The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-25
THE MAYORS PLAIN TALK
HIS POSITION ONTaE LAW
A FEATURE OF HIS REPORT

! QRY-lI the Law Is UNJUST = 6tepodi lS
the Remedy-He Favors DivorcinR
! City Officials from Politics-A New
Public Cemetery Recon- mended.
! Mayor MoDonough has completed bis
first annual report, and it is now in the
hands Of the printers. 1t Is not as volu-
minous a document as others OF similar
character have been, but 10 is an ex-
celleno paper, terselY and pointedly pre-
| pared.
| All the city departments, he says, have
been carefully, properly and economically
managed by the officers 10 charge resulting
in highly efficient service.
The mayor compliments Health Officer
Drummer for his prompt and fearless serv-
Ices in ferreting CUB the concealed cases Of
smallpox during the prevalence Of that dis
ease last year.
! He urges attention to the recommenda-
tons heretofore made, and in which he
earnestly joins, for the selection Of q new
public cemetery. Laurel Grove is nearly
| filed, and as IL Is now we'll in the city
| limits with numbers of people living adja-
cent to it, the danger to them and the whole
| community from sickness and contegion
| from the impure air and gases escaping
of serious consideration, in the opinion of
Mayor MoDonough.
He compliments the street and lane COM
| mittee on the excellent condition In which
ii has kept the streets and beauttfed the
parks and squares. The police and fire de-
| partments also come in for commentator
| In their management, discipline and service.
In referring to the efforts to
get congress to recognize Savannah's
claims for deep water Capt. d. q. Purse
and Congressman Lester are earnestly
thanked by Mayor McDonough.
HIS POSITION ON THE BARROoMs.
Id his general remarks in the conclusion
Of the report, Mayor McDonough boldly
defines and defends his position In the en-
forcement Of the Sunday ordinance against
tho saloons There is no mistaking his Ian
guage. 1t is plain and unembellished. He
sAys: Before closing this report it is at
least proper, If not the duty Of the mayor, to
state for the information of the
citizens his position and action with refer
ence to tho Sunday laws, the enforcement
Of which created so much comment in the
public press and other wise. 1t Ia hard ly
necessary to go into details or endeaVor TO
explain the manner in which. or for what
reasons, many of the city ordinances, aud
especially those providing for the observ-
ance OF the Lords day, were permitted to
be openly violated for some time past.
THAT barrooms were open and liquor sold
on Sundays was plainly evident, as around
such places could be seen on every Sabbath
crowds of people, their con-
duct Whereabouts generally loud and
hoiste-ous, and many of them in drunken
condition, ripe for disorder and crime.
DAY GIVEN UP TO CRIME.
1.-THE persons who frequented these grog-
geries on Sunday were principally poor and
| Woodworking men who had but little time
| during week days to loaf and loiter around
barrooms. They seemed to reserve Sunday
for this purpose, many of them spending
the entire Sabbath in and about those
places, drinking until Intoxicated and re-
| turning to their homes in prime condition
| for family quarrel, which often followed,
as the Monday dockets of the police court
| will attest such quarrels ending In many
| Instances in serious beating and cutting
scrapes, If NOT in murder.
DIMINUTIoN OF CRIME.
"And right here can be noted the fact,
and that, too, with much qualification, that
as soon as the barrooms were required to be
closed on Sundays this class of offenses
diminished to such an extent as to attract
the attention of the officers of the court to
the change. In a few weeks thereafter
charges of wife beating and family broils
were the exception on Mondays docket.
Putting aside any question of personal
benefit to the habltuates of these places
| from the closing thereof the ENFORCE
ment OF the Sunday ordinances
brought good order and decorum
| to many parts of the city which did
not there obtain previous to the efforts
made to enforoe the ordinances. 1t Is a
matter Of satisfaction to observe the cons
fort and peace that has since resulted to
neighborhoods In which many evils caused
by Incompetence and rowdyism formerly
| prevailed"
Mayor McDonough then goes into detail
about his first step upon assuming Office
toward the enforcement of the ordinance by
| giving people notice in advance to close on
| Sunday. Although not required to do SO
Mayor McDonough says that inasmuch as
proPrietors had been permitted
for some time to violate the
be said that no effort had been made for
some time by the city authorities to prevent
them from so doing, he considered it but
right to notify them Of what he proposed
doing. lie commends the officers for their
faithful and efficient service in bringing the
guilty saloonkeepers to court.
THE CRITICISM AROUSED.
at is q matter )" says Mayor McDonough
"for careful thought and at least for the con
slderation of our citizens, that the enforce
ment of the other ordinances of the city,
some of which had not been enforced
strictly for years. and the enforcement
Of which often proved a hardship on citizens
who violated them in many instances al
most from practice, did not cause hardly a
word Of comment, and certainly did not
create the criticisms and discussions
brought out by the closing OF barrooms on
Sundays
at has been said that the Sunday laws
have not, during the last year, been con-
strued as literally as they should be. The
ordinances of Savannah bearing upon the
Sabbath admit of but one construction. Their
language is 80 plain and forbids in such ex-
plicib terms certain violations heretofore re-
garded by many persons as privileges, that
it is almost impossible to understand how
the ordinances could be construed so as TO
permit the executive of the city, under his
oath of office. to allow that which they
strictly forbid, and which they call upon
him to prevent.
THE REMEDY IF UNJUST.
"lf the ordinances are Just and work I'M
necessary hardships on any class of citizens,
| and it is believed by those whose duty it is
to protect the public interest and welfare Of
the community that they should be repealed,
then the remedy could be applied at once in
that way, but as long as the ordinances re-
main Of force they should be enforced, aud