The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-11-22
GIRL BREAKS LEG IN LEAP FROM SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
With The
Alibi Artists
A Cross Section Of the
Daily Grind in Judge
SchuIdt's Court.
Read EN- and Weep.
BY DONALD McDOUGAL.

We Neutrality-suspicious. are world
heaters for losing sight of the
main point and stampeding off
after side issues. Our coat of arms
should be gun half-cocked, going
off rampant. on a field of buhl.
We're hopping around with the
same idea of getting somewhere
that Mexican jumping bean has.
We can't see a thing until it's
poked into our eyes. and then we
can't see anything else.
Only the spectacular, the loud,
the glittering, gains a glance from
us. # a thing hasn't got red fire,
or a Congressman, or a. front.
pager of some kind trailing along,
we can't see it., no matter how
Important it may be.
In the case Of Senator Green Of
Vermont, shot by a prohibition
agent chasing a bootlegger: We
were all wrought up over that,
and very properly. The promiscu.
GUS use OF firearms by the police
was denounced is scathing terms,
and that's all we've got from that
particular object lesson.
II the Man Hadn't Fired.
But suppose the prohibition
man hadn't fired. and the boot.
logger car had come tearing out
Of the alley and across the side.
walk, as they do every day in
the week, and had injured the
Senator as severely as the re-
volver shot had done. Then the
cry would have been: "Why
aren't these juggernauts restrain.
ed? What's the police for?"
And the only thing we'd have
got from that particular object
lesson would have been the neces-
sity for keeping bootlegger cars
off the sidewalk.
Consider the present traffic
crime wave. The spectacular
feature of that is the number Of
drivers who have run away from
their kill. We've lost sight Of
everything else even the five
mangied victims scored up to
date hold secondary place in
the scene, and the fine for run
ming away from the scene of
the crime is going to be lacked
up to $500, while the actual
crime itself-7the killing or MAIN.
ingwill still be quoted at $40.
May Bang You Up For $40.
That is, il by sheer careless
ness a man sInashes into your
car, knocks 1t into kindling wood,
and cripples you for life, the high.
est possible penalty that can be
exacted from that man Is the pay.
ment of $40-T1ot as q fine, but
as q mere financial transaction at
the nearest police station, as
though he had dropped into the
market to buy a side Of beef
you being the commodity in Ques-
ton.
And If he doesn't kill you, no
other possible penalty can be. Inn
posed upon hin--the law viii per.
NIT only one charge to be brought
against hims for the act, which
is called carelessly colliding. No
other statute, regulation, or law,
human or divine, has been VIC
lated, and that can be squared
without trial, by paying the price
of a third-rate overcoat. You can
sue him, of course, and If he has
some money, you can get DAM
ages from him, but If he has
money enough, you probably can't.
II Driver Doesn't Stop.
: But IL that man, by the same
carelessness, knocks the wheel
off a second. hand flivveE, with no
one In it, and does go on and
away without making his identity
known, he must pay up to $40.
The traffic board has unofficially
expressed its approval Of this
change in the regulations; and at
last reading there was every pros
pect Of the $500 halo being added
to the catalogue.
Haven't we lost our sense Of
proportion when we rate the COM
mission Of the crime at $40, and
the attempt to escape its conse-
quences at $500.
And how can we expect ignor-
ant truck drivers and unlettered
delivery boys to respect, a law
that on the face Of it's, appears
50 utterly nonsensical? Above
every thing, the traffic law must
be respected. But all the police
in creation can't make a law
respected when it isn't respectable.
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