Evening star., 1921-07-19
LOSESAUT0 TAG,
HAS TO PAY FINES
Maryland Resident Com.
plains Bitterly Over Treat
ment in Rockville Court.
To the Editor of The Star:

To the Editor of The Star:
l have an operators license. About
three weeks ago l lost one of the
Mar! lana tasS while driving our Ford
car. l promptly reported it to Balti-
more. was informed by the COM
missioner OF motor vehicles in a let
ter addressed TO Inc to forward him
sos and return him the other tag
and the license of the car, and he
would forward ME a new set of tags
and change the number OF the tags
on the car license. He gave me d
substitute card to use pending the
shipment to me of my new tags.
We are six miles from the nearest
drug store or ice plant. My mother
=, very delicate and We are almost en-
tirciy dependent on the use OF the car
20 get her medicine, ice. etc., necessary
to keep her alive. Sunday while l
was driving into Rockville to the
drug store for medicine for my moth
er. Policeman Andrews stopped me
and asked me where my tags" Were.
| explained the above facts to him
and showed him the substitute card
sent me by the commissioner of
motor vehicles OF Baltimore.
Forced to Pay Fines.
Il don't recognize this" he said
You appear before the magistrate
dl ~ y SlOSh
did SO. i explained the facts to the
magistrate, but the reply he gave
was: 1t is against the law to drive
without tags He fined me $40 on
the one charge of driving without
tags. and gave me a fine or $40 on d
suspended sentence on the other
charge. with $3.50 costs. This though
it is specifically provided on page Is
of the General Motor Vehicle Law of
Maryland that even if. through in
advertence," the operator has not
the license with him at the time Of
his arrest. the fine shall shall be 81
instead of $lO.'
This is my first offense. and l in
tend to have clean record, If pos
sible. although just now it looks to
me that the justice bench OF Rock
willie would appear to make the pros
pect impossible.
Now. it may be ten or fourteen
days before l get my tag from Bal
timore. Meanwhile. what are We to
do for food. ice. medicine, etc, for
my sick mother?
To aggravate the situation. the po-
liceman followed me out of court.
My brother and sister We're in the car
with me, ana he refused 10 let me
use the car home. l asked him how
l was to get home with this delicate
sister of mne-a distance of six
miles, and in storm. Out of the
largeness of his heart he condescend-
ed to let me go home this time. stat
ing that if he saw the car out again
he would arrest me.
Points Out State Law.
l would further ask Indulgence of
your space to point out that part ",
section 147, specifically provides that
in cases such as mine, where it clear
| ly appears that the registration num-
ber has been lost by accident and
application has been made for a du
plicate within twenty-four hours
thereafter no penalty shall be i'm
posed.
| pointed this fact out to the po-
liceman. but he said. with unctuous
wisdom, THAT does not say you can run
your carr" Can you beat it? Then. again.
was charged 81. 80 costs. and yet it is
stipulated in the act "and no justice
of the peace shall charge, receive, or
attempt to collect any fees other than
or in excess of those enumerated in
this section in any case arising under
this subtitle, and the fees amount to
SIPS.
1 am only a young fellow. ambitious
to make good in this part of the
world, and it is because l consider the
public should know the above that |
ask you to publish the same. for it is
clear that there is something rotten
along this section of the country that
calls for remedy.
GERALD HEMMING.
Potomac, Md.