The Washington times., 1925-05-01
With The
|Alibi Artists
A Cross Section of the
Daily Grind in Judge
Schuldt's Court
Read EN- and Weep.
By DONALD McDOUGAL.
We Rise To Explain.

ington's traffic troubles were at
their neighbour people killed
in ten days, as we recall it
and there were about as many
hit-and-run cases as there were
collisions, and everyone was call
ing for more police and stiffer
penalties, the Alibi Column said
that nothing much could be done
to improve conditions while the
collateral forfeiting system was
in force.
We pointed out further, that
the reason for the abuse of the
collateral system was that only
about 10 per cent of the law vio-
lators ever came to trial, that
we couldn't try any more than
that because we didn't have
judges enough; that we didn't
have judges enough because Con-
gress refused to let us spend our
money to pay them.
The Wicked Get Theirs.
The truth of these self-evident
facts was, after some argument.
accepted by Congress and fatty
alike; money was appropriated to
pay the judges: the judges were
appointed; the collateral system
was abolished, and the law viola
tors were brought to trial.
The Washington Times Traffic
Calendar, which is the best day.
to-day indicator Of traffic condi-
tions accessible to the common
people, has shrunk to about two
thirds its former size.
A good many people believe
that when the new traffic rules
go into effect. it will shrink still
more. But there will still be a
hot OF shrinking left to do.
Our Debut.
We take the liberty Of pointing
out to the new director. and to
others who may. be interested,
how that shrinking can be accel-
Grated. After careful study Of
some 5000 traffic cases. and after
the successful test OF our former
ANALYSIS. we feel justified in
doing this.
During the last few months the
traffic court has shown ten
dency to bring out all relevant
facts. however remote, before fix
ing the penalty. in cases where
guilt was established.
How much do you know about
the regulations? How did you
learn to drive2 Who taught you?
How long had your teacher been
driving? How do you gauge your
speed when you have no speedo-
meter?"
Bull Luck, Mainly
These are types of questions
that often bring out startling re-
plies, that lead us to wonder
how the casualty list is kept as
low as it is.
In many cases the defendant
knows just enough of the regula-
tions to get them all balled up;
learn to drive-he rode around a
few hours with a friend and
watched him shift gears After a
little coaching he learned to shift
for himself and the rest he
picked up. He tried three or
four times for his permit-when
he bothered to try for it at all
until fortune favored him and the
examiner asked a set of questions
that he could answer.
Sowing the Seed
Washington is turning loose on
the highways some 1000 new
drivers every month. How do
they learn to drive? How do they
learn the regulations?
In more than half the cases
they learn by haphazard. ragtag-
and bobtail methods No other
way is provided for the majority
of them to learn.
The list of licensed drivers
numbers now pretty close to 2OO,-
000-while only about $4,000 cars
have been registered. Less than
half the licensed drivers own ma
chimes, then.
Purchasers Of new cars receive
instruction from the dealers-but
they form the minority OF the
new drivers. The rest must look
out for themselves. And we
must look out for them.
Self Evident.
A standardized. police-super-
vised traffic school, with exper-
fenced operators to teach driving
and competent authorities to
teach traffic regulations, gradua-
ton from the school being a pre-
requisite to taking the examina-
ton for a permit, would eliminate
congenitally unfit drivers, and re-
suit in better driving by the
others.
The prospects are that at least
10000 new drivers will be licensed
in Washington this year. More
than half of them will not be car
owners. How are they going to
learn to drive?
To Protect Public.
A lawyer must spend four years
in law school, and pass a stiff
bar examination before he is al
lowed to practice; a doctor must
spend four years in medical school,
a year as inferno, and pass "A
stiff examination before he can
prescribe a dose of paregoric for
a colicky kid-if that's what they
give 'em; railroad engineer must
put in from five to twenty years
as fireman, and pass three stiff
examinations, before he can so
much as look cross.eyed at a
throttle-and he doesn't have to
steer.
But anyone above the grade of
cretin can, after a few hours
monkeying with a gear shift, get
into a fiVe-ton truck and bull his