Evening star., 1923-01-26
|DECLARESfRAEF|C
PENALTIES Humane
Observer at Judge Hardison's
Court Sees Light Sen
tences Imposed.
JURIST BLAMES STATUTE
Urges Drivers License Have Space
on Back to Note Prior
Convictions.
JURIST BLAMES STATUTE

The traffic policeman's oft-repeat-
ed complaint that easy courts" have
encouraged reckless driving among
Washington motorists seems to be
just one, IL the observations Of a citi-
Zen who sat in Traffic Court the first
three days of this week are correct.
Very humane" was the descrfp-
tion applied to the courts decisions
and penalties by a prisoner who hap
pened to sit next to the observer
while awaiting trial one day. Like
getting away with murder" observed
a policeman who occupied a seat on
the opposite side.
One of the first things that i'm
pressed the visitor was that the man
who regretfully admits that he
! might have made his first error and
| pleads guilty draws no less a sem
tence than the second offender who
! arresting officers statements, even
to .the extent of declaring "the cops
| speedometer must have been wrong"
Faster Than He Thought.
A rather well dressed. intelligent
looking man stood before the bar of
justice. He had driven his car
| thirty-f1ve miles an hour on road
the law allowed twenty-five miles. In
explanation the prisoner said he had
been used to driving a very light car,
In which a speed within the law
seems much faster than II really Is;
| that he had just purchased a new.
heavier car, and consequently did not
realize he was going so fast. He
could not dispute the officers word,
as his speedometer was broken, the
prisoner added as he pleaded guilty.
PAY fine Of $25," said Judge Rob-
ert Hardison, who presided.
The next prisoner was a younger,
"up--and-at-em" looking man. He,
too, was charged with speeding. But
the place he was alleged to have Sc
lected was Pennsylvania avenue near
4th northwest, where traffic is always
brisk. The motor cycle policeman
testified he had followed the man for
four blocks and had found him to be
travelling twenty-eight miles an hour.
even across intersections. The law
allowed only eighteen miles between
intersections there and twelve across
streets The prisoner admitted he
had once before been convicted of
PAY a fine of SIS" the judge ordered.
Two other speed kings were fined
$40 each.
Three Collision Cases.
Three persons charged with colliding
were brought before the court We'd
nesday. One was continued for another
day; another was dismissed, and the
third got off with $50 fine. This
man narrowly missed hitting bicyclise
and crashed three automobiles together
1t was testified that marks on the
street showed he had skidded a meas
ured f1fty-two feet on dry pavement
after he had applied his brakes.
Perhaps a score Of persons forfeited
the collateral they had posted at vari
GUS station houses for their appear
in all truth that they lost money by
failing to fight the cases. One man
posted 1920 collateral on five different
charges: IL decisions in other cases
may be accepted as criterions he prob
ably would have saved $12o of that
Six persons forfeited bonds of $40
each on charges of speeding. The fines
imposed on such offenders, as four cases
cited above show, range from $40 to
to $50 for saving the government the
expense of putting them on trial.
Two Fear to Take Chance.
Two persons forfeited collateral of
$50 each rather than take the chance of
the courts decision on charges that
they had driven their automobiles while
intoxicated. One man, who did not have
trial on like charge. His sentence
was $50 or thirty days. Although he
had been arrested before on the same
charge and put on probation, it might
be said in this case the court took into
consideration the fact that the man
had an aged mother to support.
Judge Hardison blafnes the law for
motorists getting OF with comparatively
light sentences. The law, he said, spe-
cif1cally limits the sentences the court
is permitted to impose and any seeming
''easiness' must be blamed on tho
trainers of the statutes, not the court
Would Change Licenses.
II should like to see one change
in drivers licenses, however," he said.
Space should be left on the reverse
side of every license for a Judge to
mark down the date and offense Of
persons brought before them. Then
the officer could tell whether the Of
fender has been arrested before and
could charge him with a second or
third offense, which, Of course, car
ries a much heavier sentence.
II do not favor putting down any
hard or fast rule that the court will
impose heavy sentences. Each case
must merit its own sentence. Ger
tainly persons who are arrested for
violations that might have resulted
in injury to pedestrians or caused
collisions should be dealt with Sc
verely, but there are other petty
cases that do not warrant aevero