The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-21
REPEALED OR ENFORCED.
SALOONKEEPERs WANT THIS DONE
WITH MIDNIGHT CLOSING
ORDINANCE.

One of Them, who Claims TO Have
| Observed the Law Consistently,
J Registers IL Kick Against Matters
as They Now Archie Ayers That
Those Who obey the Law Lose in
| Custom to Those who violate 1t
by Keeping Open Their Bars After
Midnight-NOt Sentiment With Him
and His Friends, But Business.
Repeal or Enforcement, They Care
Not Which.
John T. Wade, proprietor of bar
on Oglethorpe avenue, visited the Of
/ flee OF the Morning News last
night and registered a kick against
the present status and method of
enforcing the law requiring that bars snail
be closed after 70 O'Clock at night.
/ L have been fifteen years in the Dusi-
ness" said Wade, "and during that time
have endeavored 10 conduct it honestly
and squareiy. was bitterly opposed to the
passage of the ordinance requiring that
saloons close at midnight, because 1t at
fecle1 me personally and caused me much
| financial loss. Ii was the expiring act Of
one of the McDonoush administrations, and
when another faction came into power,
endeavored 10 have it repealed. In this ef-
| fort l was surprised to encounter the op-
| position Of number of saloonkeepers,
who l knew had been violating the law.
For myself. l have obeyed the law IN
/ its strict letter, during the whole lime II
| has been On The statute books of the city.
| That may have been because l did not de-
/ sire 10 take any chances of being fined for
| its violation, but l obeyed it just the
same. When midnight sounded closed up
! my Place and kept it closed until the next
morning.
Now, it is generally known that very
many of the saloonkeepers do not follow
this practice, bat that on the contrary
| they keep open their bars until the hour
| that best pleases them. They do this in
| defiance of the law, and are thus enabled
to secure material advantage over those
| of us who try to observe Its provisions.
| The man who wants drink will go TO
the place where he can get it whenever he
wants it, and hence will frequent that bar
| in which he can satisfy his thirst at :
O'Clock in the morning, as well as at :
O'Clock in the afternoon. In all this there
is an element of unfairness that is patent
to any fair-minded man, and something
should be done to prevent it,
IT is not right that man who tries TO
obey the law should suffer and that the
man who wilfully defies and scorns il,
should reap the fruits of the others ODE
dence These come in the shape OF Gus
ION. that is diverted from him who keeps
| the law and shuts up his place at the ap-
pointed hour. and finds its way to him VINO
has his bar open at all hours OF the Gay
or night"
"Now," said Wade, emphatically, Il
don't care what course Council chooses
to pursue in this matter, whether II re-
| peals the law or enforces ii, but il ought
! ~. ha
matter of common justice and decency.
all the saloonkeepers in the city should
| be placed on the same footing, and there
| should be no premium placed on an eva
sion or wilful violation of the law AS
the matter now stands, that is the way
| the thing works out. Those who obey the
law suffer- and those who violate the law
gain
Other saloonl1eepers who were seen
about the matter Endorsed the position
| taken by Wade. They are of the few who
close up their places at midnight, and
| who feel that trade is thus diverted from
their bars to those of their competitors
| who are accustomed to violate the law.
| If the law were vigorously enforced, as
| these saloonkeepers contend could easily
be done, everybody would be on the same
| footing, and every bar would be closed
promptly at midnight. on the other hand,
| if the law were repealed, equality would
again prevail, and every proprietor of
| bar would be left to keep open or close
| up. Just as he thought best to do.
| With the saloonkeepers it is not a ques-
ton of morals or sentiment, but plain,
| business proposition. Some of them, either
| through a real desire TO obey and respect
| the law or through fear of being pun
| ished for its violation, do actually keep
it. while others, with less moral scruple
or more nerve, consistently break it, The
salocnkeepers who do not keep the law
| feel that their reason for so doing, be il
| what it may, is at least as deserving of
| praise as the much-lauded maxim to the
effect that honesty is the best policy" and
claim to have discovered that even this
| maxim is subject to occasional exception.
They do not consider that they should
| suffer a material loss of business by rea-
| son of their conforming to the law, as it
| is written, and hence the kick they have
| lodged against the present status of af-
fairs 1t is probable that the agite ton has
| sprung from the fact that of late sew
eral salookeepers have been arraigned in
the Police Court for violation of this
very law and have been heavily fined The
| obstreporous ones contend that there is no
difficulty about enforcing the law impair
TALLY and thoroughly. and that if this is
done they will be satisfied. If this IS not
| 10 be done they want the Jaw repealed
| and fun liberty allowed them all to keep
as wide open or as tightly closed as they
please.