The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-19
MANY MATTERS OF PUBLIC1NTEREST ENGAGE
 ATTENTION OF MONTGOMERY CITY COUNCIL
|ANTI-NOlSE MEASURE
ORDINANCE TO PROTECT RELIC
 IoUS WORSHIP DEFEATED.
Council Divided Evenly on Proposed Law Its Opponents Declaring it
 Was Too Drastic-A Lively Debate.

Lively Debate.
 An ordinance prohibiting the ringing ol street car gong. the running of a street car noisily and the driving of a horse faster than a walk within 25 yards of a church evenly divided the City Council of Montgomery last night. Six members oi the Council thought the ordinance in the form 1t was presented to the Council, toe drastic. and six members thought that conditions demanded the protection of re. ligious worship from such Interruptions
 The tie vote of to 6 defeated the or. dinance. Its consideration was attended by lively debate. Alderman RoemeI was the champion of the ordinance upon the floor of the Council and made three speeches in its defense. The ordinance was opposed as too drastic and too dan. gerous in it's present form by Alderman Forbes and Sullivan. Incidentally other The question seemed to be live wire and the Aldermen handled 1t gingerly.
 The ordinance came from the Streets Committee with favorable report. It's title declared it's purpose to be the pre- vention of the disturbance of religious worship in the city of Montgomery. The ordinance made 1t unlawful for a horse attached to a vehicle to be driven faster than walk on a gravelled or paved street within 25 yards of a church while religious worship was in progress II was also made unlawful for a street car employe to ring a bell or run a street car with noise within 2s yards of church while services were in progress. The or dinance further provided that violation of it's provisions was punishable by a fine of not less than q and not more than S1o0.
 Alderman Roemer from the Streets Committee reported an amendment to the ordinance under which 1t was to be opera tive on Sunday only.
 Alderman Forbes announced that he was opposed to the ordinance in its present form.
 Tt is proposed to make this ordi- nance operative only on Sunday" said Alderman Forbes. Does the Alderman forget that we have synagogue in which services are held on other days than Sunday? The ordinance, in it's present form, is entirely too drastic. It makes a man a law breaker if his horse should go by a church faster than a walk. Under this ordinance a street car conductor could not sigpai to the motorman when to stop to put off a passenger because the ringing of a bell near a church would be a vio- lation of the law"
 Alderman Forbes thought that some should be placed around rer ligious worship to prevent its being in- terrupted by unnecessary noises. In- as the ordinance under con- was imperfect he said he would move to refer it to the Judici- ary Committee with instructions to draft better resolution and submit it to the Council.
 Alderman Sullivan said that he agreed heartily with what AL derman Forbes had said. The pro- posal to limit the operation of the or- dinance to Sunday was like the ordi- nance itself, a piece of class legisla- ton. The friends of the ordinance for got, he said, that services were held at the synagogue on other days than Sunday and they forgot that in other churches there were such occasions as holy days when religious worship should be as free from interruptions as on Sunday.
 Why, think what this ordinance means" exclaimed Alderman Sullivan. Tt means that if a mans horse should run away and run past a church he would be breaking the law. It would mean that if the horse of a man trot- ted past a church he would break the law. And then if you send a mounted policeman to catch the man whose horse trotted past the church and the mounted policeman had to lope his horse to catch the man, the policeman would be violating the law. Or if you 'hould send a bicycle policeman and lis tire would burst, he. too, would be the law. Tell me how could 'treet cars be operated if this law was n effectT'
 Alderman Jackson said that he was n favor of giving the churches some 'elief from the noises which had dis urbed them. The ordinance under he said. was imperfect. He would like. he said, to support an ordinance giving the necessary relief, md he thought the Judiciary Commit ee should draft such an ordinance. The time when relief was needed, he aid, was in the summer when the hurch windows were opened. There vas plenty of time. he said, between low and the summer to draw up and pass a good ordinance.
 The churches need relief from these loises," said Alderman Maddox. This ordinance may be imperfect, but I am llmost willing to vote for any ordi- nance which will give them relief"
 Alderman Roemer said that all the of the city except the First and the synagogue were 'n street car lines. There was so much loise from passing street cars and wa sons, he said, that 1t was almost inn possible to conduct services in some If the churches. He did not see where he ordinance yOlIld work apv hara. hip. New Orleans. Atlanta and other titles, he said. had such ordinances, Ind he did not see why Montgomery ould not have one.
 He moved that the motion of Alder nan Forbes to refer the matter to the Judiciary Committee be tabled. His notion was lost by a tie vote of six o six. By the same tie vote the motion 'f Alderman Forbes was lost The or- finance was put upon its final pas age, but it failed by the same tie rote of six and six.
 Later in the meeting Alderman Kohn introduced a resolution directing the