The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-05
MAY PRESENT CLUBS
GOOD GOVERNMENT LEAGUE
WORKING QUIETLY.
GOOD
PLAN MAY BE Baked.
CLUB MEMBERS WOULD HAVE TO
TESTIFY BEFORE GRAND JURY.

Legal Representative of the League
Has Not Yet Determined What
Course He VIII Pursue - Grand
Jury VIII Meet Tomorrow and
There May BE n sensation-C1ub
Officers Might Refuse to Testify on
the Ground of discriminating
ThemseIves-watch Gamblers
and saIOOnmen-Large Number of
Criminal Cases to Be Investigated.
meet tomorrow afternoon, and there
may be some sensational developments.
If anything out of the ordinary does
occur it will be because of the intro
duction of witnesses by the Good Gov
eminent League. The legal represen-
tative of the organization, H. Z. Will
son, Esq, was unable to say yester-
day whether the league will have any
witnesses before the jury.
Mr.. Wilson has been busy recently,
and, too. there is a large number of
criminal cases to be looked into by
the grand jury. 1t may be that the
Good Government cases will be passed
neither the charges of Sunday
liquor selling, nor keeping gaming
houses, will be Investigated. Mr..
Wilson would not say what mat
tiers the league has under considera-
tion at this time. or just how it is
proposed to reach the clubs that are
supposed to be doing a Sunday bust
ness. The league attends to the sum-
moning of its witnesses, and this mat
ter does not go through the sheriff's
Office, as in other cases.
None of the clubs has answered
Mr. Wilson's recent letter on the sub
ject of closing the club bars on
Sunday. He does not know
just what he will do about this ques-
ton at the present time, inasmuch as
it has been positively announced that
some of the clubs are doing no Sunday
business. The Leagues attorney has
never been directly notified of the ac-
ton of any of the several clubs, and
it is extremely doubtful If any
of them would be willing to
commit itself on the Sunday liquor
selling question. 1t is not thought that
the officers of the clubs would be will
olated, or make any rash romises re-
garding the future. In the meantime
counsel for the League is figuring on
the wisest course to persue. He may
decide upon plan in time to give the
grand jury a chance to make an inves
tigation tomorrow.
While Mr.. Wilson will not say just
how he proposes to move against the
clubs, there appears to be only one
way open, and some doubt has been
expressed as to whether it will work
successfully. 1t may be that Mr.. Will
son has already seen the difficulties
that he will encounter, and that he is
trying to arrange some other plan. The
only way now open would be to sum-
mon the officers, or members of the
several clubs and have them go be-
fore the grand jury as witnesses. The
Leagues scheme is to have the ques-
ton put to every officer and member
summoned, and in that way secure the
evidence necessary to bring about an
indictment.
either a member or an officer is a part
of the club and could legally refuse
to answer the questions put on the
ground of elimination. If this point is
we'll taken, and there are some who
think that it is, there will be consider
able dlfflCulty In securing evidence
against the clubs. even if they should
do Sunday business. The spy sys-
tenn is out of the question, and just
how legal evidence can be obtained, il
members and officers are not compelled
to testify, is not known.
1t is not known whether the League
has any evidence against saloon keep
ers for doing a Sunday business, al
though 1t has been charged that some
of those on the outskirts of the city
have been violating the law. AS far
as is known the downtown bars are re-
naming closed. The rumor that the
League will stop the sale of drinks in
the Tenderloin on Sundays has caused
the lines to be drawn a little tighter
in that section of the city, but the
fright has not gone far enough to
cause the shutting down of the private
bars. These are unlicensed.
If the league is framing up charges
against any of the local sports it is
keeping the matter very quiet, and it
is not thought that any of them will
be presented to the grand jury to-mor-
row The attorney for the Good Gov
eminent organization is keeping quiet
and is not giving out how he proposes
to act, or what he intends to do. In
the meantime those whom the league
is watching are kept guessing. 1t is
said that the sports will be watched
until they begin to look like a summer
resort on a rainy day. Then vagrancy
charges may be brought against those
II