The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-22
CLUBS MAY Be NEXT
GOOD GOVERNMENT LEAGUE MEDI-
TATING ATTACK ON THEM.
MUST CLOSE THEIR BARS.
ALL SUNDAY DRINKS LOOK ALIIN e
TO LEAGUERS.

Plan to Extend the Campaign
Against the Clubs Is Being Dis
cussed, Though No Decision Has
Yet Been Reached - Some of
Those Prominent in the Counsels
of the League Favor 1t, as n Mat
ter of Consistency and Policy.
Clubs VIII First he Asked to Close
Their Bars on sunday of Their
own Motion and Thus set "a Good
Example TO the Community.
The impression is current that the
next attack to be made by the Good
Government League, in its campaign
to suppress the sale of liquor in Savan-
nah con Sunday. will be against the
clubs of the city. That such a plan is
at least meditated those who are
prominent in the affairs of the league
do not deny.
1t is not likely that there will be
any wild hurrah about the effort 10
get the clubs to stop the sale of drinks
to their members on Sunday, nor is it
believed that any effort will be made
to secure evidence against them until
they have been asked to stop the prac-
tice of their own volition. The cam
paign will be carried on against them,
in case it is ever inaugurated, with
decency and propriety.
Mr.. H. E. Wilson, counsel for the
league, was asked yesterday if this
plan of proceeding against the clubs
had been decided upon by the organ
ization which he represents. He did
not deny that there had been some dis
cussion of the subject. but he declined
to say what, if any, conclusions had
been reached. or to discuss the mat
ter himself.
1t is believed that as yet the mat
ter has not passed beyond the stage of
discussion, and that the officers of the
League have not determined just what
will be done.
AS outlined by the wiseacres of the
streets, the plan will be first to make
an appeal to the clubs to close their
bars on Sunday of their own motion,
thus obeying the letter and spirit of
the law and setting an example to less
prominent members of the community,
of respect for the law and obedience to
il.
1t will be suggested to them that it
is exceedingly difficult for the officers
of the law to enforce 1t against the
barrooms when the clubs defy it, and
that there is already some grumbling
about "one law for the poor and an
other for the rich" The old talk about
the saloon being the poor mans club
has also made its appearance on the
streets. 1t is felt, by some certainly,
in the counsels of the League, that
consistency demands that the law
should be enforced all along the line, If
ii is to be enforced at all, and that it
is neither fair nor polite to have one
rule of action against one class of Of
tenders and another against another.
The fear is entertained that If this
be done the good faith of the entire
movement may be successfully attack
ed and its efficiency very seriously
weakened and impaired.
Certainly, however, no effort will be
made to secure evidence against the
clubs before they have been put on
notice of what is intended and until
they have first been besought to obey
the law of their own motion. They
will be notified, just as were the sa-
loonkeepers of the city. of what the
league expects and proposes to do.
To keep open a tipping house on
Sunday is a misdemeanor and for such
an offense a corporation may be tried
In any event it will not be necessary
TO institute prosecutions against any
officer or member of any club. The
club may be indicted and tried as a
corporation and the fine that is in
fiicted, in case the jury returns a YER
dict of guilty, collected by execution
against its property.
There are. of course a number of
persons who see no sense in extending
the fight against Sunday liquor selling
to the clubs. They are not public in
any sense, think these friends of theirs,
nor are they ever responsible for the
disorder that is produced by the sale of
liquor on Sunday in some of the bars.
For this reason many think there is
no good reason why the fight for Sum
day closing should be extended to in
clude them.