Why so early?

Just putting this down so I won’t forget it….

I’m always asking Why So Late? In this case the puzzlement is reversed.

Why were horseless carriages licensed so quickly? Horses and buggies had not been licensed.

It appears that state licenses for cars began around 1905.

Horses were still completely dominant. A typical city might have a dozen motorized cars and trucks, so they weren’t an obvious target for tax-hungry governments. The average car couldn’t go faster than horses, took up LESS parking space than a horse and buggy, and didn’t leave shit on the road. None of the seemingly “logical” arguments for licensing made sense at that time.

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Later after looking through a 1905 Motor Age magazine, I’m guilty of thinking in modern centralized terms. I was expecting Big Horse to be in DC. Back then everything was far less centralized. States and cities mattered, and corporations were headquartered all over the place. Lawsuits were flying back and forth. The ALAM** was suing in one direction to defend the manufacturers, and cities and states were suing in the other direction. Indiana was at the forefront of anti-auto legislation. Hmm. I wonder which BIGGEST CARRIAGE MAKER IN THE WORLD was headquartered in Indiana?

**Association of Licensed Auto Mfrs began as a patent troll, quickly evolved into a trade group for all mfrs except Ford, especially for mfrs outside Detroit. They were eager to legitimize autos, and the best way to legitimize is to license.