The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-04-14
It Pays Big Dividends

1t Pays Big Dividends
Bismarck Monday will begin the
observance Of safety week, designed
to place this city on the nations
honor roll as one where popular at
tention to q public question brings
good results.
BY proclamation. Mayor A. p. Len
hart has formally solicited the inter-
est Of every citizen. asked the CO.
operation Of all In order that the
campaign may be successful and that
the annual toll Of death and injury
may be reduced.
Because the driving season now Is
well upon us and vacation time Il
just around the corner. the Safety
and Courtesy committee Of the Bis
marck Association of Commerce has
indicated its intention Of concentrat-
ing. for the present at least. upon the
problem Of traffic safety. Both mo-
florists and pedestrians are being %.
1icited to give their help by doing
everything possible to protect both
themselves and others from accident
and injury. Automobile drivers, par
ticularly. are being asked to rssnsm-
Der that when they sit behind the
wheel Of moving vehicle they be-
come. automatically, their brothers
keeper. Indifference to this obliga-
ton may result in tragedy. even
though they may themselves commit
no offense against the laws govern
ing traffic practices.
In recent years 4 thousand slogans
have been coined to indicate the
senselessness Of certain driving hab-
its. Yet the death toll has mounted
steadily. Sensible men and women
too often become nit-wits when sit
ting behind a steering wheel. Miles
OF driving without accident lulls many
to false sense Of security which 4
rudely dissipated by an unforeseen
mishap.
The Tribune is cooperating In the
safety campaign and will publish q
series Of safety articles and remind
ers. The first Of these pertains to
the care and operation Of automo-
biles. It IS contemplated to keep the
matter before the public indefinitely,
with other series on safety in the
home. at work and at play. This
newspaper wishes to do its part in
reducing the terrific toll from acci-
dents which has become a disgrace
to our nation and an indictment Of
the intelligence OF the American peo-
pie. We may not be consciously dumb,
but those OF US who drive headlong
into accident and destruction would
have trouble in defending charges
against our intelligence, at least at
the time the accident occurred.
Because automobiles figure in 50
many tragedies, the major effort Of
safety week will be directed to the
attention Of motorists, even though
it u admittedly unfair to blame them
fol-. many mishaps in which they may
figure. Indifference on the part Of
an auto driver may have more sert-
Gus consequences than would indif.
ference on the part Of the pedestrian,
but this fact does not ahsolve the
pedestrian from exercising due re-
gard for his own safety. The reck-
less walker is just as culpable q the
reckless driver.
And SO The Tribune joins with the
city safety committee in asking every
one to assist in proper observance Of
this important movement for pro-
motion Of the public welfare. II asks
every n,otorist to examine into his
own habits and reform them where
necessary. It suggests that they check
the condition Of their vehicles and
make sure they are in safe operating
condition: to do so regularly through
out the year. It asks pedestrians not
to depend too much upon proper OBJ
ssrvance Of the law by motorists but
to make themselves responsible FOX
their own safety.
It asks every citizen to remember
that safety IS : personal thing: that
h may be the next to fall before the
scythe Of reclklessness. carelessness
and indifference. those great allies Of
the grim reaper.
Attention to these matters win pay
big dividends The cost Is nothing.
The rewards are the preservation o(
NE. property and happiness.
No Politics
Reports from Fargo indicate that
q would have done every North Ds-
kota citisen . world Of good could he
ham heard the charge which Federal
JUDE Andrew Miller delivered 70 the
xnnA Jury now ENGAGED in inNati-