The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-09-15

same driver has been convicted of
careless driving six times in
single year, and is still driving. He
is at least as much a menace to the
public safety as the average gun
man.
Education is here needed. When
the people have been made to real
ize that careless driving is crime.
and to demand proper punishment
for it, then the courts will begin
melting out that punishment. A
campaign to educate the pedestrian
will have to go along with the the
other. Beyond a doubt, pedestrians
who dart across the street in the
middle of the block, and children
who chase balls across the street.
present the autoist with a problem
which he can successfully solve
only by luck.
Abuse of Power.
F. B. House, presiding magis-
trate of the New York City traffic
court, believes that the problem Of
auto accidents is largely a problem
in preventing the abuse of power
by applying adequate punishment
for such abuse. 1t is an axiom Of
social observers that any man who
has power will tend to abuse it.
Every monarch, every father, ev-
cry owner of a dog, is more or less
a bully. He has power over some
thing else, and he has an irrepres-
sible tendency to abuse it, the while
making excuses to himself for what
be does. The man who has so
horsepower under his throttle is no
exception He cannot resist the
temptation sometimes to step on
her and make her fly. He cannot
help feeling that the pedestrians
ought to have sense enough to keep
out of the way.
The effort to restrain this man
in his exuberant moments by com
pIicated regulations is a failure.
For example, Washington has sew
eraI speed limits, according to the
part of the city one is in. and the
number of houses to the block But
a man does not go along alternately
studying his speedometer and
counting the houses in the block,
at night.
Here the faIlacy of so much
American legislation is again IL
Illustrated. Here is the theory. seen
in a hundred prohibitory laws Of
enc kind and another, that if you
just enact enough regulations
about a mans conduct, you can
save both his life and his soul.
What you actually accomplish IS
to make his life a burden with your
restrictions, and to cramp
the development of whatever he
may have in the way of a soul. The
only legal method that has ever
worked is to give him all the free
dom possible, make laws as few
and simple as possible. and when
the man actually does harm, pun
ish him severely, or if he is ire
sponsible, confine him in an insti-
tuition. After all, civilization il only
possible on the theory that most OF
Us are responsible beings who can
be trusted. If most of US are not
hat, then the nation should be con-
Verted into one great asylum with
I high fence around it
To come back to motoring, the
pCSN HILLS nave ~ VI ACl lAttlG
cept injustice anywhere. One man
breaks the limit every day and IS
never caught. Another man goes
a mile an hour too fast once, and
happens to be arrested. Once a
month or so the cops turn out and
make a few arrests. That is all
they can do. A speed limit cannot
DO enforced more than a few per
cent, nor can any other statute
conduct Furthermore,
what is a safe speed depends eEtire-
" on circumstances. Let a man
1rive as he will. If he Injuries
some one, and the cause is his oPn
put him in Jail. Pun
sh him adequately. If he does 1t
again, revoke his license.
This, in the opinion of most ex-
oerts, is the solution. Multiplicity
Of absurd laws, with lenient and in
courts, cost heavily ev-
cry year in life and property.