The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-06-04
TROUBLE FOR sPITTERs

From the Montgomery Advertiser.
There's bound to be some fun in Biz
mngham. Not that 1t is any new thing
for that city to have a gay old time, for
there's always something going on up
there Just little different from the hap
penings in other less pretentious cities. 1t
is really gay old town, on occasions.
The latest development in Birmingham is
the anticipating ordinance. "To spit, or
not to spit" is going to be an important
question, not only with the Birminghamers
but with "the stranger within the gates"
and we may look for some interesting legal
question to be evolved and elucidated. The
penalty for splitting on the sidewalk is a
fine of from one to five dollars and it will
catch many a poor fellow loaded. The al
tentative fine probably depends on the
volume of the spit, though we haven't
read the law in full and do not understand
all its requirements. 1t looks reasonable,
though, that if a fellow is fined a dollar for
making a tiny splotch on the sidewalk it
ought. to mean a FLYER for the man who
turns loose enough tobacco-tainted saliva
to drown a rat True, if we remember the
law of larceny correctly the thief who
steals a pig is punished just as If he had
stolen a full-grown hog, and that may ap-
ply in this case. You are probably fined for
firing off your mouth, and the size of the
fine will depend on whether the magistrate
is in good humor or is feeling murderous.
But it will doubtless be funny for a time.
To see a man with his mouth full lodging
about to find coal hole or gutter, proba-
bly, holding his chin with one hand and
opening road through the crowd with the
other will afford no end of amusement.
And it will happen that one will forget
himself and only think of the ordinance
when he has decora ted a square yard of
sidewalk. His first impulse will be TO
swear ana the next to make break for
the nearest swamp. Men are oftime so
profoundly interested in trying TO zolve the
financial question, or settling the Philip
pine difficulty that they forget all else and
are liable to turn their mouths loose before
they can remember where they are MANY
man will be caught that way for
time.
And, suppose citizen with his mouth
full is hurrying for a safe place to unbur-
den himself and suddenly meets a lady
friend who insists on stopping to speak
with him-what Is he to do? Swallow the
whole business and give himself case of
jim-jams, or grab his mouth as if he had
two or three aching teeth and split for the
trash pile? The lady would doubtless think
he had lest what sense he started with
while The would feel as If ne ought to find
a quiet place and commit suicide
We are not condemning a law which may
have a tendency to keep the Sidewalks
clean, for Heaven knows they need 1t, in
Montgomery as well as in Birmingham.
There are men and boys, white and black,
who will congreSate on street corner and
apparently vie with each other In the job
of making the streets impossible, to ladies,
especially. Ladies will wear dresses trail
ing along the walks, whatever betides
and there ought to be some means of keep
ing the sidewalks in decent condition, but
We hardly see how this ordinance can be
enforced. Men are not going to act as
spies-and informers especially when each
one knows that he might at some time be
guilty of the same offence, and conseouent-
ly will not voluntarily inform against an
other. 1t would require the constant at
tendance of at least two policemen to each
side of every block and then many would
escape. A man can unload his mouth very
quickly and sly.v when occasion demands.
and IT would bankrupt Birmingham to keep
enough policemen on duty to catch all tho.
offenders. Still the object Is commendabie
and all lovers of decency will wish it sue
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