Arizona republican., 1921-03-24
VINpEX-
Traffic Regulation

Traffic Regulation
 Editor Republican.
 ing's Republican was so uncalled Tor and so unjust that feel it my duty as city prosecutor to come to the deIense of City. Magistrate Thomas, who is, by reason of his office, precluded from defending himself.
 For the past two or three years your paper in its editorial department has been anything but help to the city court You have followed line or destructive criticism without exception and I cannot recall single instance where you have advanced one solitary constructive idea However. your ed- | itorials in this particular have been more i,iane than otherwise, but this mornings article is positively vicious and suggestion to the effect that | law breaking is easy and without se- rious results
 Your statement to the effect that | the traffic ordinance will not hold
 water in the superior court is reck- | less mssstatement- You should have linformec yourself before making such
 a statement Ordinance 312 is prac- ticaliy a rescript of the California law insofar as 1t is applicable to cities. It
 has stood the test of the California courts, so there can be no question as
 to its validity.
 Your statement that the automobile law introduced into the last legislature was opposed by city officials is not
 true This measure was largely gath cred by MT. Bush Anderson, chief of
 the city traffic department, as was a , l similar measure in the preceding leg
 islature- 1t is true that Mir. Thomp- son requested a hearing of the com mittee as to certain phases of the bill
 as introduced wherein there was an apparent attempt to vest control of 3 city streets in commission. This did not and could not apply to the city of I Phoenix, it being a home rule city, and ? there being no power in the legislature to either create for or deprive the city a charter. That can only be done by 2 the qualified electors of the city itself . by way Of amendment to its charter
 under the initiative or referendum.
 As to the question of punishment It
 is probable that s2oo means nothing to : you If that be so, you are very for ' tunate indeed It would certainly mean a great deal to me, and, take it, to the average person If. however, you ' will inform yourself as to the condi-
 tfons surrounding the city jail. you will
 realize that incarceration therein for s period of 20 days is fairly severe y punishment That the city jan is nc z pleasant place is not, by the way, the . Isuit of the city administration. but oi s the taxpayers. who refused, to vote
 money for its improvement You are aware that several federal and county a grand juries have condemned it. = would like, however. to inform yo, '- that your opinion as to the punishmen,
 of the offender in question is bv nt means unanimous. Numerous persons
 including the husband of the promi- ID nent woman who was hurt in the ac.
 cident,s interceded in his behalf, but tc
 no avail
 In closing permit me to say that il
 very easy matter to criticise : court but if you would try to realfz. something of the courts problems vo, would undoubtedly be more chari,abIo There is a vast difference between es iting newspaper and sentencing iron one to thirty people every day. Tnanking you for the space requires by this letter, am,
 Yours very truly. JAMES F. NELSON. Assistant City Attornev Phoenix, Ariz-, March 21. Ie2, 
 In the editorial to which referenc is made. no attack was intended Q
 made on the city court. The 1S-;.
 had in mind a conversation on th; 1e suoJect With Judge Thomas som is months ago on this subject. in wbicl ,e tne latter stated in substance that m severe sentence almost certainly re
 suited Tn an appeal and usually in in st dismissal of the defendant. If we ra ra cal. MT. Nelson himself made Q stata s ment of similar effect to tba y-r;,ar ,n The writer is aware that Trsffir n, ,d Ilcer Anderson presented the unifor, rs traIic bill to the legislature and ear. nestly worked for its enactment- Rr o- le was on the authority of at leas, txr members of the senate that an offics, ' or the city was in opposition to if 1a As to the severity of punishment q ,e man who gets drunk and drives . ,y automopile, we will leave if to an ,a ,s reasonable person whether any nf,nisb ,s s nleht less than that prescribed by 1T, 7 law can be too severe " aI IL IS a notorious fact. observed es,, a cialiy by strangers. that the most pr 't. uIaary precautions are disreyarda5 h .,s many drlvers, the ordinary r,YIes 'ii me road, speed regulations ana ns,,, ing regulations. We do no, c-st;s'i. ne ne the police. There are not enongb ,ie IT. IT. ueemen. They can observe hnt to- ny ol the violations. We were fi,,5;,
 tault with the ordinance. IF tba n, as uinance IS not inadequate sonosth;,, Ter certainly is, for there fs nar S ieruict ti py observers that the reg,ia e. ton of traffic is wretched ee uid ed -ou'
 HOW MUCH IS A MIIIIoN7
 Although we often speak of million ~ of dollars and millions of popuIatio v" few realize what a million of anvthir 's. looks like.