The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-11-28
.On This
!, Occasion
B Just few thoughts oy the Editor
, on things Material and Immaterial.

DOUn the driver d1lO pCOSoGA 1eAA' 40
this state a drivers license law Is being
advocated. There are some who seem
to believe that such a law will be in
effective providing it has no teeth
and will be as imperative as thous-
ands of other acts on the books which
have been passed to get even with
some one or to placate a particular
section or faction.
In states where a drivers license law
prevails it is claimed that accidents
have been decreased to an appreciate
extent Massachusetts, has such law
and the reason that state has felt its
benefits is because officials have en-
forced the same In that state par
ticular attention is paid to the drunken
driver, the greatest menace on the
highways. Over there they take away
the license and fine the driver not less
than $50 or more than 5000. If Mime
sofa puts in drivers license act, it is
the sincere hope of those using the
highways that the same will be sup
piled with teeth" of sufficient sharp
ness to rid the roads of this menace by
taking out of circulation the drunk
before he gets started on his murderous
journey.
The state traffic officers under Earle
Brown have picked up bunch OF these
but according to statements, are handl-
capped inasmuch as they get no coop
Grafton from the authorities of the
cities and villages. The state force,
altogether too small. cites cases where
police officers have helped intoxicated
persons into their cars in order to get
them out of their Jurisdiction and into
the Jurisdiction of the state police.
Too much favoritiSm is shown in the
administration of the acts already on
the statutes, three fourthS of which
are imperative or we Would-au OF
us-fnd ourselves in the clutches OF
the laws regulating our every act every
day from the cradle to the grave.
s**s
The remedy for such a condition is
apparent. Have the legislatures of all
the states in the Union stop passing
new acts to clutter up the books and
paw particular attention to curing de-
fects in existing laws using the Ten
Commandments and the Golden Rule
as a basis. Licenses to be paid for
everything we do will not cure in
fractions of laws. While licenses are
fine for swelling the eXchequor As a
preventative they are all wet The
mere fact of being the poSseSsor of a
drivers license will not prevent the
drunk from running amuck with his
death dealing vehicle. If such law
is passed it should be rigidly enforced.
"Hew to the line and let the chips fall
where they may" AS we have re-
marked in these columns before. The
citizen can rest assured thai one sec
ton of the drivers license law, if
passed, will be enforced to the letter
and this is the clause relating to the
payment of the fee for the license.
Already a movement is on foot In
csrtain circles to petition the legisla-
ture to increase the gas tax from three
to five cents per gallon. Up to the
present the gas tax has proven one OF
the most equitable measures that could
be imagined and has been called the
painless tax" 1t is painless one
and has been adopted by every state
in the union. Cost Of collection has
been unusually small and what money
was gathered went for the building OF
roads and not for collection expenses
In 1929 this tax produced for the states
the tidy sum of S431 ,000, 900 in revenue
AS a revenue measure it has been
success and if there was any kicking
on it, the kicks have been very light
$3.50
However, it is not necessary for the
friends of the measure to become un-
balanced by its success. 1t is handy
revenue raiser but if too generous
use of the same is developed it may
reach a point where what is now q
just levy may reach an unreasonable
burden. Then is when measure in
lust favor will become an object OF
attack by consumers and distributors
of gasoline alike. The Pioneer Press
took this matter under consideration
in an editorial and directed attention
to the old injunction of riding a free
horse to death"
Representative Chilgren of Littlefork
has an idea which will be of far more
importance to the bodybuilding pro-
gram. His proposition is to introduce
a bill in the state legislature to author
ize a bond issue of $25 100000 to builc
state highways at once and have the
car and gas taxes take care of the pay,
ments in the years to follow. In thi:
manner we would get the roads now
when we need them and sinking
fund established by car and gas take:
would care for them. No money would
be raised by direct taxation. Thi
would speed the Minnesota road pro-
gram and would also furnish employ
ment next year to large number o.
people.
A prescedent has been established
in the case of st. Louis county. Twent.
years ago this county issued bonds fo
the construction and paving 'of thu
Miller Trunk road from Duluth to TIT
range and for the construction ant
paving of No. IS from the ItaSc:
county line to Aurora. Since tina
time we have had the use of the road
which we otherwise would not hav
had and last week the county received
notice that the state was taking up tn
bonds In the sum of $7,552 618.72. Tn
roads have practically cost the count
nothing, so to speak, with the excep
ton of a few dollars in sale commits
sions and price fuctuation. Look
like good business
The Erickson Magic election i'm
broglio is attracting all kinds of atten
ton throughout the county and ais
Is being generally commented on i
many sections of Minnesota. Almos
eyervone discussing the subject has a.