The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-27
THEY ALL RUN WIDE OPEN.
SUNDAY SALOONS AND GAMBLING
HOUSES DENOUNCED.

"RespOnsibiIity For the Failure of
Our Moral Quarantine"-Says the
People Are Responsible in That
They DO Not Make the AdminIstra-
tion Enforce the Laws-Suggests "a
Detective system.
THE Responsibility for the Failure of
Our Moral Quarantine" was the subject
of the sermon by Rev. A. M. Williams, at
last nights service at Wesley Monumen-
tai church.
That there Is a failure of these regula-
lions was not questioned and the blame
was accredited TO the people, as it is they,
It was said who sit idly by and permit the
violations Of the laws of the state and the
ordinances of the city without lifting their
voices in remonstrance. The entire adj
ministrauon of municipal affairs, within
whose province the correction of the evils
would come, was censured.
Mr.. Williams drew his text from Prov
20: IS: Where there is no vision the peo-
pie perish, but he that keepeth the Jaw,
happy is he
1T becomes the watchmen of the moral
interests of the people," said Mr.. Will
liams, ito inquire as to who is RESPONSE
BILE for the failure TO administer the moral
laws of the community. The laws of civ
liked countries may be regarded as d.
visible into two classes: Corrective laws
or those that treat of direct, generally ac-
knowledged crimes. and preventive laws,
these that intercept the tendency to cor
ruption and save from the status which
develops crime. Modern progress empha-
sizes preventive methods in all lines of
life. Witness the sanitary precautions in
fighting disease. the Improvement of in
dustrial conditions In relieving poverty.
The laws that may be classed under this
latter head are Sunday ordinances liquor
regulations, gambling and similar stat
utes.
Il am under the impression that the
first class of laws are better administered
here now than in the past. 1t appears,
however, that what we may call the laws
to protect the morality of the people are
ignored. As to the Sunday laws it seems
that the authorities confess absolute fail
ure. The people look upon their violation
as a matter of course, which hardly calls
for comment; an alderman, likely TO be-
COile Offensive III ms GHO1I 10 really look
after the interests of the people, directs
attention to its conspicuous infraction I'M
der the very shadow of the hall of munich
pal administration with apparently no eff
feet the police commission pleads its ut
ter inability to enforce the law. Was ever
such pitable impotence known in the pc
nal history of the world? The officers of
the law tell us that they are utterly pow
erless to enforce it. II is time for some
thing to happen; we need either resigua-
tons or repeal, or the exhibition Of energy
in the exercise of the old adage Where
there's will there's a way"
1T appears also to one gathering his in
formation from the public prints that the
law requiring midnight closing is not
strictly enforced; and how about the sale
of liquor to minors? viii any one assert
that there is no gambling in the city, and
that city fathers are entirely ignorant of
the places where these state laws, they
are sworn to see kept, are professionally
and habitually violated? The story of the
demi-monde and it's effort to supply the
diabohcal demand of it's votaries is hOrri-
bic enough TO make the blood curdle in
the veins of the lover of virtue. Occa-
sonally a case from that sphere of life
like sulphurous flare from the regions
of the damned. comes to the notice of
the people. What is being done to stay
this fearful evil? What to rescue those
who perish there? Fair Savannah com
plaeent Savannah, there is a history be-
ing written. on the other side of the page
you read Of your citys life, that is writ
ten in gall extracted from the wretched
hearts of those your watchful Vigor might
have saved
Il don't mean that the people will have
to turn spies and report violations to the
police officers. That really is not the
business of the private citizen any more
than TO fight fire, to interfere with the
street cleaning force, to overlook the wa
terworks. We pay our taxes TO provide
for the watchmen of these things and it
! IS puerility for them to complain I'VE
| cannot meet your demands because YOU
do not go on police duty and inform us of
| these violations of our laws" l am not
| much of inancier, but sometimes / think
our police departments cost us an enor-
nous amount of money for the real good
| we derive from them. With the
| same COST at any rate. we
| ought to receive much more
| protection. The police department of any
| city ought to be sufficient to insure the
! execution of any ordinance the city makes.
! Where these laws are not administered
! there Is something wrong with that de-
| partment of government and hence with
| the supreme municipal power There are
| three difficulties with our system as il ap-
pears from the discussion of gambling,
| liquor and Sunday laws The having an
/ uniformed force adVertises to the lawless
| Hide out the officer is at hand" and en-
! ables the blind tiger TO put out his police
| force to protect him from detection Next
! is the regulation that prohibits the raid
! ing Of saloons, gambling hel,s, and last is
| the absurd objection to the spy system
There is system of spy service that
Is not subject to objection. That is where
| the identity of an officer Of the law is con-
! cealed in order that he may really find out
| the facts of violation of the law. 1t seems
TO me that such a system could be used 10
! advantage and that our authorities are
not vindicated in the eyes of legitimate
| criticism until they have devised some
means of detecting the fragrant disregard
| of any ordnance. The public should de-
mand success of those to whom is com
mitted the moral protection of the city and
! cannot be satisfied with the retort: do ii
! yourself
Mr.. Williams said that while detection
! is not the province Of the public but of
| the authorities, yet ii is to blame for not
! having force, influence, demand enough to
/ have the law administered The police,
/ the commission, and the council all know
] rl,s,e sa tod