The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-17
TALKED AGAINST POOL ROOMS.
REV. A. N. WILLIAMS ON THE CITY
COUNCILS RECENT ACTION.

fOre-NO Reflection 10 BE Called
PuritanicaI-His Sermon Heard by
a Large Congregation.
Rev. a. NJ. Williams preached at wes-
/ ley Monumental church last night on the
subject. our City Fathers and Moral
! Philosophy" suggested by some of the
| reasons stated for the reduction Of the
! license on pool rooms.
! His text was from Ephesians V, Il: "And
| have no fellowship with the unfruitfui
works of darkness, but rather reprove
! them" Quite large congregation was
assembled to hear what he would have
| to say with reference to the recent ac-
| ton Of the city fathers, and among them
many who have been somewhat interest
ed in it. Among other things, he said:
A matter Of grave import was decided
at recent meeting of our city council:
| The encouragement Of gambling by low
er1ng the license on pool rooms. That
means the harboring by the city of a
/ class Of sharpers who make their living
| Dy ,thelr wits and sap the true CONNER
| clal and Industrial life OF the community
| ,-, nllaL means the enticement of our
| young men TO spend their time and money
| IN the excitement of the turf our CITY
| fathers see one side of the picture; we pas
| reverse view.
We hear the wall Of the wife deprived
| OF me company Of her husband and the
| desperate agony of the mother over the
| boy lured by licensed temptations TO bus
mess men and moral degradation
al the honors of being an alderman
| could not pay me for the possibility of
| wrecking the whole life prospect of some
sweet girl child in this community. In
| years 70 come. she may be cursing the
gay she was born, lamenting the cruel
| tate that pursues her, which could an
pc traced to the young and loving father
win fair business future be-.
the pool room, fascinated with lis
ssportIwon and lost-step by step he went
down the hill of solid business worth till
MS name was lost and permanent depTs-
dalton came to his family.
AS citizen and teacher Of morals. 1.
700, nave a responsibility, and that is not
silence. All honor to the two aldermen
VINO nobly recorded their votes against
ms lnlquity. l congratulate them on
lneIr MANHOOD and sense of public purity
The philosophy displayed by the ad
Vocates OF this reduction are well worth
our study. They are fundamental, and we
to, substitute them for the oid-fashioned
ethlcs that nave governed right-thinking
persons in the past.
The main reason advanced for the
change is II Will attract business This
reminds us of the brilliant petition Of
some business board in Denver to suspend
all the laws against gambling to attract
business. This argument makes me very
Has the great city of Savannah. that
treasury, become so poor that she needs
the race course and the pool room to
stay her declining prosperity?
But the business 1t brings will blight
rather than build up the city. When you
count the waste of time, the undermined
business regulations and characters of
those tempted into it's patronage, the
money carried away by these sharpers
who are in the business for its advan-
tages it will damage rather than help the
Mr. Williams then quoted Judge Cooley
or the Michigan supreme court, who char
acterizes the visitors to pool rooms as
idle and evil disposed persons - and who
argues, in decision, that they have an
influence upon one another to keep up and
eNclte further vicious indulgences
This opinion of a great legal authority
does not agree with the aldermen who did
not know OF any immoral Influences but
then that Is so much the worse for Sa-
vannah.
THE next argument announced is such
an example of brilliant dialects that l
cannot pass II over without notice: The
business has been carried on before with
out complaint. This reasoning is high IN
IN the plane of ethical discourse. Let Arls-
totle ana Plato, and Seneca hide their
diminished heads. In the old days / used
to hear What is, is right There has new
er been more intellectual political or
social evil which could not have been per
petuated on such grounds.
But our venerable father is wrong
Ihere mas been complaint. Less than a
year ago the evil was complained OF in
the city court.
The decision was in favor of the de-
fenddant, as there was no specific statute
in Georgia on the subject OF course
there could be no appeal of the case by
the state, but several able lawyers differed
with the court in it's opinion. Since then
the supreme court has declared that it
was against public policy" and justified
the city OF Atlanta in making a penal or
dinance against IL and enforcing the ordi-
nance against those who violated it's pro-
visions, although it had given a general
license before. In other states the mat
I Ia . nod hu~ 4
| brilliant as is the forensic effort of our
worthy father, his arguments does not
apply to the present issue.
Another venerable father of the CITY
rises and warns the council and our city
not to be puritanical O. We Puritans
how long ye live! What frightful ghosts
We arei how many crimes have been con-
doned for fear of being like thee There
are thousands who hate the word "Puri-
| tam more than his satanic majesty.
But why fear being called a Puritan?
| They had eccentricities, but the reality
| in them is one of the greatest blessings
| humanity has received. Blot the puri-
tanical from our history and poor, indeed.
| would be our life. Never be afraid of be-
ing called a Puritan, if you have righte-
| BUSINESS in your creed.
| Il am glad there was present in the
council one mind that could draw the dis
! tincuon between gambling and puritan
! ism rms speaker also confirmed what
! l have said on two occasions: If there
| is one vice more than another with which
| this city is cursed, that vice is gambling
l would like to have uttered a sad amen
at that statement have said that Sayan
nah was fast becoming the Mecca OF
! gamblers. Other cities of the south are
| speaking out against this evil, the law
| is being more strictly enforced and the
| profession is hunting fields more friendly.
! Our city fathers seem ready to open their
! arms for them with welcome Soon we
! will become the asylum of gamblers as
the public opinion and rigid enforcement
| of law has fired them out of their limits.
| THE logic of the position taken is If
| you cannot exterminate an evil then let
| it run on and make much out of it as
you can. The proposition run out in
mathematical sequence is there is no use
/ to prohibit any evil. Our Creator has
! made a wonderful mistake if this logic
! is correct in his government of the world
IF our country is to be governed by this
| kind of moral philosophy / suggest thar
we abolish the law against stealing and let
us license the business. 1t would attract
people to the city without doubt. They
| would have money to spend, which would
! help out circulation. | expect there are
many among the light-hngered gentry
| that think our way of dealing with
| thieves is altogether too puritannicai
! This last argument prohibition don't Dro-
| hibit is conclusive.
During 1894 there were $50 arrests for