100 years ago in Spokane: An epidemic of bad drivers inspired one judge to start an early version of traffic school

Judge Fred H. Witt was preparing to try a new “stunt” to cut down on traffic violators – a traffic school.

He took over a small room next to the courtroom where he planned to send violators to study the city’s traffic laws.

After an hour’s study, the judge said he would give them a chance to answer questions about traffic laws.

This would not supplant the system of traffic fines, but the judge hoped it would cut down on future arrests. He said many defendants simply did not understand the rules of the road.

From the orchestra beat: The Spokane Daily Chronicle editorial page came out in favor of a public subsidy for the city’s fledgling orchestra.

The editors pointed out that St. Louis had just voted to subsidize its orchestra as part of a general civic improvement program.

Spokane’s orchestra had just closed out a successful season, but funding was proving to be an ongoing problem. A public subsidy could give the orchestra some stability.

“Modern communities cannot exist without play of some sort,” the editorial said. “St. Louis’ experience leads to the belief that it can be subsidized profitably.”

As it turned out, no such subsidy was forthcoming. The next year, the Spokane Symphony Orchestra folded due to lack of support.

Today’s Spokane Symphony arose in 1945 and has remained a cultural institution since.