The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-22
NO MORE NlPS ON THE SLY.
The Mayor Orders the Saloons TO Take
Down Their Screens.

Another Old Ordinance Resurrected
and Put in Foroe-PeopIe Who Take
a Drink Now VIII Have to do it
Where Anybody Can See Them-The
Saloon Men Kick, But it is no Use.
The saloons were all run "wide open"
yesterday, but not in the manner in
which that expression is usually taken to
mean. The doors were literally wide
open because Mayor McDonough request
ed them to have them so. The saloon
keepers have learned to respect Mayor
McDonough too much to refuse a request
that can be so easily complied with.
The mayor discovered an old ordinance
in looking over the code the other day
which forbids the saloons to have any
screens or doors which may prevent
persons ON the inside from being seen.
The ordinance was passed Sept. 20, 1854,
nearly forty years ago, and reads as fol-
lows
1t shall not be lawful for any retailer of
spirituous liquors to have before his doors or
bars any screen or other obstruction which
may prevent persons from being exposed to
view while trading for or drinking liquor on
the premises, under a penalty of $50 on con-
VictiOn before the police court.
nah at that time, and the board of alder
men was probably seized with a sudden
spasm of virtue.
DOWN GO THE SCREENS.
Mayor McDonough had all the saloon
keepers notified that they must comply
with this ordinance, and that
all doors and screens which pre-
vented clear view of the
interior must be removed at once. The
saloon keepers FASTENED ITO comply at
once and the accustomed doors and
screens were removed from sight Many
saloon keepers complied with the ordi-
nance fully, by fastening back their doors
and leaving their places wide open. Sew
eral saloons which had fancy carved oak
doors had to lay them aside, and substi-
tute plain doors with glass fronts.
The unusual appearance of things was
the subject of general comment among the
patrons of the saloons yesterday. The
general expression was one of surprise,
and wonder what the mayor viii do
next" The saloon keepers did not have
much to say.
They realized that there was nothing to
do but comply with the ordinance and
that it was no use to kick.
WONDERING WHAT WILL COME NEXT.
They wondered, however, why the
mayor could not have let an ordinance
which has rested so long in obscurity
remain there, especially when there was
no demand for its enforcement.
There will be no great howl raised in
Savannah over the mayors enforcement
of the ordinance. The residents of other
towns of high moral pretensions might
exclaim against being exposed to the
public view while taking their toddy, but
this will not be the case in Savannah
The people who drink, and there are a
great many in Savannah who do, will 90
right ahead taking their drinks just as
they did before. The saloons which are
most largely patronized are all in the
business section, which is entirely sep
arated from the residence part of the
city, and the man who takes a drink oc-
CasiOnally stands very little chance of
being seen by his wife or sweetheart, even
if the door is open
WILL TAKE MORE THAN OPEN DOORS,
1t will require something more than an
open door to prevent the average man
from accepting an invitation to drink and
the enforcement of the no-screen ordi-
nance will not have much effect upon the
drinking population.
COncealment is something that does not
occur to the average Savannah drinker
any way, and the men who drink seldom
make any effort to conceal the fact
1t would not be surprising, however, if
there should be move to repeal the ordi-
nance of 1854. The ordinance of Feb. 25,
1891 requires all saloons to have their in
teriors fully exposed to view from the
street on Sundays, but says nothing about
week days.