Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-08-31
Pritchard Refutes Claim
of Safety Board That He
Causes Auto Accidents

board said its figures show that Of those
arrested 1.O31 were convicted, 1,02S were
discharged and 1,2T9 had their cases con-
tinued
President A. L. Taggart, Of the board.
said If Judge Pritchard would make it
a rule TO fine speeders upon their first
offense S1O0 AMI add days in Jail for
second offenses he thought traffic law
violations would be tremendously re-
duced.
PRITCHARD SAYS
FIGURES DECEIVE.
Board Member Felix NJ McWhirter
said convictions follow only two out of
every seven arrests the police make for
traffic offenses. The figures given out by
the board would indicate that during the
first eight months Of this year there were
1878 cases continued.
These figures, according to Judge
Pritchard are deceiving Practically
every offender, he said IS slated upon two
or three and sometimes more charges,
when arrested
"A defendant very frequently is
charged with driving on the wrong side
Of the street, with speeding, and with
operating a motor vehicle while under the
influence Of liquor" he said when a
man is tried, however, he ordina ~ )
comes into, court upon bHt one cnarge
If he is convicted upon that, folio wing
universal procedure in the courts the
other charges are continued THUS. for
every conviction there usually appears
upon the records some continued charges
against the same man"
The judge said he had found his sys-
TEN OF giving first offender speeders light
Hrn- Nf.4rz
where the testimony against them was
not Of serious nature to be quite eff
fective.
q hardly ever see anyone so treated
returning to the court" said Judge Prit-
chard.
Il started out here with fixed SEIZED
ule Of fHes, hut the longer l sit on the
bench the more I am convinced that there
can be no fixed schedules Of penalties for
Ofenses for the reason that the same fine
does not constitute equal punishment for
all defendants. A S1O0 fine for rich
man would equal about two days motor
ing expenses on a pleasure trip. To the
poor devil, however, 500 would equal his
bread and butter
OLD OFFENDERS
SUFFER MOST.
I cannot remember having bad more
than twenty or thirty traffic violatOrs
free me the second time. In the vast ma
parity OF cases where l withhold Judg
ment they never come back again. Mon
day, however, l had a man before me for
speeding on his third offense and l fined
him SO and costs. sentenced him to ten
days in Jail and revoked bis license for
six months. I always give 500 and costs
on conviction Of a second oHense.
There is something abnormal about
the moral conditions OF Indianapolis. All
over the country the arress records show
a decline, but here they have been almost
trebled IN the past few months.
To charge this abnormality to the
court is more or less absurd. l do not
know exactly to what it is due. 1t Is
well known. however, that the police have
been more active, particularly in traffic
regulation"
Asserting his court has not been lax
IN the assessment Of fines. Judge Pritch-
ard cited a report Of the city clerk show
Ing that $3.50. 9S4.3O was collected in fines
during 1918. 1919 and 1920 in his court,
as compared with the years 1918, 1915 and
1917 Of the previous administration, in
which 500 ,93093 was collected.