The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-20
CLUBS MUST HURRY
ATTORNEY WILSON WILL NOT WAIT
MUCH LONGER ABOUT CLOSING
THEIR BARS.
MUST HEAR FROM THEM
OR HE WILL SEEK INDICTMENTS
BEFORE THE GRAND JURY.

MFR. Wilson Declares That IL He Gets
No Favorable Answer From the
Clubs by Friday He Will Prose-
cute Them for Selling Liquor on
Sunday-Letters Received From
the Presidents of the OEIethOrpes,
the TomOchichi and the Hussars'
CIubs-AII Said That They Wanted
Time to 10y the Matter Before the
other CIubs-"Not Another Sum
day." Says MIR. Wilson.
UNLESS the social clubs decide before
Friday to close their bars on Sunday l
will appear before the grand jury to
secure indictments against them for
selling liquor on Sunday. I understand
that the grand jury will meet Fri
day, and evidence is easy enough to
get. 1 will not give the clubs another
Sunday"
That is what Mr.. H. E. Wilson, at
torney for the Good Government
League, said yesterday about the
movement that he has instituted to
bring about the closing of the club
bars on Sunday. He was positive and
would seem that the clubs must give
very early consideration to the attor-
ney's letter of some days ago, request
ing them to close their bars on Sun
day, if they hope to escape prosecu-
ton.
The clubs consideration, too, must
be favorable, if they do not want to be
said he must have an answer, and that
1t must show that the clubs will close
their bars. He will not wait for con-
certed action to be agreed upon, if that
means that more time than he has
named will be needed for the agree
ment to be reached
The statement from the president of
a club that it will not have it's bar
open on Sunday will suffice. Mr.. Will
son will accept such statement. He
will assume it to be a matter of course
that the word of the president will be
fulfilled.
From the Oglethorpe Club, from the
Tomochichi Club and from the Hus-
sars' Club Mr.. Wilson has received re-
plies to his letter. President George
w. Owens of the Oglethorpe Club wrote
that the Board of Governors had con-
sidered the request, and that it had
been determined to refer it to a meet
ing of the club. This meeting, the
president wrote, would be held as soon
as practicable. He further wrote that
he did not agree with the views ex-
pressed by Mr.. Wilson as to the club
being a public bar or a tipping house
that was run open on Sundays. This,
Mr.. Wilson pointed out, however, was
an error on Mr.. Owens part, as the
attorney had not so characterized the
club. The question of practicability,
too, was not given very great consider
alton by Mr.. Wilson, who said that the
club must manage to find it practicable
before Fridays meeting of the grand
jury, if it desired to escape prosecu-
ton.
President Ward Motto of the Tomo-
chichi Club wrote that the letter of
Mr.. Wilson had been received, and
that the matter would be brought to
the attention of the board of COVER
nors. A meeting of the board will be
held tomorrow night, when, it is said,
the board will agree to close the bar
on Sundays.
Capt. c.. A. L. Cunningham of the
Georgia Hussars is president of the
Hussars Club. He wrote that he would
have to refer the matter to the gov
erning committee. Capt. Cunningham
wanted to know who is associated with
| Mr. Wilson or for whom he is acting
requesting that the names of those on
the committee be given him. Mr.. Will
son did not give the desired informa-
ton, holding that it was unnecessary
! and immaterial to the question at is
sue-the closing of the bar on Sunday.
| No answer has been received from
| the Harmonic Club. Mr.. Wilson re-
! quested an answer. but the club has
| not responded. 1t has closed it's bar,
however, as was learned upon inquiry
| last Sunday and week before. The
Harmonic Club is the only one of the
| four prominent clubs that has closed
| its bar on Sunday.
Not the slightest question exists in
Mr.. Wilson'S mind that the clubs are
amenable to the law for keeping their
! bars open on Sunday. The Supreme
Court, he said, has decided in the case
! of just such club as the Oglethorpe
or the Tomochichi or the Hussars' that
it is unlawful for liquor to be sold on
! Sunday.