Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1922-12-07
Member of the Highway Depart.
Oent Writes How His Name
Came to Appear In List
TRY ISSUES IN COURT
SAYS HE Is WILLING TO
Sauk County Official Gives His
Version of the Matter and there
tie Question Rests

When the county board of super.
visors was in session there was con-
siderable discussion over the reports
OF the motor police and il developed
that the names of two members Of
the state highway commission ap-
peared i'm the list Of alleged viOlators
of the speed laws. one of the names
mentioned was that of J. r. Donag.
hay and Mr. Donaghey has sent a let
ter 10 District Attorney II. j. Bonn
which in part reads as follows:
am writing to inform you that !
have received no notice Of having
vicIated the speed Laws in Sauk
county or any Other county in the
state, nor have / received any COM
munication whatsoever from any
official in Sauk county in regard to
shis matter.
did, however, have q conversation
with a motorcycle cop in the employ
Of Sauk county about three miles
,outheast Of the Juneau-Sauk county
line on State Trunk Highway 80, 4
believe in the month Of July, passed.
The occasion for my having a con
varsation with the motorcycle cop
was that he had stopped Mr.. Il. J.
Kuelling Of our department who was
wing in the same direction about
Two lnnes ahead of me. He claimed
mat Mr.. Kuelling was exceeding the
speed limit in that ne was driving
about 95 miles an hour He admitted
that there was no one ahead Of Mr.
kuelling going in either direction
that would in any way make It haz-
srdous TO drive at the rate OF speed
that he claimed the car was going
The language that the motorcycle COP
gsed and the manner in which he
discussed the incident was mot az
all TO his credit and certainly his
,ack OF knowledge of the traffic laws
was no credit to the officials who
employed him in work OF this kind
TTpon being questioned, he did not
know the speed a car may travel
within a city or village limits under
our present laws, neither did ne
know the speed that trucks of diff
gerent weights are permitted =
travel on our public highways.
Taken all in all, he was so undlp-
lomatic. ungentlemanly, and had SO
little knowledge of the traffic laws
which a man in his position should
certainly know, that it seems tnat
there must have been some other
reason for bis appointment than his
ability to acl as motorcycle COP.
The writer believes that the value
os a motorcycles cop Of county IS
not entirely in the number or ar
rests made and fines imposed nut
rather in the regulation OF traffic and
he education Of the public to drive
safely al all times, whether It be IN
Going ten. twenty or thirty miles an
hour Many times n driver Of
,ar il more dangerous gong lsss
han twenty miles an hour than ne
Is going at almost any speed ahoNe
that and the motorcycle cop shoulA
spend a considerable portion OF ms
time in educating the public 10 sahsF
and safer driving but he should 90
this in a gentlemanly way ana not
anproach a person on tire highway
and really insult him before he mas
given the man an opportunity TO
make an explanation. Action OF THIS
kind will only result in more reckless
driving rather than less.
Now. Mr.. BOhn. I wish YOU as Dls'
trict Attorney of Sauk county 10
understand that I am asking no raw
ors from you or Sauk county II
have violated the traffic laws oi
sank county should be fined for So
doing but everybody else that your
motorcycle cop sees violating We
laws in the same manner should De
served the same way. have peer
waiting patiently for some action OF
the mart of Sauk county in regard u
this matter as | would like TO see th'
matter decided by the courts Tor tn'
benefit of others that have been taik
cd about under similar circumstah
cos I saw the motorcycle cop In thl'
particular case before he LAD letS III
hiding Mace and called attention Z
the fact and pointed him out 20 M
marty riding with me. We botn watcn
aa the speedometer from the time w
saw him until he passe1 us ana Sh'S
absolutely the speed We were snins