The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-07-12
STREAMING AT CHATS

Gilbert Leach of the Leesburg Com
mercial wants the law administered
with justice and moderation, as will
be seen by the following well written
article from his facile typewriter:
We believe that the way the lid was
Iclamped on in Leesburg on July
Fourth was clear example of strain
ing at gnats while we swallow camels.
Particularly is this true when a boy
shooting fireworks in his parents
yard, is practically arrested and cited
to appear in mayors court for this
"offense"
We have seen cars running thirty
miles an hour in front of this same
yard. We timed one car by keeping
right behind it a few days ago and it
was making thirty-one miles an hour
in that same block. We plead guilty
to having exceeded the speed limit
ourselves right there but we did it in
order to see what the young man was
making. Personally, we have been
talked to for making twenty-five miles
an hour clear out at the east end of
town. For while Fields was out
there holding drivers down to fifteen
miles an hour and at the same time
there were drivers habitualfy making
twenty-five and thirty between the
Coast Line station and Ninth Street
on Main.
The new ordinances are not yet off
the press but the old ordinance pro-
vides that any person driving an auto
faster than fifteen miles an hour shall
be fined not less than $25!
1t takes "horse sense" to enforce
law. Nobody has ever enforced that
old ordinance to the letter. Chicago
has a fifteen mile ordinance but if
you are driving on LaSalle Street in
a line of traffic and try to obey that
law a cop will grab you and run you
in for obstructing traffic, unless you
go on with the procession and let
folks get where they are going. The
ordinance was passed in order that
violators could be handled if they
drove recklessly. 1t is left up to the
cop to regulate the speed. 1t is the
same on Fifth Avenue in New York
and the same practically everywhere
except in towns where these things
! are new to the officers or where new
officers take the laws or ordinances
too literally.
We have a strict ordinance which,
! literally construed, would prohibit alb
solutely the ringing of bells and the
blowing of whistles when the old year
goes out and the new year comes in.
J But should that law, intended to main
tain quiet through the rest of the year
be evoked on New Years? Not by
consent of the governed! IL
| Under the old ordinances ordinary
fireworks are not prohibited We
have staged big demonstrations at
various times. especially on the
Fourth of July and on Armistice Day
and fireworks have been the most
thoroughly enjoyed feature of the en-
tire celebration. The law was not
evoked against these displays.
On several occasions we have heard
revolver or pistol shots at night some
where in the vicinity of the Coast Line
station but on inquiry next morning
I'VE have not discovered that anybody
was arrested or even that any excite,
Ement or investigation followed.
If we are going to have live town
we are going to have to quit strain.
ing at gnats and swallowing camels
Leesburg has suffered considerably
through irregular civic action, parti.
Icularly during the winter when 8
sign at certain place said "Free
Camping Grounds" and the. marsha
would go around and collect from the
tin can tourists in the morning, anc
Iduring the time not far in the past
when the 15-mile limit ordinance was
being enforced literally on commits
tsion basis on the outskirts of town
We are not writing this to ego after
any Individual. We do not know anc
are not attempting to guess whether
the blame lies in the instructions
igiven executive officers OR their mis-.
understanding of those instructions
We know only that more careful
methods and better judgement alone
will solve the problem properly. We