Evening star., 1925-02-10
SPEEDING TRAFFIC
CASES IS SOUGHT
Ayres Proposes Change in
Code to Apply Curb on
Jury Trial Demands.

The amendment offered to the ap-
propriation bill of the District of
Columbia by Representative William
y. AyreS of Kansas, increasing the
humber of police judges from two to
four and making appropriation 10 care
for the extra expense for these courts.
was passed, and is now part OF the
law of the District of Columbia, so
FAR as the House is concerned. 1t
will have to be passed by the Senate.
There is another provision in the
amendment offered by Representative
Ayres which amends the second para
graph of section a. of the Code of
Law for the District of Columbia,
which code at this time provides:
In all cases where the accused
would not by force of the Constitu
ton of the United States be entitled
10 trial by jury. the trial shall be by
The court without a jury. unless in
such of said laSt-named cases where
in the fine or penalty may be more
than $50, or Imprisonment as punish
ment for the offenSe may be more than
so days, the accused shall demand
trial by jury, in which case the trial
shall be by jury.
VIII Facilitate Trials.
The change in the amendment pro-
rided by Mr.. Ayres leaves the lam
Cuage just as 1t is, but provides that
where the fine is more than $500 or
Imprisonment more than 80 days, the
accused can demand trial by jury
1t is contended that this change will
enable the court to take care of alt
of these cases which now can demand
a trial by jury, and that even the
four judges would not otherwise be
able to take care of the present
business. There are III cases on the
docket pending where parties are
charged with driving automobiles
while drunk. Most of these are out
on bond. There are 73 cases of col
lidirg and As cases of fast driving.
All told, there are 444 cases docket
ed for petty offenses. all of which
are demanding trial by jury. This
is an unnecessary expense, 1t is
pointed out, besides the delay. Mr..
Ayres is seeking to amend the code
along the same lines as in other
cities.
There is no question about the con-
stitutionality of the provision. Rep
resentative Ayres points out, because
1t has been decided by the Court of
Appeals of this District that the
party is not entitled to trial bv jury
as a matter Of right for violation OF
the code.
To leave that code as it is now, he
states, WOuld ne lf JuuSco iiiStCoo
Of four to clean the docket, adding:
"If there is one thing that the vio-
lator of city ordinance likes better
than anything else, except possibly
his discharge, 1t IS to delay the trial
of his case, hoping and feeling he
can get rid of some of the witnesses
or that people will forget all about
tho charge. 1t is pointed out also
that If there Is one class of people
everybody wants to see punished to
the limit, It is the drunken driver of
an automobile
There are III of those cases now
pending on the docket, with most, If
not all, of the drunken drivers out
again getting drunk, running over
people and smashing other people s
automobiles" says Representative
Ayres. with four judges and an
ordinance in the code providing they
are not entitled to a jury trial. it will
put a stop to this and soon clean up
the docket; and this will do more
good and be far less expense than the
two or three hundred policemen con-
templated by the traffic act which
now is before the District legislative
committee"