The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-04
DRUGGISTS IN ARMS
CONSIDERATION BY COUNCIL
TONIGHT.
MUST SEE DISPENSARY BOOKS
ARE ENTITLED TO SUCH A PRIVI-
LEGE, THEY SAY, AND MEAN
TO HAVE 1T.

ing Free Medicines Nor Act ON
Their Families, Though Latter
Are Not LeEaIIyEntitIed to 1t, but
Claim That There Are other Ir-
Irregularities That should be Cor
rected-AIderman GnrfunkePE Po-
sition Doesn't Appeal to the Assoc
citation - Aldermen Firm in the
Position First Taken.
There promises to be a rather in
teresting conflict between City Council
and the Savannah Druggists Associa-
ton before the city dispensary agita-
ton has been closed. The matter will
come before Council tonight. Alder
man Garfunkle's interview in the
Morning News yesterday was widely
discussed and the members of Council
appear to be with him.
Alderman John F. Glatigny. who is
chairman of the Committee on Public
Health, and whose committee looks af-
ter the dispensary is opposed to any
plan for furnishing the druggists with
a list of the names. addresses and oc-
equations of persons who secure medi-
cine from the dispensary. II heartily
agree with Alderman Garfunkle," said
the chairman of the committee that is
in charge of the dispensary, land L
for one will fight against doing what
the druggists ask From the many
expressions that 1 have heard to-day
| am certain that the people are with
us. The keeper of the dispenSary is
a bonded officer and is fully capable of
judging who should receive medicine
and who should not. If there is any
complaint to be made against him let
the druggists come forward and file
charges. The physicians who give the
prescriptions are better judges of the
financial condition of their patients
than the druggists who seek to secure
this information"
Agree with Aid. GarfunkIe.
Other aldermen expressed themselves
in a similar manner. One member of
Council said that in his opinion it
would be a public outrage to submit
to the demands of the druggists. "They
formed a combination and sent prices
skyward,". said one alderman, land l
think they should be satisfied. Now
they seek to frighten from the dispen-
sary poor people who are worthy, be-
cause they imagine that it will bring
money into their pockets. The drug
gists are on the wrong track and have
a vast majority of the well-thinking
people against them. Since the or
ganization of the trust or combination
l have had occasion to notice the ad-
vance in drugs. l. for one, would be
willing to start a drug store with two
or three others of means and sell goods
at only enough above cost to pay ex-
penses. We could give the druggists
an uncomfortable half hour and they
couldn't hurt u.s."
Looking for n Leak.
Mr.. H. H. Livingston, a member of
the Advisory Board of the Druggists
Association, and one of those who wait
ed on Mayor Myers, says that the
members of the association have no de-
sire to inflict a hardship upon the de
serving poor, but that information has
reached them that there is leak some
where, and they are anxious to close
it. Personally, Mr.. Livingston does not
oppose the practice of giving medicine
to members of the police and fire de-
partments, for the reason that he real
ICES that these men with families have
a hard enough time of it. He says that
from what he has been told he has
reason to believe that medicine has
are not near so worthy as firemen and
patrolmen. Mr.. Livingston objects Sc
riously to the class of medicine that
is furnished, and says that some of 1t
is little more than worthless. He said
that the druggists have no idea of
making public the names of those who
from time to time secure medicine from
the dispensary. and that they only
want the names in order to keep a
check on the filling of prescriptions.
Druggists side of 1t.
The poor but proud" patient prop
osition advanced by Alderman Gar
funkel as his reason for being opposed
to the desire of the druggists gener-
ally to have a representative of their
association examine the books of the
city dispensary from time to time, is
one that doesn't appeal to the drug
gists at all.
1.-THE object of our request to the
Mayor" said one, lis simply to have
such a record kept and allow us such
access to it as will enable us to pro-
tect ourselves by finding out and
bringing to justice such persons as
secure them through false state
ments.
Further" he said, 1--WE shall ask of
the Mayor and Council nothing that
is unreasonable and we expect to have
our requests complied with. If Coun-
Gil refuses to give them to us there
are other ways to secure them for
we are all citizens and taxpayers, the
city dispensary represents the spend
ing of public funds and we as a body,
as individuals, or as citizens, have a
right to know how such funds are
spent. Judging from the sentiments of
the aldermen reported in yesterday S
Morning News they are evidently I'M
der the impression that we wish to
publish the names of persons who Sc
cure free medicines. We do not; our
only desire is to secure the names of
persons who secure free medicines
and who have no right to them. We
want to make an example of a few
of these and are satisfied that when
we have done so, a large part of the
nuisance will be stopped.
what They object to.
1--WE are making no objections to the
giving of free drugs to the members of
the police department and to those of
the fire department.; there is an ordi-
nance granting it; nor yet to the fact
that in many cases free medicine Is
also secured by their families, though
there is certainly no provision of the
city for this. Nothing of this sort, 1
say" he continued, has ever been
discussed by us either in or out of the
meeting. We consider these of minor
Importance, but there are other irreg-
ularities in connection with the city
dispensary that ought to be straight.
ened OUT.
The Druggists Association will put
its wishes in this connection in a pc
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