The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-07
MUST TREAT THEM SEVERELY.
now SER. M'DONOUGH WOULD WIPE
OUT THE CITY's GAMBLERS.

an Amendment of the Present
| state Law That VIII Send Con-
1icted Gamblers TO the Chain
Gang On Their First Conviction.
Mr.. McDOnough Does Not Relieve |
That Council should Recrcate the
Commissions, But IL the Authority
| Is wanted VIII Not Oppose 1t.
Hon John j. McDonough returned yes
terday from Atlanta Together with the
other members of the Chatham delegation.
he will enjoy a respite of two days from
! legislative duties there being no session
Of the general assembly until Wednesday.
Mr. McDonough did not have copy of
his anti-pooI room bill with him. Its
provisions" he said, In discussing It, will
be quite adequate to effectuaily squelch
that form of gambling. 1 prepared the
bill last year in a rough draft and would
have introduced it then, but other matters
interviewed. This year was determined
to get 1t in early. and see that 1t went
through l look on the pool room as
public evil, an enemy to our young men
and something that good public policy re-
quires to he suppressed. I have heard
| of several young men who have been lead
astray through its fundamentally, and the
best thing that can be done is to wipe it
out and prevent the establishment of any
successor to it, Wipe pool rooms out and
there will be one less strong temptation
in the way of young men. AS the Morn
ing News has already said, the days of
the pool room in Savannah, or anywhere
else in the state, for that matter, are.
believe, numbered
Now, don't want to be posing as any
saint or reformer, or anything Of that
sort. don't profess to be of that class.
But 1 don believe in gambling insttu-
tons of any kind The longer 1 live the
less use | have for them. and the more
hear OF them and their work the more
think they ought to be driven out of
Savannah and Georgia. | had that idea
when | was Mayor, and IL has grown
stronger since then. Whatever 1 can do.
while in the legislature, to wipe them out
am going to do. l believe that If the
officials went to work they could be broken
up under the present laws, but if strength
ening the laws viii tend TO that end. then
am for strengthening them.'
WHAT do you propose doing?" Mr.. Me.
Donough was asked.
wen, have not got a bill prepared. but
ana IL Is about as the News gave II his
morning. Having watched the course az
events In Savannah, 1 have come 70 the
conclusion that gamblers regard fines as
licenses, that the system of Furnishing them
mas largely degenerated into a system of
licensing by fines, and that the way 10
strike deadly blow at the evil is to prac-
ucally wipe out the fine system Instead
OF allowing keeper of a gambling house
10 pay fine, make his punishment a
term on the chain-gang at the very start.
1t IS of no use to threaten them
with the chain-gang on a second
or third offense. Put them there as soon
as they are convicted the first time. I be-
lieve in changing the law so as to make
the punishment imprisonment on the gang
for not less than six months, and / DON I
know but what II would be a good idea
to put the owner of the property rented
for gambling purposes in the same cate
CORY. l know some one will say that Is
TOO severe, but if you want to kill an evil
be severe and be done with it. That was the
position I took when Mayor in regard TO
, the sale of liquor on Sunday. The only wy
to stop it Is to stop il. Dalying about
1t doesn't do any good"
Mr.. McDonough was informed that the
police had been instructed in the morning
to see that saloons were not kept open
a on Sundays hereafter. 81 am glad to hear
IT, said he. There was evidently good
reason for issuing it. While the sale OF
= liquor on Sunday may not be totally stop
= ped it can be kept down TO a small mini
n mum if the authorities really want TO dc
| it. / don't believe that liquor selling
: should be allowed on Sunday, not only be-
| cause the law forbids ii, but on general
= principles. In looking back over my fouI
a years as Mayor 1 do not regret and never
q have in the slightest the position tool
/ in M AG I
Y believe now and if l were similarly placed
S there would be no change in my convic.
II tons or determination"
d Discussing the proposed legislation ir
e reference to the commissions Mr. Ne
c Donough said that personally he
saw no reason why Council
d should recreate them after they are abol
: ished by the legislature. IF Council wants
= TO be given the right to create commits
g sions of course l win not oppose it, blu
= | assuredly do not see the necessity 70
Il them. As 1 view il, the people elect tn
s Council to perform certain duties and tn
e commissions are merely utilized to throw
d those duties on the shoulders of others
e Let citizens go beck a few years befor
II commissions were created, and decide 70
d themselves whether the city was not q
h well governed and the depar tments as well
II or better, and more economically conduct
cd than since the commissions have com
into existence. Savannah has not grown s.
!. rapidly, and its needs now are not so grea
that Council cannot administer all its bus
mess properly without the aid of these out
side bodies.
The great trouble is. continued Mr.
I. McDonough that there has been to-
y much politics in Savannah in the las
!, few years. What l would like to see fc
the good Of the city and of every either
J. in it, is a non-partisan board of aldermen
If and Mayor composed of men who coul,
u appeal directly 10 the intelligence of tn.
community, to every man who has Sa
1t vannahs welfare, as affecting his owl
} personal interests, directly at heart Givel
'e such a government, without commissions
J. and the city's business would go on ex
If peditiously without rancor, and economi
lie cally. We will come to it, sooner o
l. later"
is