The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-10
AT OUTS OVER OPEN SALOONS.
(ConIinued from Eighth Page)

YOU
Al 1 O'Clock the police committee con-
vened at the Mayors Office" the report
continues, "all the members being pres
ent. AT 115 Mr.. McGillLs not having APP
peared, l directed Messenger of Council
Cohen to present the compliments of the
Mayor and police committee to Mr.. McGil-
lis, and say 70 him that we were awaiting
his pleasure. The messenger returned with
the statement that Mr.. McGillis was not
in. I thereupon addressed the following
| communication to him, which was deliv-
cred at 1850 O'Clock by the messenger:
Il am exceedingly anxious to
ascertain the truth of the
charges made by your communication OF
yesterday, signed Rectlinear. l have re-
quested your presence al a meeting of the
police committee to-day. You have not
appeared The committee is awaiting your
pleasure. I have sent to your Place OF
business at 1:15 o'clock to inform you that
We were awaiting you. The messenger
says that you were not at your place of
business. I make this further effort to
give you the opportunity to be heard. The
committee is still waiting for you. 1t is
now 1880. May l inquire if you intend to
be present."
Next came the communication from Mr..
McGnlls, which is as follows:
Your favor of Nov. s, without address,
by Messenger of Council Cohen. l note
what you say and have carefully consid-
cred your deductions numbered one. two
and three, by which you arrive at the
| conclusion that l have made charges
against the Mayor, Police Commission and
! chief of police. If you had read the
article closely you would have seen that
1t was a review of articles published in
| the Morning News. On Oct. Is Hon. j.. J.
] TnT1 ba OH 10
! The fact that the city is now being run
wide open is an Illustration of the inability
! of Council to execute the law. Saloons
| are kept open Sundays, and no effort Is
| being made by those in charge of the
| police force to put a stop to it. Coun-
! Gil might be expected to assume the re-
| sponsibility of this state of affairs which
! is altogether too plain to require a state
| ment of its existence, but the aldermen
| are not in control of the police force, and
| this responsibility must, therefore, fail
upon those who are In charge of it. There
! is no need for any more laws. 1t
| seems to me what the city
needs is the enforcement of the
| present laws, which cover the whole sit
uation, and which would close the saloons,
which are apparently running Sundays in
defiance of the law.
son Oct 18th you are credited with us
| Council has no control over the police
| force, through which the law as 60 this
| violation should be enforced. But if the
| sale of liquor was carried to such an ex-
| tent as to become Objectionable to the
| citizens, 1 should address a letter to the
| police commissioners, calling their atten-
ton to the fact and asking that the law
be enforced as far as possible. In the
event they failed or refused to act, they
would then be subject to impeachment for
| misconduct in Office
"On Oct. q the chairman of the Police
| Commission is credited with the following:
| Who is it that says saloons are open
Sundays? Let them come to me, or let
them write me letter as to who is sell
ing liquor on Sundays and I will do the
balance myself. There has been no COM
plant made to the Police Commission that
saloons are kept open Sundays, and it
seems if anybody is 1xious TO stop the
evil they have lsdson to believe
is being carried on they should
have complained. If the city
officials or any one else had let us know
of these things, we would have warned the
police about the persons charged with vio-
lating the law and a closer watch would
be kept on their places
ION Nov the following language was
used in an article headed, Saloon Doors
Shut Tight The detachment of police
which left the barracks at z clock was di-
rected to keep a weather eye for open sa-
looms, and to notify barkeepers that cny
who attempted TO do business would do so
at their peril Judging from the few
DRINKS seen on the streets during the day,
the notice had good effect, though a few
saloons are said to have been open. That
class who go it to excess evidently did
not find them, however. In one instance a
saloon man expressed his intention Of
keeping open, but he reconsidered the mat
ter on receiving notice through a police
man from Chief McDermott, that he would
be arrested if the saloon was found open.
This settled it, and for the remainder CT
the day the saloon man wandered away,
declaring he could not understand the
turn things had taken. 'Wh-a-a-a-t?' in
quired one man when warned TO be on his
guard. He said he fully expected to dc
the best days business for some
time, and wanted to know the reason for
such vigilance. When told about the or
ders the department gave out, however
they had nothing further to say, but COM
piled strictly with the law
Then follows my article which Is SIM
ply summing up of the facts as publish
ed above. These must surely have es-
capped your attention, for on no other n.y.
pothesis can l understand why you should
pass all this by and seek to place me in the
position of accusing you and the others OF
such things unless it be that you desire
to use me as a scapegoat. If you are really
after facts aud have made up your mind
TO use your official position to stop Sun
day violations and viii include the writers
of the above articles and the authors Of
, | the statements above referred to in your
intention, l will be glad TO assist you. But
until you show a disposition to go fully
into the matter and seek the facts from
other sources and treat all alike, l shall
} feel it my duty to leave the matter to the
public TO whom my articles are addressed
Permit me to remind you that it is
not the duty of private citizens to ferre
out violations of law, but that the duty
is primarily upon the officers and that pub
| lie officials cannot escape just criticism
by saying that private citizens don't ac
| as detectives"
The following is a part of Mayor Mel
drim's final appeal to Mr.. McGillis to ap-
pear at the exchange:
Il beg to assure you in behalf of the