The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-22
sAIoONKEEPER wADEs PROTEST

SALOONkEEPER WADEYS PROTEST.
About everybody will agree that John
T. Wade, the proprietor of a barroom on
Oglethorpe avenue, makes out a pretty
good case against the police authorities
by his protest against the discrimination
shown in enforcing the ordinance which
requires that barrooms shall be closed
promptly at midnight. According to
his statement, some of the barkeepers
obey the ordinance and others do not
Those who do think they have a grievance
against the city for not enforcing the ordl-
nance.
II seems to us that those of the bar
keepers who are willing TO obey the or
dinance should be protected in doing So
As Barkeeper Wade says, those who close
their places in compliance with the or
dinance lose custom by doing So if 9th
er barrooms are permitted to keep their
doors open until 3 or 4 o'clock in the
morning, or perhaps, all night. A peril
nent question is, what are the ordinances
for if not to be enforced? It may be that
the police authorities expect that some
body will inform against those who VIC
for citizens TO notify them that the ordi-
nance against keeping saloons open after
midnight is being violated, giving them
the names of the offenders, they will wait
a long while. No citizen, unless his in
terests are suffering in some way, is
going TO turn informer and prosecutor,
and thus incur the enmity of those pros
ecuted, besides losing valuable time in
going to the police barracks to give in
formation and attend the Police Court
to furnish evidence against the accused
parties.
There are men paid to enforce the ordi-
nances. A policeman can see as well as
any one else whether or not the saloons
are closed in accordance with the ordi-
| nance Indeed he has a better chance
than citizens generally TO see whether
or not the ordinance is complied with or
not because he is passing and repassing
| the saloons at all hours of the night. Not
only does the policeman know whether
the midnight closing ordinance is com
piled with or not, but he knows whether
or not the Sunday closing ordinance is
obeyed. If he does not he Is not fit for
the position which he occupies
Every policeman, we believe, knows
whether or not the saloonkeepers on his
beat respect the ordinances. Why is
it, then. that a saloonkeeper has to 90
to a newspaper office with a complaint
that the midnight closing ordinance is
not obeyed? We do not undertake to an
swer the question. The answer is appar-
ent to every one
We have no sympathy with the theory
that 1t is the duty Of citizens to hunt
out offenders against the ordinances and
| prosecute them. They are heavily taxed
TO pay police officers policemen and de-
tectives to find out and prosecute Offend
ers against the city's laws. What, in
deed, Is all the vast machinery of the po-
| lice for If not TO see that the ordinances
| for the protection of the people are en-
forced? 1t is understood that the city de-
tectives are employed in hunting for Of
tenders against state laws for the pro-
lection Of life and property. Why should
they not be employed in seeking out Of
tenders against ordinances of the city?
And il seems strange that the detec-
tives will travel all over the city to get
evidence against a person for committing
a small theft, which is a crime TO be
dealt with by the state but will practi-
cally close their eyes when passing the
half hundred lottery shops scattered over
the city, yet gambling is an offense against
the law of the state. The Idea that il is
the business of citizens and not of the
police to see that the laws against certain
ofenses are enforced is an erroneous one.