Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-07-19
Local Option and Sunday Excur-
Sipns

Local Option and Sunday Excur-
siOns.
There are two measures pending in the
Legislature in which the better class Of
people of this State are deeply interested
! They are the Sunday excursion bill and
I the general local option bill. This latter
bill is a special order for to-day. These
bills. if passed. are certain to have
| a beneficial effect. Indeed, we can think
| of no laws which could be enacted that
would do so much for the progress and
prosperity Of the State. We are not op-
posed to sunday excursions be-
cause Of anything in the exeur-
| sions that is wrong. They are harmless
enough in themselves. In fact, we are
prepared to encourage everything that
promises to afford the people innocent and
legitimate amusement on sunday or any
other day. But we are opposed to sun
day excursions because Of the evils which
grow out Of them. They are mainly pa
tronized by negroes, who make them the
occasion for a wild debauch. If the eX-
cursionists would enjoy themselves in
lawful way, no objection would be
raised 10 sunday excursions. This they
do not do. They have no idea OF ENJOY
ment without whisky. and with plenty
Of whisky they become little less than
demons. They seek some quiet
town and terrorize the inhabitants with
their noise. threats, excuses and, per-
haps. deeds Of violence. Who does not
remember the Eastman affair: An InnO-
cent and harmless man was made the
victim of a mob Of drunken negroes. 1t
NAV be said that the Eastman tragedy
was exceptional. 1t was exceptional
only in the extent Of its horrors. such
wild scenes, lacking only the tragical
element. are common enough. Murder
and other crimes Of violence are always
probable where there is a
crowd Of fr61licking negroes soaked
with whisky. There is a class
Of white people which does not possess
much. if any. superiority over the
negroes. This class has little respect for
/ law at any time, and none at all when
I crazed with drink and angered by real or
fancied injuries. Good, law-abiding peO-
pie may complain that their privileges
are interfered with by the enactment of
{ Sunday laws, but they must console
I themselves with the reflection that while
/ such laws may work a hardship to them
[ they are really in the interest of society,
and will be productive Of benefits to all.
Besides, people who want to enjoy a quiet
sunday in the country can do so without
the Sunday excursion trains. The pro-
posed law does not interfere with regular
sunday trains or with steamboats,.
With respect to the general local OPP
ton bill we have this to say: We are in
favor Of any law which promises to lessen
the evils Of whisky drinking. There are
temperance laws, relating to a very large
number of counties Of the State, now on
the statute books. 1t would be better to
have a general law. We do not claim
that the Legislature has the right to say
what, or how much, man shall eat or
drink. but we have no doubt that it is not
only the right, but the duty Of the Legisla-
ture, to protect the State against an evil
which is general, and affiicts all classes
OF society. The Legislature cannot
pass law that this or that
man shall. not drink whisky, but it can
I prohibit or restrict the sale of whisky
either by a direct prohibitOry act, by a
system of high taxation, or by a local
/ option law. We are not prepared to say
which is the best way to reach the evil.
We leave that to the lawmaking power.
I All that we ask is that something be done
/ to cure or limit the evil. More than two
thirds Of the crimes committed in this
/ State are directly traceable to whisky. To
/ support courts to try these criminals, and
I to maintain jails in which to cOnfne them
/ pending their trials, costs each county
a very large amount of money annually.
Restrict the sale of whisky and
\ counties will he saved this expense. The
| earnings of a majority of the negroes 90
I into the whisky shops. Money that ought
/ to be used in improving their social con-
dition is not only wasted, but is made to
contribute to their degradation. If they
/ cannot resist the temptation of whisky it
is the duty of the State to remove the
temptation Shut up the saloons and the
/ crossroads whisky shops and thousands
I of Georgia homes, that are now the abOdes
Of squalOr, and want, and ignorance, will
become places of peace, cOntentment and
comfort.