Evening star., 1935-03-12
4 Joke on Traffic Victims.

The House has again indicated its
inability to function as branch of
the legislature charged with the eX-
elusive power of legislating for the
District of Columbia. The automobile
safety-responsibility bill, urged for
many years as a necessary part Of any
movement to cut down the disgrace
full toll of deaths and injuries from
automobile accidents, and favored by
everybody, has been successfully side
tracked again by obstructive tactics.
The situation seems to be this:
There is practically no opposition to
the bill in the House. It has passed
the House before and has passed the
Senate this year. 1t was reported to
the House without objection from
anybody this year.
But there are some taxicab drivers
who believe that no taxicab driver
should be permitted to operate COM
mon carrier on the street without
showing in advance financial RESPONSE
bility for the deaths, injuries and
damage to property he may cause
They wish to have the safety-responsi-
bility bill, which applies to everybody,
amended so as to apply specifically to
taxicab drivers and require, for them,
compulsory liability insurance before,
and not after, an accident.
That is certainly a reasonable sug-
gestion. But Representative Patman
Of Texas, if he does not object to this
amendment, wishes a let of time to
discuss the rights" of those involved.
And as the House has not been willing
to assure him in advance the time he
thinks he needs, he has twice blocked
consideration of the safety-responsi-
bility bill.
If the House functioned for the Dis
trict as it should, the whole serious
question Of financial liability and the
causes of accidents would be made the
subject Of thorough, painstaking in
quiry in committee and the best bill
would be submitted to the House for
q vote, with intelligent statements in
its behalf by the committee report
ing it.
But by taking full advantage Of
parliamentary situation, Mr.. Patman
refuses to allow the bill to come up
for consideration in the House with
out being guaranteed in advance time
to discuss a possible amendment. The
House Is apparently unwilling to grant
him this time. He knows that. And
safe in that knowledge he remains in
q position to block permanently pas
sage Of bill which, he processes, has
his wholehearted support.
Representative Norton, chairman of
the District Committee, was right
eously indignant yesterday at the
obstructive tactics by Mr.. Patman.
But more than righteous indignation
Is necessary. Cannot Mrs. Norton
obtain from the House leaders the
proper time for disposal of important
legislation? Must the District re-
main ever the victim of such tactics?
Is it impossible for the House to dis
pose Of matters affecting the Dis
trict on their merits, instead of tying
them into impossible knots by the
parliamentary evasion of RESPONSE
bility?
The delays which have dogged this
safety-responsibility bill must be
highly amusing to Mr.. Patman. But
the continued killing and manning of
men, women and children on Wash
ington's dangerous streets and the
inability of authorities to make a
move against financially and other
wise irresponsible drivers are certainly
not funny. Mrs. Norton's next move
in this matter will be watched with
interest.