The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-01
GRAND JURY ROASTED
BARKEEPERS INDICTMENTS DIS
CUSSED By REV. BASCOM An
THONY.
SALAW AND ORDER LEAGU Err.
WILLING TO BE sUPERINTENDENT
OF POLICE, TOO.


Omce-DecInrcd Himself Member
of the Law and order Lengue, and
with 1t to the End of the Fight.
would Have Recent Indictments
QuaShed and the Matter Started
Over-SOmebody Responsible for
DOctOring the IndIctme nts-Cru-
sade of the Churches for PrOhibi-
tiOn.
Under the title 1.-The Relation of the
Church to Law and Its Enforcement"
Rev. Bascom Anthony preached last
night on the political situation in Sa-
vannah He took his text from Proverbs
xxxix:2: when the righteous are in au-
thorlty, the people rejoice; but when the
wicked beareth rule, the people mourn"
In his preliminary remarks, Rev. Mr..
Anthony was at some pains to explain
the relation of the church to the law.
.'rhe church bears to the body polite"
he said, "the same relation that the con-
science bears to the individual"
Law, he said is the formulation and
expression of public opinion through its
authoritative and proper channels. Then
if you have settled the relation of the
church to society, you will have settled
her relation to the law.
mo matter what their other qualities
may be if men and women have no con-
sciences they are animals. 1t is not
question of intellect. man may De
master of logical processes that are alb
solutely accurate: may have rhetorical
and ora torical powers that are perfect:
and a subtle acuteness that cannot be
evaded, but if his conscience slumbers or
has deserted him you have not only an
animal; you have devil. II is the prov
ince of the church to implant into the
individual a conscience keenly alive to
the relation of man 10 man, and of all
to God.'
Referring to one of the hymns, "Meet
Me There" which had been sung earlier
during the service Rev Mr.. Anthony
said I'VE have sat in our pews and sang
Meet Me There too long; we need
deal of cleanness and business down here
before we meet there"
Mr. Anthony referred to the recent act
of the Board of Health in stopping and
examining for smallpox all of the boats
from infected districts in South Carolina,
and said that the board in so doing did
its duty, and had the approval of the
people.
ITO the courts, too, you commit The
execution and enforcement of the laws
that you have made and every man is
taxed that these laws may be carried out,
but when the church attempts to carry
out her duties, which are the creation of
a public conscience there are protests.
Tt is the office of the church and the
work of her ministers to create a public
conscience that law may be enforced and
men dwell together in peace and righte-
BUSINESS. Conscience tells what to do,
but has no authority 10 force the doing.
The church, too. has no authority to en-
force the laws, and / glad that she
has not; God forbid that she should have.
Candidate for Police Superintendent
LAS an individual, however, say that
should like to be superintendent of po-
lice, and hereby announce that l am
candidate for the position. If you elect
me to that position I shall differ from
others that have held it in one thing
l will serve without salary. ! will diff
fer also in another way: I'll enforce the
Jaws as they are laid down. If you think
I'm joking elect me and I'll give you the
cleanest administration of the office that
you have ever had"
Rev. Mr.. Anthony said that when he
first came to Savannah in a meeting of
ministers, he had told those present that
he was surprised and shocked at the open
violations of the Sunday laws that OBJ
tanned here, and had been told that most
of the other ministers were affected the
same way upon their early acquaintance
with the city. You'll have to get used
10 it,, one of them told me-" said Mr..
Anthony land another followed up by
saying. we all feel you do about the
matter. but there is no public sentiment
TO back us up Il replied" said Mr..
Anthony. "by saying, well, brother, what
are you and ] holding our jobs for il not
to make public sentiment against such
evils +" Continuing, MIR. Anthony said:
Il haven't got used to it. and don't pro-
pose to get used to it
1.-THE church's attitude in this matter
and the ultimate outcome may be read
from the history of a similar attitude
against slavery and the result of that
position. The church rose up and said
that slavery was wrong; the people re-
scented the statement and so the first
Methodist preachers were rotten-egged
and stoned from the town, but the church
still said that slavery had to go and
kept to that position until slavery was
abolished. There was time, too. when
even preachers drank-some OF them
haven't quit II yet-but the church said
that drinking must stop, too. and this may
have added something TO the eggs and
the stones.
1T Is a dangerous business TO turn proph-
ct, but l venture to say that 100 years
from now that the man who is the pre-
centor in the church. and the folks that
hear him preach, will think of us as a
gang of heathens for tolerating this liquor
business that curses men. women, and
children. The lawless and goddess ele-
ment engaged in this business in Savan-
nah have disregarded the law so fragrant
IL that public sentiment will rise up
against them and smite them hip and
thigh. If il does the breweries, barkeep-
ers, and those interested will have no
one to blame but themselves, they haven't
kept even half way within the law, but
have violated it most outrageously.
The Mayors Smile.
81 went 10 the Mayor last year and
tried 10 get him to take some action in
the matter; he smiled a smole as he usual
ly does, and that was the end OF st."
Though ] have not heard from head
quarters, / judge from what is in the
papers and from other sources, that there
81 a decided sentiment against this bust
ress. The Methodist and the Baptist
churches control Georgia. and when they
join forces, as they recently have done