The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-03
LAW AND PRIVATE RIGHTS.
Mr.. s. b. Adams Discusses the sum
day Law in Its Relation to Clubs.

Mr.. s. Ii. Adams Discusses the sun
day Law I'm Its Relation to Clubs.
There has been some discussion of
the remarks made by Mr.. J. Randolph
Anderson at a political meeting held
last Friday night, concerning the atti-
tude of the clubs. and what was ex-
pected of their members. Mr.. S. B..
Adams, whose position in this matter
is we'll known, was asked his opinion
of Mr.. Andersons contention.
Mr.. Anderson doessnot put the mat
ter correctly and does, (unintentional-
ly, of course), an injustice to the rev.
erend gentleman for whose benefit he
quoted Scripture during his speech,
said Mr.. Adams. mo one has taken
the position that Mr.. Anderson ought
not TO be allowed to have wine with
his Sunday dinner at the club, or has
proposed to interfere with this privi-
lege. Mr. Anderson, and the other
members of his club, can drink wine
with their Sunday dinners every Sun
day in the year, and their organization
may, nevertheless, observe the law as
it has been construed by the Supreme
Court.
The offense involved is that called by
the statute keeping open tipping house
on the Sabbath day or Sabbath night.
The emphasis is on the words tipping
house A tipping house is a place
where people tipple, where they buy
drinks. 1t does not interfere with the
running of a bona fide restaurant,
where customers take their meals, and
the furnishing of wine and other in
toxicants on Sunday to these custom
ers at their meals. For example, Mr.
Hicks runs a restaurant. If he had
also bar, tipping place, he could
still run his restaurant on Sunday and
supply his patrons with wine at their
meals without violating any statute,
provided the bar and all means of ac-
cess to it be in good faith closed and
kept closed. The De Soto Hotel has
barroom in the hotel building, which
1t may run on week days. There Is
nothing unlawful in this hotel supply
ing its guests with wine and other
beverages with their Sunday meals.
The law. repeat, requires only that
all means of access to the place set
apart to the bar, or to tipping, be kept
closed on Sunday. In the language of
our Supreme Court, in one of its cases,
the law requires tipping houses to be
closed on the Sabbath day; If the whole
house be used for tipping purposes it
must all be closed; If a part only is
USED, tndt part must be closed! II a
club has restaurant features and also
bar, the same law would apply to it
under the decision of our Supreme
Court, as would apply to Mr.. Hicks,
if he had a bar.
"Mr. Anderson speaks of private
rights, but l am sure that neither he
nor any other good citizen will take
the position that an individual or an
aggregation of individuals. has the pri-
vate right to violate the law of the
land, or that the decision of the SUI
preme Court of the state is not con-
elusive as to what that law means and
as to how it ought to be respected. He
may assert the right of disagreeing in
his legal view with the Supreme Court
and be ever so clear in his own mind
that the court has erred and has not
given proper weight to the differences
between a social club and a saloon,
but he will agree with me that its de-
cision concludes as to all matters COW
cred by the adjudication.
His scriptural quotation of Judge
not, that We be not judged can hardly
be made against a tribunal whose bus
mess it is, under the Constitution. to
Judge, and whose judgment. under our
system of laws, has the force of a
statute. 1t seems to me that his quar-
rel is with the Court, and not with
those who believe that it's decisions
ought to be respected and followed"