The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-22
TO CETAT LAW BREAKERS.
The City Wants More Extended JuTiS-
diCtiOl for the Police.

An Effort to Give the Police Court
| Authority to Punish Gambling, Va
grancy and Carrying Concealed
! Weapons-A Bill to be Introduced at
the Coming Session of the Legisla-
| ture.
/ The mayor and the members Of the city
! council are very anxious that the bill
which will be introduced at the next ses-
sion Of the Legislature, TO give the police
court jurisdiction In all violations Of the
laws against gaming, carrying concealed
weapons and vagrancy, shall become a
law.
They give good reasons why the city
authorities should have jurisdiction in all
these instances. 1t is impossible to sup
press the carrying of concealed
weapons under the present law, they say.
For every man convicted ''Of carrying a
concealed weapon, there are a hundred
going around with pistols in their poch-
cts who are not the least inundated or
affected by an infrequent conviction.
A large percentage of prisoners arrested
by the police have concealed weapons on
them. Cases are made against them, and
they are turned over to the city court on
the charge.
THE COST TOO GREAT.
"The result is, " said an alderman, CHAT
after spending anywhere from a few DAYS
to several weeks in Jail, at the countys
expense, the accused is brought into
court, demands jury trial, which costs
the city and county, including pay of
jurymen, and salaries of court officials,
from $50 TO 800 for a conviction, which
results in a fine Of $25, or three months
on the chain-gang.
THE case could have been decided in the
police court in fifteen minutes, and If the
accused were found guilty the same SEN
tenCe imposed and the cost of m aintaining
the prisoner a the Jail and giving him a
jury trial afterwards would be saved
The same thing applies to Migrants,
only 1t is harder to convict for vagrancy,
and for this reason very few cases are
turned over to the higher court. If the
police court could deal with the Migrants,
which it cannot do under the present
law, this nuisance would become a thing
of the past"
THE GAM LERs IN PARTICULAR.
IT is the gamblers that the city author
tiles are most anxious to get under the
Jurisdiction of the police court ANY
person who knows anything about the
town knows that the gambling houses
are run almost openly, in spite of the
upon them in the courts. The gambling
shops are as numerous and nearly
as well known as the churches.
There is not policeman's beat
in the business section of the
city that does not include from one to
half dozen of these places large and
small
An alderman in speaking of this used
some rather strong language
The present method of dealing with
these institutions" he said lis merely
sort Of license.
INDICTED REGULARLY.
"The proprietors Of the gambling houses
are we'll known, are indicted regularly
two or three times year The gamblers
do not even close their place while under
indictment. In fact they apply them
selves more assiduously than ever in order
to make money with which to pay fines.
When their cases are called they go to
court, plead guilty, pay their fines and
so back to their business just the
same as ever. If the gambler has not
the money with which to pay all his fine.
he pays part and gives his note for the
balance. l can establish this fact if
called upon to do so. l know of one in
stance in which a gambler had his para
pheralia, which had been seized, returned
to him, presumably in order to make the
money with which to pay his fine.
THE FINES IMPOSED.
The prprietors of the large gambling
houses are fined large sums and the policy
shop keepers small ones. so nobody's bust
ness is hurt you see. OF the money re-
ceived from firms so per cent.
goes to the officers The
other 20 per cent goes to pay insolvent
costs. The gamblers pay in several
thousand dollars in fines annually. So
licitor General Fraser has been active in
his efforts to break up gambling,
but it is true beyond a doubt that
his efforts have had little effect. If the
police court were given jurisdiction over
gambling houses the evil might be got at
more efectually.
THE members of the city council want
to know how Chatham county's repre-
sentatiYes stand in repard to this mans