The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-14
SCORES C0UNC|
AND THE POLICE Il
.Dr. Hawthorne on the Situation.
in Richmond.
SALOONS OPEN ON SUNDAY
Says Seventy Of Them Are Still Running
in Defiance Of HE Law-People
Should Rise Up and De-
nand Reform.

Before a large audience assembled at
the Grove-Avenue Baptist Church Sun
day morning, the Rev, ]. B. Hawthorne
D. D.. delivered q sermon on The Situa-s
ton in Richmond scoring the police
force and the Common Council and call
ing upon the Christian and patriotic
citizens of the community to rally under
the banner Of reform. He said in
part:
what is the situation? Any man con
neoted with the police department of
your city government will tell you.
that there are not less than seventy bar
rooms wide open to the public every
Lords day. It is bad enough to have
them open on week days. know and
you know that they are evil and only
evil continually. Every one Of them Is
prolific Of debauchery and crime; every
one Of them is helping to fill our aims
houses with paupers and our jails with
felons; every one Of them is a breeder OF
law,sssness and anarchy. Six days in
the week your city and State govern
ments authorize them to prosecute their
nefarious business. On Sundayth the law
forbids them to sell to any one. But IN
open defiance Of both municipal and
State authority they do sell TO anybody
who wants to buy. Is it right in the
sight of God that we permit them to 90
It? Is 1t right that we suffer them 10
spit upon civil authority? When we put
this question to the men who are
charged with the administration OF the
laws forbidding this traffic on Sunday,
they tell us thak they cannot prevent it.
When we ask them why they cannot pre-.
vent it, they tell US that they cannot
procure the evidence to convict the men
who disregard the law. The absuridity
Of their excuse was demonstrated by the
not do what the Sunday Observance Lea
gua which, by the expenditure Of trifl-
ing sum OF money. put in operation an
agency that procured the evidence to
convict twenty-nine Of these violators Of
the Sunday law.
HOUSES OF ILLrFAdE.
.'What is the situation? The books in
the Office of our chief of police show
that there are four hundred and fifty
houses Of ill-fame scattered through this
Capital City of the old mother Of States
and statesmen Every member Of the
police force knows the location of every
one of these places of debauchery. Are
they legalized institutions? Have your
CITY and State Governments authorized
these places Of uncleanness-these gate
ways to infamy and perdition-to do bus
mess? No, They exist in defiance OF
law and in defiance Of the social con-
science expressed in the laws of our city
and State When we ask our police au-
thorities why they suffer them to exist,
they answer I'VE cannot prevent 1t.
How can they say this in the face OF the
fact that they have again and again,
closed some Of these dens when the re-
spectacle people surrounding them have
demanded that they be closed? They tell
us that if we remove them from one To-
cality they viii go to another and con-
tinue their business. My answer to this
is. no matter where they go, it is the
duty of the police to remove them.
When they discover that they will not
be allowed to exist in any locality Of our
CITY. they will either abandon their in-5
fanny or carry it beyond the limits Of
our municipality.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH CORRUPT.
What better can be expected Of a City
Council in which a single ward is rep
resented by no less than five proprietors
Of The lowest and dirtiest dives that were
ever permitted to exist in any city!
Nothing worthy of the name Of reform
can be accomplished SO long as the leg
islative branch of our city is under the
control of men so corrupt and remorse-
less How shall we account for the fact
that city in which there is SO much in
teiiigence. culture and refinement. and
that is so famous for its churches ana
religious zeal, is under the domination OF
the most ignorant, INSCRIPTIONS and
lawless elements Of her population. 1t
is not because the intelligent decent, law
abiding and virtue-loving people are IN
the minority. but because SO many OF
them are neglectful Of the patriotic anc
Christian duty Of going to the polls and
casting their ballots for men competent
and worthy to represent thGrn in the va
,ious branches of their city government
| "What is the situation? Anguish, Ia
mentatiop, and dispair reign in hundreds
| of Richmond homes-anguish. lamenta-
| t;on and dispair over a father, or a son.
or a daughter. or a mother, who by
! some disgraceful act has divorced the
household from the respect Of decent
and svirtuouS society,"
:7rhat some measure Of relief will be
attempted is about as certain as the RS
ing Of to-rnorrow's sun. l am warrant
| ed In saying that the forces of reform are
already organizing and moving upon the
! enemy. Let there be no camI followers
| Let there be no dodgers and dastards II
| the day of battle.
..Friends, the true lovers of law, order
| decency5 and righteousness, invite you tc
1 jcin them in a solemn covenant ana ne
| roic struggle for a better condition Of
/ things In Richmond. Take your places
| in the ranks of this consecrated chivalry
| and then remember that the great Goo
who Is to Judge you sees every man II
/ all the white hammered host, and will re
| cord in his Book of Everlasting Remem
| 1rance' the conduct Of any who fail t
/ do their duty
LIBRARY APPROPRIATION
i Council will Be Asked at Its Next Regu'