104 CONFERENCE: OF GOVERNORS. 



tended to prevent injury to occupants of horse-drawn carriages and 

 pedestrians using the highways; and, in addition to prescribing 

 speed limits, provided a method of identification of the owners of 

 the automobiles, and for the licensing of their chauffeurs or drivers. 

 In some States the automobile has been regarded as a fit subject 

 for special taxes, but m general the license fee has simply been 

 intended to meet the expenses of registration and of ascertaining 

 the qualifications of drivers. 



The experience of the past six or seven years has shown that the 

 different laws on this subject in the various States have resulted 

 in a great many complications tending to discourage even the or- 

 derly use of the automobile. In some States the natural resentment 

 against the dangerous rate of speed at which automobiles were 

 being operated has resulted ia the enactment of unreasonable laws, 

 which defeated their purpose by imposiag regulations so stringent 

 that they could not be enforced. 



It is evident that, from the point of view from which I address 

 you, — that concerted action should be taken by these States to 

 increase their attractiveness to the summer resident, — uniformity 

 in our laws regulating and taxing automobiles is highly desirable. 

 While the permanent welfare of our people requires that the use 

 of our roads shall be regarded not only as a farmer's question, 

 but first and chiefly as a question of their commercial use, their 

 use for pleasure or travelling being secondary to the transportation 

 of the farmer's products to market, it must be recognized that the 

 automobile is a permanent feature of modern life, and that the 

 owners of these vehicles have the right to the use of the highways, 

 subject to such restrictions as will ensure the rights of all others. 

 There would therefore seem to be no good reason why an agree- 

 ment should not be arrived at upon the legislation that experience 

 has shown to be practicable and desirable, to the end that the 

 citizen of one State may be able to travel through other States 

 without vexatious restrictions differing from those of his own 

 State, and without the payment of special taxes, not imposed on 

 non-residents using other methods of travelling. 



In considering the nature of the legislation on this subject 

 which should be adopted by these States, it must be remembered 

 that laws limiting the rate of speed at which automobiles may be 

 operated have two purposes. The first is, of course, the prevention 

 of accidents through driving at high speed. A second reason is 

 the preservation of our roads against the injury due to the rapid 

 passage over them of these pneumatic-tired vehicles. It seems 



