The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-11
TO ENFORCE THE LAW
LAW AND ORDER LEAGUE FORMED
FOR THAT PURPOSE.
TO STOP SUNDAY SALES.
WILL DEVOTE ITS ATTENTION PAR
TICULARLY TO B.ARROOMs.

Already Has Evidence Against n
Number of SaIOOnkcepers-If They
Shut Up in Future 1t Will Not Be
Used-Green GrOcers, Soda FOun-
tains, and Cigar Stands; Also Fruit
Stands, Likewise on the List of
PrOscriptiOn-Its Members Deter
mined, and Are willing to Accept
the Odium That May Be Incurred.
The new Savannah Law and Order
League card of which appeared in yes
terday's Morning News, has outlined for
itself wide field of action, and one that
intimately concerns a very large number
of Savannah people.
Though it is not so stated, it seems that
the League is the outcome of the recent
crusade against the proposed Sunday con-
certs in the Park Extension, which was so
extensively discussed by both laymen and
ministers; the latter of which unanimous
ly condemned the project, and inciden-
tally made some stringent references to
other Sunday evils"
The league has been organized, how
ever, not by the ministers, though they
are thoroughly in sympathy with it, but
| by laymen. The organization, so far as
its personnel is concerned is secret, and
neither could the number of its members,
their names, or it's officers be discovered
yesterday. In fact, everybody that was
approached either refused to discuss the
matter at all, or confined his remarks to
the purposes of the organization
one gentleman who was seen by
Morning News reporter talked quite free
ly of the leagues object. 1T is he said,
Ito accomplish reform in the present
| Sunday observance or, to be more nearly
correct, in the lack of Sunday observ-
ance
The first and present purpose of the
| league is to prevent the sale of goods
on Sunday, and to compel the closing of
the saloons. If any particular stress is
| 10 be laid on any part of the work il
will be on the saloon closing. The 9TH
er places that we will close will be the
| green grocers, the fruit stands the soda
! water fountains, and the dispensers of
similar drinks, and cigar stands whether
in hotels, in drug stores, or wherever
| found
have srest to % coT Sep BUT it fhi IS noi
| so difficult to do the work we propose
| as some persons would naturally think
Take the green grocers for instance, 1
am convinced that 80 per cent
are in favor of the Sunday
| from the fear of the damage that
would be done their trade, should they
close while their competitors keep open.
In the saloon business there is a similar
telling among the proprietors, though the
| percentage in favor of closing is much
smaller than among the green groc RS.
However, that there is such a sentiment
may be CLEANED from the fact that I'M
solicited, we have received from the pro-
! prietor of a grocery and bar S25 with
which to further our work
I'VE have gone over thoroughly and
| carefully all the ground from a legal
| standpoint, and know, in the vernacular,
just where we are In the case of the
Pbarrooms, for instance, we know that a
| conviction of the offense of selling liquor
on Sunday demands that the offender loose
his license. Not that he be fined, or that
| he be allowed to transfer his license, but
that he loose it. This is one of the things
that we propose to see is actually done.
AS to what our methods will be; we
shall secure the evidence necessary to a
conviction and then we shah follow up
the case until the conviction is accom-
p,ished.
I'm regard to the Sunday liquor selling,
| We have been at work for two weeks now,
and have already sufficient evidence to
| convict number of the barkeepers. We
thought it rather unfair, however, to
take them unawares, and if they will at
| tend to our notice in to-day's paper, and
refrain from offending the Sunday law in
| future, we will not use the evidence that
we have. l have little faith in the idea
| that they, or at least that many of the
barkeepers, will shut up, but l do predict
that as soon as we have secured five or
six convictions, they will be shut up, and
that l think will be brought about within
the next three months"
Another gentleman who was seen about
the matter said he thought in addition to
the businesses under the leagues pro-
scrpition should be included the railroad
shops. 1.-THE league is a good thing" he
| said, something that is badly wanted.
1t has a good backing now, and hundreds
| of other men would join but are deferred
because they have doubts as to the abili-
ty of the league to have the cases sue
cessfully prosecuted. In the McDonough
| administration these barkeepers were
| hauled up and fined, but not only did
it not stop the Sunday liquor traffic but
some of those fined have since had the
ineffable gall to sue for fines paid and in
! some cases to collect them"
| L ne SeHlleHldH HTSL interviewed, when
! asked about the members of the club. said
| that they fully realized the odium of GER
| tain people that their work would entail
but that they were all determined men,
| thoroughly imbued with the crying neces-
sity of the work they purpose accom-
| plishing, and that would finch neither
from the stand they have taken, nor from
the consequences that its prosecution may
| entail.
Rev Bascom Anthony also was asked
about the league. He said that while he
was not a member of it. he was heartily
in sympathy with its object To a ques-
ton as to the probable scope of it's OPP
erations and whether in addition to the
Sunday observance violations, it would
seek to have convicted other law break
ers. gambling house proprietors. for in
stance, he said that he did not know and
so far as he was concerned he hoped that
the league would not attempt to convict
the gamblers, for it amounted practically
to the paying of a license to the court
officers, which Is something that he is
particularly opposed to.
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