Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1939-03-24
OPPOSITION TO
PLAN PROVIDING
A RE-RECETER
Automobile Club Claims To Have
Saved The Day By Its Wig
Orous And Prompt Action

No issue ever presented to the
motorists of Maryland in the 38 years
history of the Automobile Club arous-
ed such overwhelming opposition as
did the proposed plan calling for the
termination of drivers licenses in the
form of reregistration.
The issue offered every promise OF
becoming political factor of the first
magnitude, one which would later have
had to be reckoned with by all poll
ticians with party and personal am
billions.
Only prompt action on the part OF
the Automobile Club saved the day,
because the scheme was listed as a
must" measure in order that the
Budget be balanced safely and easily.
A call went out to all Club members,
with the result that more than $4,000
motorists signed petitions in protest
directed to the Governor and General
Assembly. This does not include hun
dreds of letters and kilograms sent. 1t
ia said the action was one Of the most
spontaneous and largest outpouring OF
the will of the people in the history
of the State.
The Automobile Club Immediately
saw in the proposal not the safety
features with which it was clothed,
but a revenue measure. It led the
fight not as a matter of obtaining a
decrease in taxes, but against an in
crease. This tax was another form OF
diversion against which the Club has
been fighting since 1888. We motor
lists are, and always have been, ready
and willing to bear our full share OF
the load. AS matters now stand, we
pay more than SO per cent Of the
States entire tax income, not includ-
ing a personal property tax on our
automobiles.
It is not fair to argue or expect
motorists not to protest against this
reregistration because the fact the
Administration kept its prediction
pledge by offering q diversion-free
State Budget. The truth of the mat
ter is, there never should have been
any diversion of funds specially levied
for highway purposes.
Nor is it fair to say that any motor
list who could not afford to pay this
additional $1.0O or $500 fee has no
right to own a car. Everybody knows
that long ago the automobile ceased
to be luxury and became necessity.
Even the farmer with an annual net
income of as little as $4,000 must
have some kind of a motor vehicle to
get his produce to market in the face
of competition.
Furthermore, the average motorist
is family man and when he is asked
to pay another tax for a new oper-
ator's card, he must needs pay not
only for himself, but for all his de-
pendents who drive. It is safe to say
his total bill would have run from
$500 to $500 or more, and this is a
heavy as well as unnecessary drain
to put upon his already depleted and
unbalanced family budget.
The Automobile Club had no selfish
interest at heart when it opposed this
measure. It spoke not only for its
membership, but for all Maryland
motorists. It protested against the
principle of the Bill. We motorists
want promises kept. Last year we ac-
cepted a reregistration at cost of
$1.O0 with the understanding there
would be no need for a repetition for
some years to come. We were sold
the idea because we believed it essen
tial that the Commissioner of Motor
Vehicles be given the opportunity for
cleaning out lot of dead wood from
his files.
When the motoring public is arous-
ed to the point that it goes to all the
time and trouble involved in securing
$4,000 signatures on petitions, it's
time for some one to stop, look and
listen. The real moral of the whole
incident is that we motorists of Mary
land are fed up by being imposed up
on and we want to see something con-
structive for our money.
Before the motorists are asked to