The Arkansas advocate., 1835-07-31

l you went--in almost every house-ye@ met q Gambler, Were we not bound then to ex- tend to them the same privilege which we are bound to extend to all nen9 At least they were men, unconvicted of any crime, and had right to be heard in their own de- fence. Had one of them been placed at the bar to be tried for his life, he would have been allowed to be heard by counsel, and if he had been too poor to employ them, the Court would have appointed him taeo. But there is wider view of this subeet-and to this VIC will attend in moment.
 As we before said, the gambler, in this place, has ever been treated as a gentleman. 1t was always repulsiYes to s:s, but such seemed to be the law of society, and though are did not choose to submit to 1t, and have never done it--though we have never invited them to our humble house, nor made them our companions, still we thought it unadvised to commence . crusade against the customs of this society. We are not stating this as a reproach, for Heaven knows we take not the pen now for recrmination. The plain and simple truth is as we have stated it. The ar ticle which was placed in our advertising CO., lumns, contained the following sentences, and We ask this community to weigh them we'll.
 ssIf the laws are against us, we are ame- a nabie to then-we oppose not their execu- ton, and hold ourselves accountable to them in every way"
 ] s.When the people of the country see fit no longer 10 patronize us, we shall be for ced to depart. When society and public lsentiment are against Us, we shall go cur way"
 What q lesson dc these few words convey to us! Gould . more cutting and galling re- proach have been uttered-a more keen and biting satire, than is contained in these plain sentences! This people is here told, from Ithe mouths of the Gamblers thenaselses, that the laws are not put put in force against them, and thersore they stay-that when so- cicty and public sentiment are against them, they must go their soay. Viewing as we did the state of things here, we thought it well
 that the people should be told by the Gam blors themselves, why they remain here, and
 when they will depart. We published it, and
 we deserve the thanks of the people for so
 doing. It has awakened them like an cleo tric shock, They arc astonished, aroused,
 and alarmed. What! shall horde of men
 with no business whereby to live, but that of public gaming, stand up here among us, and tell us boldly, that we do not execute our laws, that they are mockery and byword, weak as cobwebs and as useless too--that this people patronize and encourage and fon- dle on them. while they ridicuie and despise us fer 1t. Had we done no other service to this people in our short editorial career, we should deserve their thanks and their grati- ltude for what VIC have done, Have we for gotten that faro bank and a roulette table were openly exhibited on the race course that almost every grocery in this town has been gambling shop! And does he deserve no thanks, who permitted the voice of the ] gambler himself, in the columns of his paper, ,: to rebuke and scoff at us-who takes the only means, even if 1t should be the fall of sud den thunderbolt, to awaken sleeping people from their apathy! We do aver, and well do the Gazette and Times know it to be true, that the advertisement which we published, was the sole cause of the meeting which ori- ginated the Anti i-Gaming Association.
 And now as to our opinion of the manner in which these men should be treated. We here proffer our heart and hand, as honestly as ever we did 1t in our life, to the Gazette and the Times, and every man among this peo- 1 pie, in any legal and lawful measures which may be adopted to rid us of these locusts of Egypt. We care not if they were swept in- to the Red sea, like their prototypes, if 1t can be done tegally, justty, ,and with proper respect to ourselves. We are no friends to them, we contemn and despise them-but so long as we have strength to wield the pen, or thoughts which we can write down, we will protest, and If need be, personally oppose, any illegal violence or trampling upon the laws to obtain vengeance, when the consequences are to re- dound in disastrous ruin upon our own heads. We have strong and good laws, and if our Justices of the Peace will take cognizance--