The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-11
FOR EXAMPLES SAKE
MIR. WILSON ASKS CLUBS OF CITY
TO CLOSE BARS ON SUNDAY.
POOR MANS CLUBS" KICK
WHEN ORGANIZATIONS VIOLATE
THE LAW.

Sauce for the Gander'-The OgIe-
thorpe, TOmochichi, Hussars and
Harmonic Clubs Asked TO Set nm
Example of Sunday CIosing-Morn-
ing News Predicted the Event
Three Weeks AgO-NO Threat Con-
tanned in MIR. Wilson's Letter.
Three weeks ago the Morning News,
in a local article that attracted at the
time considerable attention, predicted
that the sale of liquor on Sunday by
the clubs of the city would be the next
object of attack by the Good Govern
ment League. Mr.. II. f. Wilson, at
torney for the league, did not deny at
that time that the matter was being
| discussed.
The situation which now confronts
the clubs, the Presidents of all of
which received letters yesterday from
Mr.. Wilson, was exactly forecasted in
the article in the Morning News, which
was published Monday. July %. In this
| article it was said:
1T is not likely that there will be
any wild hurrah about the effort to
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,
decency and propriety.
"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 it.
ut 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 it is to be enforced at all, and that
it is neither fair nor polite to have
one rule of action against one class of
offenders and another against another
The fear is entertained that If this be
done the good faith of the entire move
ment may be successfully attacked
and its efficiency very seriously weak
ened and impaired"
On yesterday the letter that three
weeks ago was predicted was written
by Mr.. Wilson and sent to Mr.. G. w.
Owens, president of the Oglethorpe
Club; Mr.. ]. Ward Motto, president of
the Tomochichi Club Capt. c. A. L.
Cunningham, president of the Hussars
Club, and Mr.. Aaron Ferst, president
of the Harmonic Club. This letter was
as follows:
LAS you have doubtless observed, I
have been endeavoring, for some weeks
past, to secure the conviction and pun
ishment of parties who have violated
the statute of the state directed
against the keeping of an open tipping
house on Sunday. l have done this as
the representative of a committee of
gentlemen, for all of whom you must
entertain entire respect, who have felt
called upon to do something towards
the suppression of public gaming
houses and the sale of liquor on Sun
day. This committee has not organized
what is termed a Law and Order
League They are simply associated
together as a committee for the pur-
poses indicated.
1.-THE movement has been seriously
handicapped by the impression that
has prevailed, not only among the sa-
loon keepers, but also among many
good citizens who are not interested in
the saloon business, that it is partial
and unfair in that it is proceeding only
against saloons, which frequently
claim to be a Poor Mans Club and
it is not making any effort against
social clubs like yours, composed of
prominent and influential citizens, al
though it is thoroughly understood
| that they are equally amenable to the
| law.
1T is believed that the gentlemen of
your club are lawabiding citizens who
| prefer to throw the weight of their in
| fiuence and example upon the side of
law, and particularly do not wish to
be the means of embarrassing a move
ment that has already accomplished
so much good to the community. The
| gentlemen that / represent, and I too,
| appreciate the practical differences be-
tween social club, organized for So
| cial purposes, in which the bar is only
social feature. and a saloon devoted
exclusively to the public sale of liquor,
OF drinking cluD organized Tor the
| purpose of drinking. But, notwith-
standing such differences, the Supreme
! Court of the state, by whose judg-
ments we are all bound as good citi-
Zens, has determined that a social club,
| like yours, violates this law every time
that it sells liquor to its members on
| Sunday, and does so just as complete
| ly as any saloon keeper who makes
sales from his bar. The failure of the
clubs to observe this law as thus con-
| strued, has been, / know, the source
| of great evil in the community and has
set a most unfortunate and unwhole-
some example 1t is one that l am sure.
| is not consistent with the standing and
| position of the gentlemen who compose
! your club, who, as good citizens, must
be DESTROYS of not only obeying the
law, but setting a good example in this
| respect. 1t is respectfully submitted
! for your consideration that, no matter
how thoroughly and sincerely you
may disagree with the Supreme Court.
the time has come, in the interest of
law and for the sake of your example.
for you to surrender your individual
views and defer to the judgment of the
| court
You are, therefore, asked to con
slider this matter. and that you will be
| kind enough to apprise me of your con-
! clusbn as to the sale of liquor on Sun
| day in the future by your club.
Il am confident, and so are the gen.
| tlemen composing this committee that