Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1918-02-01

their last meeting, that will ex-
empt the town henceforth from
an abominable nuisance that af-
hicts, at intervals, every city and
town in the State, by forbiddinQ
certain features of street fairs
and carnivals that are as demon
alizing in their influence as they
are profitable to the promoters OF
them.
This ordinance prohibits all the
usual gambling devices, fakes,
frauds and gift enterprises that
usually accompany street fairs
and carnivals and constitute their
chief source of revenue: it also
forbids immoral exhibitions of
whatever character and, particu-
larly, the lure Of dancing girls
that is often as indecent as it is
communicating and demoralizing
in its influence upon the young
men and boys of the community.
Nothing adds to the strength
and prestige of a community like
cleanliness; and Cleveland is to
be congratulated on establishing
an effective quarantine against
this kind of moral leprosy. The
ordinary street fair or carnival is
a public nuisance wherever it is
tolerated; its influence is un-
wholesome and its presence I'M
profitable in any community
The things forbidden by this or.
dinance are characteristics OF
this type of show, and if it keeps
the domination away from on,
town entirely, an important pub
lie benefit will have been accom-,
plished.
The Mayor and Aldermen arr
entitled to the thanks of thu
community for this act.-Bolival
Commercial.
We can heartily say Amen
to all the above, as one of thu
aforementioned so-called street
fairs -''Forty-ni lers' as they
are known in other places, to
represent the loose morals and
abandoned manners that charac-
terized the early days of the gold
fields Of the wild and woolly
west, 80 we'll told in Bret Harte's
stories-recently made a two
weeks stay in Macon. The Fer
ris wheel, merry-go-round. dog
and pony show and plantation
minstrels'' were places of amuse-
ment for the children and colored
population, but the dance-hall,
with all its attendant evils, and
a half dozen or more gambling
schemes, the most popular OF
which was a wheel of fortune
or roulette wheel, were the at.
fractions that made the show
profitable, so much so that they
remained two weeks instead Of
one. One colored citizen thu
writer knows won $50 at tn,
wheel of fortune. When asked
How d you do it, Ben." he re
piled, 1T was JUS dis way: da.
was a wheel, and a place for thu
white folks and the other for tn,
niggers, and | watched the whit
folks awhile, and when they pu
down a dollar on. a big number
played on the small numbers, s
when the white folks was losin
| was winnin.'
If the morals of our people ar
be guarded and regulated in
large measure by law. an ord:
nance should be passed immed.
ately prohibiting such CONTAINING
ting and demoralizing exhibition
from coming into the commun
ty. If this is not done this sam
show will likely play a return er
gagement, for without doubt the
found it both profitable an
pleasant.
Our prohibition laws are no,
most rigid. and to get a drin
now a man has to go to bed, sen
for a doctor, who, after examil
ing him carefully to find out tn.
he is really sick, writes q pr
scription, then goes before
notary public and makes an aft
davit that he (the doctor) h,
examined the patient and know
for sure that he is sick. tt
prescription and affidavit are the