The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1958-05-29
JOURNAL
MAIL BAG

Caldwell, Ohio
Dear Sir:
My first thought on reading
the letter from the Belle Valley
Council in The Journal last week
was, Il wonder who wrote it for
them" Since then | have been
informed that it was written by
a lawyer. l can hardly believe
that, thought a lawyer had
written it, there surely would
have been fewer grammatical
errors in it, to say nothing of
outright misstatements. And
there certainly was no need to
castigate the editors of the
Journal. One thing l am sure of,
though, and that is that it was
not written by the members of
the council, either singly or col
lectively. I'll refrain from saying
why | am SO sure.
Did anyone else notice that
they did not deny passing that
ordinance especially for me? Or
that they had had no intention
of enforcing it against anyone
but me? Traffic conditions here
are not SO bad as to require a
special council meeting to pass
an ordinance to alleviate them.
And | repeat, there was then
in effect no ordinance prohibiting
parking where l parked. Their
pointing out that | was parked
heading the wrong way only
proves my statement that they
were not interested in anyone
but me, for at the same time
there were half a dozen cars
parked heading the wrong way
on the other side of the street.
I must apologize, however, for
stating the wrong charge on
which l was fined. All / could
remember was that it was some
trumped-up charge, thought up
on the spur of the moment, after
the mayor and the marshal found
out | could not be fined for
violation of an ordinance not yet
in effect. G'm sure our marshal
is not yet so efficient he is able
to arrest people at 1890 for
something they are going to do
at 1900 l was fined for failure
to obey direct order from an
officer of the laW-but the mar
shall never gave me valid direct
order, never even informed me
of the charge on which | was
being arrested Yet at the hear
ing, under oath, he testified that
he had told me to move the car
because it was parked too close
to the highway. If he had even
told me to move the car because
it was headed the wrong way
it would have been a valid order,
but he did not. Laws are only as
good as the people who interpret
and enforce them.
They must have decided they
will all tell the same story: that
| almost hit a women and child.
In another story / heard, it was
two of my own kids | was sup
posed to have almost hit. Three
of them were in the car with me,
and the other was at home, but
that story is no more asinine
than the one they're telling.
| am also sorry to disappoint
the council, but l did not stand
'in the very shadow of my
church" (my, aren't we getting
dramatic? The next thing we
know we'll be writing plays fol
Broadway and defiantly, OIL
otherwise, or by my own admis.
sion, tell an individual to go tc
| hell That was on a note, writer
in my own home, and left in my
own car. Not that | would no.
have done So-in my opinion
anyone who snoops in someone
else's car while the owner is IL
church deserves to be told much
more than to go TO hell, and j.
had caught the old goat at it
l would have told him mucl
more. My only regret is that
didn't get the opportunity.
No, l am not fighting for thu
right to disregard and defy al
laws-only that one passed,
repeat, at the instigation of on
person, to spite another person.
Sincerely,
| Lrnrno. d SnnrnStHr