The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-16
NO SUNDAY BASE BALL.
Mayor MCDOnOugh Prohibits the Sa-
Vannah- Macon Game.

MoCloskey Notified that the Teams
Would Be Arrested If They Attempt
ed to Playa Detail of Police on
Guard at the Park-The Law Under
Which the Mayor Acted.
Savannah won yesterday afternoons
game of ball. Mayor McDonough was
umpire, and the score was 8 to 0. The
opposition failed to put in an appearance,
and so Assistant Chief of Police Reilly
sent three balls across the home-plate,
and the game was declared forfeited to
the city's team.
This means that there will be no Sun
day ball playing in Savannah. Mayor
McDonOugh has said so and that settles
it. When Mayor McDonough saw the
announcement in the MORNING. News
that Savannah and Macon would play
ball at the park yesterday afternoon, he
promptly notified Chief Green to inform
| Manager McCloskey that it was against
the city ordinances to play ball within
the jurisdiction of the city, and that the
game would not be allowed.
POLICE GUARD THE PARK.
Chief Green was instructed to send a
detail of police to the park in the after
noon, and if any attempt were made to
play ball, to arrest all the players. The
chief was expecting the mayors orders,
| and promptly carried them out. There
was some tall kicking on the part Of the
players when they were informed that
the game would not be allowed, but they
realized that Mayor McDonOugh was an
] rlgNVWn 4 hFHsal
against, so they took their medicine with
the best grace possible.
1t had been anticipated that the mayor
would not allow base ball in the city
! limits, and his action was no great sur
/ prise to those who are acquainted with
| his position upon such matters. The base
ball men were relying, however, upon the
fact that the park is Just outside the city
| limits, and they were in hopes that the
mayor would not consider it within his
/ province to enforce the Sunday laws out
side of the city. In this they were mis-
taken.
WHAT THE LAW SAYS.
/ Mayor McDonough acted under Sec
| tons 81 and / 422 of MacDOnell's code
| Section 81 provides that the jurisdiction
| of the city shall extend two miles beyond
| the corporate limits for the purpose of
| regulating and controlling stores, shops,
| and barrooms, and the granting of Ii
/ cenees to retail liquor within such limits,
! and the preserving of peace and good
/ order on the Sabbath.
''Section !, 422 declares that no public
sports or pastimes, such as bear batting,
/ bull baiting, COck-hghting, horse-racing
riding race horses through the streets of
/ the city, foot ball shooting, hunting or
fishing, interludes or plays, dancing, sing
ing, tddltng or other music for the sake
OF merrimenJ, or any other sports or
pastimes, or disOrderly conduct whatso-
/ ever shall be allowed on the Lords day
on penalty not exceeding 800 for every
such offense."
The latter ordinance was enacted in
| 1889. The mayors attention was called
to the fact yesterday that this is a very
old ordinance, and might be considered
out of date in these times
1T doesn't matter how old it is" he
replied. 1T is good ordinance, and it
will be enforced"
THE MAYORS POSITION.
A MORNING News reporter, who called
on Mayor McDonough yesterday afternoon
at his residence on Price street,
found him taking things easy and smiling
over his easy victory over the would-be
Sunday-law breakers.
II am simply maintaining the position
which have always maintained"
said Mayor McDonough, against
prostituting the sabbath for pur-
poses of business or sport. / do
not believe the Sabbath was intended for
any such purposes, and as long as there
are laws to prevent it | shall en-
deavor to enforce them. Works of
necessity or for charitable pur-
poses, or work made necessary by
prOvidential calamity or disaster. are al
lowed upon the Sabbath, but business
conducted for profit or pleasure is very
properly forbidden by law. / think the
laws referred to fully cover the case.
The park is within the jursdictional
limits Of the city, and the specific of
Tense is fully covered in the section
which prohibits all public sports upon
the Sabbath
SUNDAY BASE BALL A MISTAKE.
'I think" said Mayor McDonough, in
conclusion, that the base ball people are
making a great mistake in attempting to
have Sunday base ball. They would lose
more by people who would remain away
from the games during the week on this
account than they would gain by those
who would attend on Sunday"
There is no doubt that Mayor Melon
ough S position is strongly approved by
all the church people in the city The
matter was referred to in several of the
churches yesterday, and the effort to in
troduce Sunday base ball into Savannah
was strongly condemned. DR. Goodwin
at the First Baptist church, was espec-
tally strong in his condemnation of the
attempt, and alluded to the question sew
eral times during the morning service
WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE GAME.
At the same time there are a great
many people in Savannah who would like
to see Sunday base bali, and there is no
doubt that If the game had been plaved