The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-19
AGAINST EXTREME MEASURES.
BUSINESS MEN TO PROTEST
AGAINST DRASTIC LEGISLATION.

OucAAA EEotEAA AEAAhHA Aht AH1-
age of the WiIlingham BiII-Mny-
ors of other cities TeIegraphed to
Take similar ActiOn-AIde rman
FARRELL Declined to Sign the Pro-
test-CottOn Exchange and Board
of Trade to Meet mt Noon TO-mOr-
row 10 Consider Winingham,
Tax and Interest Bills.
The business men of Savannah are
taking steps to express their opposition
10 the extreme legislation upon several
subjects now under contemplation by the
Legislature. A meeting of the Cotton Ex-
change has been called for tomorrow at
noon to consider The Winngham prohibit
ion bill. the tax commission bill and the
rate of interest bill. The meeting will
consider all three of these bills and Ia all
probability resolutions will be adopted
protesting against the passage Of any one
of the bills in their present form as mimi
cal to the best interests of the state.
It is expected that similar action will
be taken by the Board of Trade notice Of
the holding of an important meeting at
noon tomorrow having been posted on the
board.
The Mayor and aldermen took steps yes
terday to place themselves officially on
record as opposed to the Willingham bin
and giving their reasons. At the suggest
ion of citizens that it would be well for
the city government to place itself ofici-
ally on record Acting Mayor Tiedeman
called a meeting of the Committee Of the
Whole at the Mayors Office at noon for
the purpose Of considering the matter ana
afterwards taking some action as might
be deemed proper.
Owing to the short notice given less than
a quorum of the aldermen responded to
the call aud some of these insisted that
they had not long TO walt. II being diff
cult to get the members together on Sat-
urday and as it was considered desirable
to have the official expression from the
city government laid before the members
Of the Legislature tomorrow morning, It
was decided to prepare a protest to Dc
signed BY the members of the board IN
their official capacity. The following pro-
test Yves accordingly prepared and circu-
lated for signatures:
To the Senate and House of Representa-
tves Of the General Assembly of the Slate
of Georgia: The Mayor and aldermen OF
the city Of Savannah leg leave to submit
Their earnest protest to he members of the
House bin No. 221, known as the Wiling
ham Tempe unce bill now pending in the
House of Representatives.
AS citizens of Georgia we are oppos d to
the enactment Of sumptuary laws of the
character of the proposed measure. We
believe that they are directly contrary 10
the spirit Of American institutions and 10
the principles underlying a Democratic
form of government. We are convinced
that experience has proven them to he op-
posed to the true interests and welfare Of
the state and its citizens, and that the
proposed law would have little or no effect
towards remedying the evils it processes
10 seek to cure.
Under the existing laws the fundamental
principle of home rule has been preserved,
and the cause OF temperance advanced by
making IL competent for each county to
adopt prohibition under circumstances
where public opinion can be relied upon to
see that IL is reasonably enforced. and al
counties Of the state feeling the need of
such dras ic measures have already adopt
ed them. To attempt to force such laws
upon communities which are unwilling to
adopt them, and particularly where very
material loss would flow from their adop-
ton, would be TO inhict a wrong and dam
age upon such communities and TO impose
upon the local authorities the vain task
Of attempting to enforce such laws in op-
position TO local public opinion and inter
ests
In this and other cities Of the Stale sarse
amounts OF loeal capital are inves ed in
breweries and disNlerles, erected upon
the faith of char ers granted by the state,
giving employment to very considerable
number of its citizens, and supporting
many other branches OF bus ness wholly
or in part dependent upon them other
large amounts are inves ed in the liquor
trade itself, and in lines or business moe
or less connected with It. The sales Of
these manufact r es and of IN trade are
by no means confined 10 the limits of the
state of Georgia, but their revenues are
all brought into and dsbursed within the
state, while their assets, property and cap
ital furnished the basis on which the cities
of the state and through them the state
itsefI, are very materially dependent for
sources Of taxation All lines of bus, ness
are now so closely inter-rJ lated and CON
necied. that il cannot be foreseen how far
reaching in its results may be the effect If
one of the more prominent lines of bus
ness is 10 be destroyed for purpose of lax
elton.
The burden of taxaticn in our elites is
already very gnevcus. but we are sat s.
lied that should The psnding biz become a
law II would he nece ssary to increase the
taxation Of real ard personal property in
This city by from twenty 10 thirty per
cent. or more, 10 make good the loss of
revenue that would di ecgly and ind reetly
ensue' aside from the loss % the city Of
many. Clerks, emp Dyes and laborers, lie ng
suddenly deprived Of their employment.
Ii IS Wen known that the state is large
~ dependent for its expenses upon the
taxes il receives from the more populous
counties and the revenues of the state
from such counties would be similarly af-
fected, making il necessary for the state
either TO face a heavy shrinkage in the
returns from this and other counties SIM
ilarly situatedy or TO materially increase
the rate OF taxation over the entire state.
The experience of other states and cities
has conclusively demonstrated that drunk
enness and crime have in no wise been di-
minished by the enactment of general pro-
hibiuon laws. however sweeping and
stringent while the expenses Of city and
county government is heavily increased
from the necessity of trying to enforce the
provisions of the law. Ii must be mani
fest TO any experienced mind that it Is
impossible to effectually prevent the sale
of liquor in populous centers. The l-ss
and injury that would follow to this and
other cities, and through them 10 The