The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-10-19
PULPIT WAR ON LIQUOR.
AN AUGUSTA PR FAoHER ST. RS UP
a BIG SENSATION.

He Goes for the Mayor and Aldermen
Without Gloves-POncsms sn Charged
With Standing in With the Saloons.
The Mayor Held Up as a Gambler.
The Club Not Forgotten.
AUGUSTA, GA, Oct. 18.-The most
sensational and personal sermon ever
preached in Augusta. perhaps, was deliv-
by Rev. w. w. Wads worth. The church
was crowded, for the sermon had been pre-
faced by two others on the liquor traffic and
had been extensively advertised. "Woe
unto him that buildeth a town in blood and
establisheth a city by iniquity," was the
Bible text, and the theme was the liquor
traffic in Augusta. He began by res
citing the direful effects of the liquor
! traffic and stated that there were 159
licensed barrooms in Augusta, besides blind
tigers. drug stores and the Commercial
Club.
THEIR ANNUAL REVENUE.
Allowing an average of $40 day for each,
these bars realized annually the sum of
$500,000 more than the income of all Augusta
from all sources, and averaging S1G2j for
every citizen paid out for liquor, or 800
for every family Of six. He then referred
to Augusta's notorious record as a low
license town aud the way council had
tabled all efforts for high license. He said
| that among all the city officers there was
but one man who was an antl-liquor man,
and he was a preacher.
THE LIQUOR LICENSE.
The liquor license in Augusta is $12j for
all bars doing an annual business not ex-
ceeding $500, and he said there were
barkeepers who swore their annual business
did not exceed this amount, who were pay
ing 81 200 rent for their bars. He thought
Augusta needed board of liquor assessors
worse than tax assessors. He then
charged that the liquor traffic was in
charge of the city, that the mayor was an
open patron of bars and two out of the five
police commissioners are liquor men; that
many of the police themselves drink while
on duty and are in collusion with the bars
on their beats
A RAP AT THE CHIEFS.
He understood that the present chief OF
police was a sober man, but he was the first
instance since the war. He said that prior
to his election, 1t was a common thing to
see the chief of police in uniform enter a
bar and under the influence of liquor. He
charged that the mayor, in reducing fines
for keeping open bars on Sunday, as i'm
posed by the recorder according to law, be-
came himself a violator Of the law and a
criminal. 1t was clear that it was done to
hold the influence OF the liquor men on his
side to perpetuate him in Office.
CALLS THE MAYOR a GAMBLER.
He said the mayor was self-confesset
gambler in public print, land am reliabl,
informed that when the recent nomination
WAS made of his opponent he was then at
gambling table with young man of thiI
city, who drank with him to his success. 1
he denies this and caanot prove it / viii
publicly apologize, as any honorable mar
ought to do.n He then denounced the out
rageous election scenes which disgraced tht
city every year, aud said 50 far as he could
see the reform ticket was as bad as tht
other, and it would not benefit the city &c
put out one set of officers and put another
in their place who would keep up the same
practice Of debeuching the voters of the
city.
REBUKEs THE GRoCERs.
He rebuked the grocery merchants FOL
running bars in their stores and then at
tackled the Commercial Club as q free bal
and Sunday bar, which did business with
out a license, and in open violation OF tn
law and was a greater foe TO the churcl
and Young Mems Christian Association
than all the other bars in town. They sol
over $l4, 900 worth of liquor annually ant
some of the members drank lik
fish. If it was not for tn
bar, the club would go to pieces in sixt
days. He closed with prayer for a neI
order of things aud betterChristian spirit il
Augusta. He announced that next Sunda,
night he would speak on the "Krmessn i
Augusta and king Solomon" In Atlanta
The above is brief outline of the sermon
: most salient points. His sermons are tn
J sensation of the hour, and the church ca
hardly hold The crowds