The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-08
THE SUNDAY SALOON.
Few Facts for the Consideration
of Savannah Citizens.

of Savannah Citizens.
Editor Morning News; There recently
appeared in your columns an interview
with one of our most prominent citizens,
IN which he was quoted as saying that
The laws enacted for the regulation of
the liquor traffic particularly those re-
garding the observance of the Sabbath,
were being fagrantly violated, and with
out any evident action on the part of the
authorities 10 compel respect and compli-
ance of these laws and ordinances"
While this state of affairs was not I'M
known to any person who had the sense
Of sight, through which they desired to
see things as they really were, it is very
evident that some of our officials were go
ing through life with dimmed visions, or
with spectacles provided with peculiarly
constructed lenses, by which the vioa-
tons of saloon keepers were beyond the
focus of the natural sight. This certainly
must have been the conclusion of every
honest and fair-minded person when they
read the reply of the Mayor and chairman
of the police commissions 10 the inter-
view referred to above and which appear
ed in your issue of the following day.
Let us review these interviews, and some
things that have occurred in the past
few days. The Mayor pleads that he is
powerless to enforce the laws by reason
of the fact that he has no control over
the police department.
The chairman of the Police Commission
(who evidently does not wear spectacles
of the LeHardy variety, is near-sighted,
and cannot see and does not know of any
violations. He does not see the crowds of
men who flock around the saloon doors
on Sundays and disappear in ones, twos,
fOurs, and even skies, through the side or
residence entrances of these saloons. He
does not pass by these places and hear
the noise and cllnIing of glasses within
If he did, he is not supposed to know
but that il is a sacred ceremony, q christ
ening, or a wake that is being held, and
the sanctitiy of which should not be dis
turbed and the company polluted by the
entrance of a blue-coat. He does not no.
tlce the number of men who patronize
some fruit stores on Sunday, and take
note of the number who enter and mys
teriously disappear. Neither does he know
that adjoining these particularly well pat
ronized fruit stands are liquor saloons.
OF course, no one expects the chairman
to know all these things neither Is he ex-
pected TO give up any of the time that
he spends in church on Sunday to look
them up, but what the citizens of Savan-
nan WOQlu iitAG 70 hiiOW IS lIdl II all these
things We're unknown to the Mayor, the
chairman of the Police Commission and
the chief of police, what possessed them to
send to the saloon keepers on last Sat
urday night a notification that the Sun
day laws would be enforced on last Sun
day? From Mondays papers we CLEAN the
| information that as consequence of this
action, Savannah was treated to a dry
Sunday" Something unusual in the his
q tUn nd ba
ference was so great that it became a
subject of comment on all sides, and was
like a stroke of lightning from a clear
sky to the saloon keepers.
We are also informed that for this new
condition of affairs we are to be thankful
not to the Mayor NOT TO the chairman Of
the Police Commission, not 10 the chief
of police but alone to Maj Harrison of
the provost guard. He forced the munich
pal authorities to fulfil their duties He
awoke them to a true sense of their oaths
| and obligations His soldiers were to be
| projected from the baneful influence of
the Sunday saloons and the chairman of
the Police Commission and chief of police
were forced TO see that the laws were en-
| forced. All law-abiding citizens of Savan-
nah have been crying out against the open
violations of these rum sellers, and the
pernicious influences which they cast
around our boys and young men by en-
ticing them INTO their places on Sunday,
but no attention whatever was paid to
their appeals.
When brought to the attention of the
authority the latter took refuge behind the
miserable and dishonest subterfuge that
they knew of norVioiations themselves and
if those who were complaining We're aware
of any they should make a case against
the violators.
Did the provost guards name any par
ticular v.oiators? If they did. We're cases
made against them? No, il is safe to as
sumo that no such fimsy preteXt against
the enforcement of our laws was taken
and the representative of the guards was
not treated as our citizens have been for
several years.
The soldiers must be protected from the
avariciousness of the rum seller. The
Sunday laws must be enforced for their
protection, but when they leave viii the
chairman of the Police commission resume
his old-style non-focusable spectaclus. and
the chief of police again view the liquor
sellers as our most law abiding and Sab
bath loving citizens? Rectilinear.
SMITH MISSOURI HERE.