Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-11-09
The Drunken Driver
and the Courts

The following is sent out by the
publicity department Of the A. L. A.;
In Massachusetts it Is found that
2108 automobilists have been con-
victed for operating while under the
influence of intoxicating liquors IN
1922 as compared with 1888 In 1920.
The figures for 1928 will be greatly
increased over 1922.
In Rhode Island the available fig-
ures indicate that $50 have been
tried In all courts of that state for
operating while under the. influence
of intoxicating liquors in 1922 and OF
these, % were tried In the superior
court and suffered the punishment of
fine only. while only nine received
short Jail sentences running from 10
to 20 days each.
This Is substantially the record in
proportion to the automobiles in use
in practically every state east of the
Mississippi river, not including the
southern states, but especially in
Guiding New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan.
Notwithstanding this appalling in
crease of drunkenness on the part of
automobile operators and the trail of
killed. injured and misery left In its
wake, the courts of these states have
not awakened to the enormity of the
offense. except in a few instances,
nor have they inflicted the punish-
ment which such a crime deserves.
In Massachusetts within the past
so days numerous cases have been
prosecuted by the police and al
though the courts have found Offend
ers guilty, they have placed several
fragrant violations on file, or imposed
small fines.
In one of the district courts of Bos-
ton, two cases were recently placed
on file after the judge had found
them guilty. The judge, in these
cases, might just as well have told
the criminals that they did not re-
gard the offense a serious one, and
practically invited them to repeat 1t.
Only recently two Harvard stu
dents were found guilty of this Of
tense and paid fine of 500 each.
One can readily imagine the cltuckle
of these two young men who merely
and regarded the experience as a
lark. In other outlying districts of
Boston similar instances have been
recorded and in Rhode Island small
| fines seem to be the rule rather than
the exception.
The figures are given out by the
Automobile Legal association which
has already petitioned the Massachu-
sets legislature to pass bill pro-
viding if anyone is convicted Of
operating while under the influence
tof intoxicating liquors, he shall be
sentenced to jail for not less tl'an
three months nor more than two
years; that no justice, who finds one
guilty of this offenso shall have the
right to place the case on file. and
that the Registrar of Motor Vehicles
shall revoke the license of person
thus convicted for not less than three
years.
The association contends that any
bill which provides that the punish
ment shall not be for more than say
| two years, Is wrong in principle. be-
cause it permits the judge to impose
! a Jail sentence of one day. which in
many cases will be simply giving the
criminal an opportunity to sober OF;
| Not less than three months IN jail
Is the associations slogan and 1t Is
| believed that the public will support
the association in this position. The
association Is also preparing similar
petitions to be introduced at the next
session of the legislatures in every
state in which 1t operates.