The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-06
TO ABOLISH POOL ROOMS.
ALDERMAN WILLIAMS INTRODUCES
AN ORDINANCE AGAINST THEM.

Prohibits the Keeping of Any Room
for the Selling of Pools on Races
or for betting on Horse Races and
Imposes a Fine o. Got to Exceed
800 or 80 Days imprisonment,
Either or Both for Each and Ev-
cry Day-The Ordinance Likely to
BE the Subject of some Debate
Among the Aldermen.
The City Council is called upon to face
the question whether it viii continue to
license pool rooms. The anti-gambhng ag-
itation has caused special attention to be
called to the pool room, and the latter in
stitution has been pointed to by many, in
Guiding some of the sporting fraternity,
as the most hurtful form of gambling.
Judge Fallgant, in his charge to the
grand jury on Monday, alluded in unmis-
taxable terms to the pool room, charg-
ing that one of the worst and most de-
grading forms of gambling was licensed
by the city.
At the recess meeting of Council last
night Alderman ]. P. Williams handed to
the clerk and had read the following or
dinance relating to pool rooms:
''An ordinance to prohibit the keeping or
maintaining in the corporate or jurisdic-
tional limits of the city of Savannah any
room or place for the sale of pools on races
or for betting on races.
Section l. Be it ordained by the Mayor
and aldermen of the city of Savannah, in
Council assembled, That hereafter it shall
not be lawful for any person or persons
to keep or maintain in the corporate or
jurisdictional limits of the city of Savan-
nah any pool room or other place for the
sale of pools on races or for the purpose
of betting on races.
Sec. 2. Be it further ordained, That any
person or persons, violating this section,
or any part thereof shall on conviction
before the Police Court of the city of Sa-
vannah be fined not exceeding 500 and
imprisoned not to exceed thirty days,
either or both, in the discretion of The
court. Each days keeping or maintaining
shall be held separate offense and pun
ished accordingly.
Sec. 8. That all ordinance and parts
of ordinances in conflict with this ordi-
nance are hereby repealed
The aldermen listened very attentively
to the reading of the ordinance but no.
body made any comments Inc ordinance
being on its first reading, there was no
necessity for any discussion. This, will
probably be done in caucus later, though
if fight be made on the ordinance there
may be some interesting discussion lin open
Council. Alderman Williams took a very
decided stand on the gambling question
some time since and his ordinance is sim
ply In line with his previous position.
1t is hardly necessary to state that there
are members of the board who will not
take the same view as Alderman wiz
llams. The pool room pays into the city
treasury $1,000 a year as license and this
will be adduced as a powerful argument
in its favor. There is no other business
in the city which pays so high a license
A casual summing up of the positions
which The different members of the board
may be expected to take, from their past
attitudes on such questions, would indi-
cate about an even division. In this event
the casting vote would fall to Mayor My
ers. What action the Mayor would take
can only be surmised.