The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-05-13
Association for the Suppression OF
GAMBLING.


favor, public countenance, and public support. was
celebrated at the Tabernacle Friday evening About
thousand persons were present.
The Rev. Dr. FERRIS opened the exercises Of the even
ing by prayer. Nrf r
The CHAIRMAN Of the Executive Committee then read
an address, setting forth the objects and purposes
Association from which appears that the society pro-
poses to keep register of all gambling uses of every
description, in the city Of New York to obtain and
record, in a private book the names OF persons who
habituay frequent these places or who are known to
gamble, or who are evidently commencing career of
gambling to warn and adnonish such persons against
the continuance Of these practices. Where warning
and admoniton shall have failed to reclaim them. to
communicate to its Subscribers all the information in
the possession Of the Office. relative to the gambling
habits Of such individuals if in their employ conf
dence, on their application for such information
The first annual report OF the Association then
read The following is an abstract OF 1t =
:" The New York Association for the Suppression Of
Gambling commenced operations, through their Excct
tive Agent, J. II Green, about year since. In the
onth Of May 1850 Mr. Green undertook systematic eff
forts for the collection Of facts and statistics regard
the subject Of gambling in New York. and devoted the
purpose During this time aided by the valuable services
Of Others, he succeeded in gaining large amount Of
information, which disclosed in an unexpected man
ncr the extent to which the habit Of gambling prac
tised in this city 1t appeared from these inyestga
tions. that within the municipal limits of New York
there were of all classes and descriptions less than
six thousand hundred and twcnty-six gambling
houses in nightly operation This xpccted result
confirmed by the reports Of several police stations
which undoubted reliance may be placed. Allowing
average Of four gamblers to each house. which is
by no means an exaggerated estimate have at
every measure Of reform. The landlords and owners
swell this number 10 aggregate Of thirty thousand
Although have no exact data by which TO calculate
the number Of persons who either the victims of
gambling devoted by taste and habit to indulgence in
The vice It may reasonably be supposed that it cannot
fall short OF the amount already named; thus king
ota " near Ay thousahu out OF popuatioh OF haif
million Of inhabitants. BY whom habit fraught with
worthy and elevated principle character i constantly
sustained without any eectua obstacle being inteposed
to prevent h-scarcely without voice being raised
in opposition Combining. this class often does
sagacity with wealth and moral rcckiessness IL Is
easy to imagine the perncious and polutng tendency
Of their influence and the extent Of social destruction
and ruin which they are able to produce Nor can
conceal the fact, that the vice in question has been
greatly strengthened in it, position BY inc apathy snd
negligence Of large proportion Of the city Authorities
Including police Justices police clcrS, cooftables
captains Sc) to say nothing Of The d'reet inaasnr.
which II Is TO be feared some OF them have eHcrtet
in its favor by their personal example and habits
Among the first steps in enterprise. wa deemed
necessary to obtain accurate normston - FAR =. pc
bic, from trustworthy official sources. our rsccut'e
agent accordingly requested the Chief Of Police - furnish
with such facts the subject might b. " hs nos
session especially in regard to the number pf polcy
Offices in each wstchman's beat This applics met
with other than to refer Us 70 their LAT report
We were informed that il would be some months bfor.
another report would be made and that could ob.a,l
other facts at present from the police department In
turning then to their last report VIZ found ia the re-
~ 1850 that only seventeen arrests for grinbng hyt
teen made during TINT period Ct Ave months out Of 10000
laws Of the state aud city Only this dirnnu'ivc number
under the cognrncc Of the executive others
pregnant commentary the strinsency q onr legal
cnactments for the suppression 81 gambling In view Of
thtse Elaring facts the friends Of the reform forced
to the conclusion that but little reliance could be- placed
the efforts Il the police fer the abatement 81 tho evil
aud that the administration ~ public justice In this
spcct was exceedingly lax Even In the cases ot con.
yction the penalty viii more fully appear hon the
l.tt ti4tt. Ina In
nominal and but small proportion Of those indicbd
have been tried Prom January, 1915, to April.
1851 period Of TX years only fifty nine persons have
been indicted in the city OF New York for keeping n
bling houses and winning motey at play Of these .
have pleaded guilty and been nncd ctics 81 charged
indicted but never tried; nole prossqui entered;
plead guilty judgment suspended; tried and convicted
hit sentence overIuled; brought TO trial never
afrcstUd complainant lc the State, and refused toar
pear tried jury disagreed; tried snd acquitted not
set disposed Of total o. Thus showing that nearly seven
iwrnhs Of all those indicted which 4 but small por
uun-one in 3l6 Of those arrcsted-are ever punished
and that the proportion Of punshments 70 the arrests 4
only in u 20 II further appears that the Whole
amount ~ fines inflicted during the same period has
been fourteen hundred and forty H. lars average
II myscven dollar e. each conviction, the highest be-
u two hundred and my dollars aud the lowest nve dol
lars aud only ia one instance was the punishment Of
imprsc nmtnt supernddcd Under these crcum.t ances
there sccme. TO b. but course len tor those who
with this intent, the New York Association for
the Suppression q Gambling was organized on or
about the first Of July last The. Association i'm
mcdia;cIy AFTER it, organization cpmine need opera.
tons by throwing i,furc the public such statistics
upon the subject q gambling az II hal been In
their power 10 collect aud by exciting the public min
- examination Of IL extent and character through
frequent communications In such ofthe daily paper.
found 10 take special interest in the matter They
haze cndeaored also 60 watch over the Interests u the
q immunity, and at aud the time. to protect
the unwary from falling into the snarcs q the gambler
and to those already confirmed In the vice. Of the
danger and almost certain destruction that awaits them
BY continuance therein For this purpose have di-
rected our efforts toward the discovery Of the names
residences and business Of oil those that in the habit
a visiting gambling houses and have made then q ub
ect Of private record 70 be used occasion may require
h'r Tor warming "a themselves for the protection Of
those whose Interests may be endangered y their PERM
cious habits In doing this however have inncxiby
adhered to one fundamental rule Of operations viz
Away to advice the individual that acquainted
with biz practices. aud cndes,or to influence him a.
abandon them, before we have the ufor-
nation toohers and then only shen all hope of rrtor-
nation had been destroyed by his return 20 the same
We might relate painful incidents without number
have been brought 10 light by the voluntary
q he ruined victims Others obtained by personal
inquiry We could tell you Of prayers offered by aged
parents and weeping wives for our prosperity aud OF
light and peace which have returned TO the bosoms of
bcrs from the most pcrncious haunts Il destruction
I'm the other hand challenge the meet rgh scrutiny
70 show single case u even accidental injury Of which
We lave been the cause
The Rev. Mr. GRisSrLl. of Washington D. C.. was In
troduced to the asembagc lie offered nsolution to
the effect that this society should be organized on
national basis. so that II might cooperate with the
friends Of sound morals throughout the country lie
sail II should extend Its influence widely the vice
which 1t seeks to suppress, exists II has been said
there are six thousand gaming houses In New York.
which frcquentcd. he supposed, by thirty
thousand persons Taking this data IL might be
assumed that ut least three hundred thousand
throughout the United states addicted to gambling
Gambling exists more or less, In every city, town
village IN the land II exhibits itself IN spcculaions
every 4ind, commercial and otherwise He then read
from the an account Of the arrest Il eighty
s gamblers IN that city short time since. lie only
read u, he said TO show what going in Boston
Bot what shall be said II New York lie thtn drew
picture a the money squandcrcd the time wasted and
the os e character occssoned by INDUCING in the vice
q gambling u should We engraved every heart, tina,