The Express.
London, England, 1867-09-14 00:00:00

GAMBLING LEGALISED IN A BRITISH

COLONY.

A recent mail from China brought us the in-
tellizenoe that the governor of Hung Kong pro-
posed to license gambling-houses there. Later
sulv ices now state that the revenue from this source
is estimated at from 250,000 dollars to 300,000
Jollars per annum. A memorial has, however,
been presented to the governor protesting aga►nst
the proposed system altogether, on the ground that
to license gambling is to legalise immorality. The
following is the text of the memorial and the reply
it has received :

Tho Rev. Charles F. Warren and others to his Excellency
Sir Richard Graves MscDonnell, C. 8., governor and

commander-in-chief of Hong /Con
London Mission House, Hong Kong, July 24, 1867.
Sir,—After the recent interview of Hems. Warren,
Morris, and Turner, with your Excellency, when you
were so good as to listen to some arguments
against the proposed system of licensing gambling
houses in this colony, and you intimated your
intention of putting that system into opera-
tion : we desire respectfully to lay before your
excellency the following objections, to which we
venture to beg your earnest consideration. We object to,
and feel in conscience bound to protest against, this scheme
for the following reasons :-1. Because it has been intro-
duced in an underhand and un-English way. It is in-
cluded in an ordinance for " the maintenance of order and
cleanliness," a title under which no one would look for
such a measure. The clause affecting gambling is worded
ambiguously ; but any plain, honest roan would interpret
it as meaning the very contrary to licensing the evil. It
looks as if every care had been taken to blindfold the
public on this subject. There has been no opportunity of
eliciting public opinion here ; no opportunity of memo-
rialising the home government in opposition to it. 2. Be-
cause licensing gambling houses will certainly lead to a
large increase of gambling. The fear of the law, which is
now a partial check, will be removed. The publicity of
the licensed houses will ensnare many who do not now
go out of their way to search for them. Saito-a
and other Europeans will be tempted into them.
The proprietors will surround the "tell" with
every attraction. But argument is needless here.
The bare mention of the vast sum offered, end it is said,
accepted for the license, indicates an immense increase of
gambling. :i. Bemuse Fcensing gambling houses will lead
to the " ultimate suppression "of the vice. To pretend
the contrary would be the moat barefaced hypocrisy.
Every one who argues for the licensing, your excellency
included, does so on the ground that suppression is hope-
less. The licensing will bring • large revenue which the
government will not easily resign. But if at any time
the government does withdraw the licenses, the illegal
gambling will then be harder to put down than ever. Yet
by yourown ordinance, your excellency is pledged to aim at
the " ultimate suppression" of gambling. 4. We believe
that a large proportion of the Chinese population of this
place are opposed to this measure. Its introduction will
have a seriously demoralising effect on the Chinese resi-
dent in the colony. 5. Gambling is at present equally
illegal by British and by Chinese law, in every part of
the two empires. Only last year the gore-nor of Canton
took stringent measures for the suppression of gambling
in that city. The proposed measure will degrade both
our civilisation and our Christianity in the eyes of the
Chinese people. 6. We believe that the government has
no right to countenance and sanction vice. By licensing
gambling houses the government will not only do this,
but will actually protect and patronise that class o 1
sharpers who make gambling their regular prevision, and
live by preying on the community, and (which is still
worse) will itself take • share of their ill-gotten gains.
For the above reason, we are compelled, hough with
much personal reluctance, to enter our solemn pro-
test against this proceeding. We again thank your
excellency for the patient hearing you gave to arguments
opposed to your policy ; and are sorry to be constrain:4 to
announce to you that we cannot but take every pce.sible
measure, both here and in England, to obtain the reversal
of this scheme. We are, with great respect, your excel-
lency's obedient, humble servants,
(Signed) Charles F. Warren, C.M.S., John Piper.
Rudolph Lechler, Loereher, David
B. Morris, and F. S. Turner.
The Hon. Cecil 0. Smith, Acting Colonial Secretary, to
Rev. Charles F. Warren and others.

. _
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hong Kong,
July 27, 1867.
Gentlemen,—l am instructed by his excellency Sir
Richard Graves Mac Donnell to say that pressure of busi-
ness has prevented earlier acknowledging receipt of your
letter of the 24th instant. His excellency is obliged to you
for bringing before him once more your reasons for con-
demning the policy of licensing gambling houses in this
colony. At the same time he cannot help remembering
that three of your number, at a recent inten:ew, quite
failed to give any satisfactory answer to his arguments in
favour of that policy, and appeared entirely unprepared
with any suggestions to meet acknowledged exist.
ing evils. The governor does not feel called on
again to discuss the question at length, but is bound to
;,eve a direct denial to your assertion that " the measure
itas been introduced in an underhand and nu-English
way." Such a statement is as untrue, as it is unreasonable
to amen that a law for the "maintenance of order," is a
title under " which no one would look for inch a measure "
—i.e., for a measure designed to suppcess illegal gambling
—the present most fruitful source of disorders in the
colony. The ordinance No. Bof last year was introduced
publicly in council, disowned publicly before reporters of
the prey., and contained the very same words as the
amended ordinance passed on the 17th of last month, viz.,
"To frame such rules and regulations and conditions as
may be deemed expedient for the total suppression, or in
the meantime, for the better limitation and control of
gambling in this colony." The ordinance of last year, like
that of the present, contemplated if possible the suppres-
sion,
and, failing that, the limitation and control of
gambliwz. The governor had then hopes that by
increased exertion', gambling could be put down,
hopes, which, after the greatest personal effort;
aided by equal exertions on the part of severed
I officers of the police, he has been obliged to abandon, as
he found the attempt only led to the continued corruption
of the police on whose efficiency the security of the lives
and property of the community mainly depends. Thine
efforts, moreover, drove the incorrigible and numerous
Chinese gamblers of the colony to resort to secret lairs, to
live ins perpetual defiance of the law, and thus established
numerous rendezvous of the wont classes, where nine-
tenths of the burglaries and daring crimes perpetrated
were planned. His excellency might of course have left
matter' in that state, which he presumes is what you
would advise, or he might resort to the other alternative
of the ordinance for "the better limitation and control of
gambling," which is the policy that he considers moat
sistent with his duty to maintain "order." Last mouth
the colonial Jere gave extensive publicity to the governor's
declaration in council of his opinion that it wculd be wise
to regulate what we could not suppress, and if
publi..ity be nn-English, and "calculated to blind-
fold the public," you will find it is extent° in the
reported proceedings of the Legislative Council of the 17th
ultimo. His excellency would have expected from the
deep interest which you feel inthe question that you would
then lave avowed your opinions. It may be a satisfaction
to you, however, to know that members of council, at
least all the non-official members, so far back as the pass-
ing of the ordinance last year, were well acquainted with
and entirely approved of the alternative given to the exe-
cutive, if the suppression of gaming proved impossible.
Such also is the opinion of the most experienced residents
here, men whose opinions are entitled to equal weight
with yours, for his excellency presumes that you do not
claim a monopoly of either sagacity or virtue. You allude
to the " large revenue" which gambling licenses will bring
and some of your number have published letters im-
puting to the government the most sordid motives. Your
imputing such motives, when disavowed by the govern.
inent, gives them neither truth nor even Increased proba-
bility. The governor simply wishes to free gambling from
its present illegality so far as to break up the
gangs of illegal gamblers, whose cliques are now
the schools suit nurseries of crime, the continuance of
which you advocate. He would do so if he sew his way to
such a result, without adding a cent to the public tree•
Bury. He cannot, however, make the Chinese aid in put-
ting down illegal gambling otherwise than by rendering it
essentially their interest to do so, nor can this be effected
unless they have a large interest at stake with which ille-
gal operations would interfere. The larger that interest,
the greater and more effective must be their co-operation
with the government, sad the more stringent the power
of the latter to enforce obedience to its regulations,
because that co-operation and obedience must be propor-
tioned to the sums invested, and risked by want of co-
operati,m and by disobedience. Nevertheless, when the
amount paid is sufficient for the above purpose—a point
that can only be settled by experience—it is not desirable
to increase it for mere purposes of revenue, and for that
reason his excellency has refused offers exceeding the
amount accepted by more than 100,000 dollars.
He will even be ea. to find hereafter that
a less sum than that now tendered will en-
, able the government to attain the principal legitimate
i objects sought, as above stated. In this small colony,
`situated within a mile of the mainland, there has been
between the latter and this island an interchange to and
fro of 200,000 persona in the last six months, and his
excellency despairs of producing a moral impression against
gaming on • community formed of sash changing elements,
and the individuals oomposing which are in the aggregate
notoriously addicted to gaming. He prefers addressing
himself to the practical question of protecting property by
anKreseing meetings of illegal gamblers and retrieving the
efficien /of the now corrupted police. He does not be-
lieve that vice ceases to exist when he shuts his eyes and
refuses to see it—and if that, which is a sin of deeper dye,
is, from the necessity of the case submitted to regulated
sanction with the approval of 'the wise and good in
England, for the 'invention of disease, his excellency can-
not admit tho distinction without a difference, which
would forbid his endeavouring, with a view to the
suppression of crime, to control that which was not
illegal by English common law, and is not denounced as a
sin by the sacred law. He believes that ander the new
policy there will be more gaming, but by removal of its
illegahty, the consequences will be far less pernicious to
individuals or the public than its present more limited
practice. His vhaina on the probabilities a! the as is