The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-28
ALL ARE TO BLAME.


in six months. The first offense had
been kindly oVerlooked-the word had
not gone forth: gambling must stop
and yet, 10. these highly favored cltl-
zens, these knights of the green cloth'
must needs forget the decorum which
is becoming to gentlemen of their sta
ton, and act somewhat like saVages.
Another thing which is amusing is
the sudden change in the attitude OF
some who are high in authority.
little while ago ii was being sald that
seaport cities required a somewhat free
and-easy government And it was
even suggested. with a touch of piety,
the fragrance of which, surely, must
have assembled heavenward, that it
would be well to let saloons open on
Sunday, provided they would close
their doors during church hours. o!
the heaven compelling piety of that
proposition A few weeks pass, few
pistol shots are heard, and 10! there
has been a miracle effected, marvel
lousy like instantaneous conversion,
and we are informed that something
must be done to rid our city of the
curse of gambling. No more free-and-
easy government, alias largest liberty
for men of many minds, so far, at
least as gambling is concerned.
other Evils Are Here.
The logic of the situation teaches
another fact; that this cutlery of indig-
nation against the further liberation of
gambling leaves out of count other
evils that are as bad, if not worse
There are other plague spots in our
community, which it is not proposed
to remove. Our cOmplisant authori-
ties, DESTROYS of according the largest
liberty to the viciously disposed, are
making no effort worthy of notice to
put any Of the proprietorS of these
other hell traps out of business. They
are commonly called disorderly houses.
These places are left undisturbed,
provided they dutifully recognize the
kind providence which permits their eX-
istence in this liberal and progressive
city, and the dutiful recognition is
doubtless given to the powers to which
their immediate protection is to be as
Cribed. One of two things must be
true; either these hot beds of vice that
threaten the happiness of every home
in our city are tolerated because our
rulers believe them to be public ne
cessities, or they are tolerated for the
sake of graft. If the first alternative
be true, then l denounce this protec-s
ton of vice as disgraceful in a civil
lied, not to say Christian, common
wealth. If the other alternative be
true, there is need for further CONVEX
sion among our rulers"
Rev. Mr.. McCorkle also referred to
allowed to be charged by the pawn
shops and loan offices of the city. He
pointed out the evils of permitting
bucket shops to run openly and said:
Neither, again, have we heard of any
indictments returned against the ele-
giant ladies' and gentlemen who play
for prizes, contrary to the law of the
land, and are gambling just as truly
as Doc Rosenthal and his friends were
gambling at faro the other night
Who Are Responsible.
Finally: There is in these recent
sad events a lesson of responsibility.
Who are responsible for those muir
ders? Not the men who did the shoot
ing merely. When evil is brewing, all
who have it in their power to do
anything toward preventing that evil.
are responsible in their degree. They
are in some sort accessories before the
fact And so l charge that the blood
Of homicides, and the blood of souls
is upon many among us to-day.
If officials have knowingly winked
at evil doing; if ministers of the gos-
pei at any time have failed to cry
aloud against tolerated infamies in
our city; If good men and women have
preferred to hear dscourses about
heaven, and homilies on Christian
graces, and have resolutely set their
faces against preaching that uttered
needful protest and warning against
these illegal establishments which
threaten every boy and girl in our
community; if there has been failure
to hold up the hands of those faithful
men who have cried aloud and spared
not, in their efforts to raise the moral
tone of our city; If Christian men
have neglected civic duty, or voted for
a party regardless of the moral prin-
eiples of those whom they have ele-
waited into office; then in proportion to
our failure to do what we could and
ought TO have done toward making
and keeping our city morally clean, we
are responsible for the gambling that
has been protected and the murders
that have grown out of it, and for ev-
cry other evil prevalent among us. The
blood of homicides and the blood of
souls is upon us. May the God of Mer-
cy cleanse us from blood-guiltiness
and enable us to be more vigilant and
more loyal to truth and right during
the year that is at hand.
Year of Sin and Shame.
4 and now, looking back over this
year, with all its sad and shameful
history, a year of sin and dishoner and
its multiplied tragedies of murders at
tempted and murders committed, of
Vorce; a year of shame and wickedness
due in large measure to culpabe and
undeniable unfaithfulneSs on the part
of men charged with the enforcement
of our laws against vice; year which
to many Christians in our city has
been a year of spiritual backsliding
and dissatisfaction, and of growing
unrest, because Of sins which have
burdened your consciences; sad and
burdened. because during the past
week the music of Christmas bells and
the merriment of Christian homes has
been rudely disturbed by the jangling
discords of shameless revelry, of
brawling and of murder in the pur-
lieus of vice which disgrace our city.
l bring you to-day as my closing word
this loving rebuke from the God of
Mercy and the God of Justice. May
His Spirit bless His own word to our
beloved city, to our church, and to our
own hearts: % that thou hadst
hardened to my commandments! Then
had thy peace been as a river, and thy
righteousness as the waves of the