The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-15
WAS TIA POLITICAL SCHEME?
MINISTER'S SAID TO
HAVE FALLEN IN A TRAP.

rbcir Summing Expedition Thought
10 Have Been COncocted by
Sbreyyd POliticians-GOOd Govern
mont Club Leaders Guided Them
Through the sinful Scenes OF
ueIVs Half Aforesaid to Have
Reen a Cunning Blow at the Adj
i,istratfOn FactfOn-Ministers
the Unwilling Parties to the Trick.
DcuiaIs of Pastors of Their KnOwI-
edre of the Alleged Underlying
Motives.
brunswick, Ca, Aug. 1.-THE Bruins
,.;ck dispatch in to-day's Morning News
ragar5ing the visit of Protestant clergy
NON TO the slums, created a great sensa-
90, Tt has been talked of in the home
circle. on the street corners and on the
island until but little else was heard.
The causes which led to this visit of the
clergvmen are alleged to be various. There
eve many who think they did wrong, and
many who believe they did right. AS to
u,bat led up to the visit that is another
story.
one of the best posted business men ard
politicians in Brunswick to-day said, in
substance: '"The reverend gentlemen have
haen unwittingly led into a political
scheme to discFedlt the present municipal
administration. AS you know, the Good
. Government club people have been making
war on the administration and using
against them HeIs Half Acre and other
sums as object lessons of the great I'M
morality that they allege now exists in
brunswick. 1 am reliably informed that
the visit made Saturday night was in
4 company with leaders of the Good Gov
4 eminent Club and you can readily see that
a the ministers were being used for political
N nurposes. 1t is no doubt the intention of
n the good government people to play for
\ the best element of white votes through
pulpit orations on the evils of Bruins
wicks slums. They realize that they have
4 lost the negro vote and they are now
4 straining for the whites. AS to the moral
n effect any deliverance from the pulpit
will have as a result of this visit, l am
n somewhat in doubt, as the people will
N be quick to see that behind
the movement politics plays prominent
A part
THE good government people fail to
remember that Hells Half Acre -four
y ished greatly under several administra-
tons that their present leaders controlled
N and that an administration man, Hon.
n Harry F. Dunwody was the first to close
the dives. These places do no harm to
the community as a whole but are in
measure necessary evils The location of
81 Helrs Half Acre is off the main streets
and under splendid police control If they
were not all confined in one locality the
chances are they would be scat
tered on the outskirts of
n Brunswick and hard to properly
police. Every city has them, and Bruins
wick is no worse than the rest In any
event, the play to make political capital
out of them through the various pupit5
will not be countenanced by the good peo-
pie of this city, and you viii see that it
will add votes to the administration side"
Friends of the ministers defend their
action, and one of them says: The visit
10 the slums was made in the interest of
the good morals of the community. These
evils have been existing for some time,
and should be condemned. Politics did
not play any part in the visit, although
members of the Good Government Club
did accompany the ministers in their slum-
ming expedition"
After union services at the Presbyterian
4 Church, the Morning News correspondent
a repeated to Rev. Holingsworth, the pas
tor, statements which are current to-day
Il mat the ministers were unWittingly used
for local political purposes in their SUM
ming trip last night, also that friends
Of the ministers were denying these
charges. He said in substance:
Il regret exceedingly that so much
" prominence has been given the matter,
N and do not wish to engage in a news
paper controversy on the subject When
l was approached with the proposition to
go through these places the names of the
Il gentlemen who would accompany us were
gwen. l recognized them as being adyo-
Gates of the Good Government move
ment and Immediately inquired as 10 the
n political aspect of the proposed tour They
assured me the visit was not for politi-
81 cal purposes, but was being arranged for
a me ministers, so that they could visit
these places and see for themselves the
evils that existed in this community and
aterWard make such use of the infor-
nation gained as they desired. L agreed
& men TO accompany them, realizing that
II was an opportunity to witness sights
"hich might in future be described in
such manner as would lead to their abol-
Ehment. 1t was my expressed intention
not TO become engaged in political con-
uoVersaries or seek notoriety through the
press. My mission lies in church work
ano doing good in a Christian manner
ms l viii do to the best of my ability,
without any intentional favoritism to
el'her of the local political factions. All
'He gentlemen who composed the party
stated that the trip was made solely for
# tne good of the community at large, and
# we WI nave to accept their word for it,,
as believe them all honorable men,"