of TWEEN
ty miles an hour.
the officer in charge a little distance
back on the road; my brother and
myself walked back to see this man.
He charged me with making. thirty
miles an hour and stated that if I
| had been making twenty eight or
| twenty-nine miles an hour he would
not have stopped me.
denied that | was going thirty
/ miles an hour. He claimed that he
timed me for fifty yards in three and
/ tHTee-qudFterS SECONDS with a stop
/ watch. According to this statement
! he made himself l figure that I was
only making twentyseven and one
! quarter miles per hour and allow
/ ing for error in observation, which
! is bound to occur in timing car
| In so short a distance as fifty yards,
no one could positively assert that I
. was going more than twenty-five
| miles an hour.
He continued to demand the COL
lateral, which l paid. He told me to
| appear at Accotink Monday. March
, 70, between the hours of II and 2
o'clock for a hearing.
At a great deal Of inconvenience
| my brother and myself reported on
| the date set between the hours speci-
! fed, and learned that some cases had
been heard earlier in the day in the
| open road in front of Magistrate
Frank w. Froth's residence. We
could find no signs of any court in
| session.
Given No Defense.
From the above statements it ap-
| pears that I was given no chance to
| defend myself or appeal for leniency
for the first offense of driving twen-
| ty-five miles per hour in the open
country on road along which there
are signs stating. Speed limit TWEEN
ty-five miles per hour How is a
stranger from another state to be
guided except by road signs?
1T also appears to me that the
i whole procedure has the appearance
of intimidation rather than lust en-
forcement of law, for these reasons:
An officer openly wearing arms. the
threat to take the car and sell IL for
SIS If did not put up the money