Georgetown weekly news., 1855-05-17
Anfi-Gan:b.ing Law.

object of this law is plain and beyond all
onestion-a reformation in the morals of
social as well as political life in California.
That close adhereance to the obligations
and requirements of this law will result fa-
vorably to the peace and prosperity of the
State, is beyond all manner of doubt. Who
does not know, that gambling houses,
throughout the country, have been the very
'hot houses" of all kinds of vice and Grim
inality? Hitherto their influences have en-
tered into, and given color to nearly all of
our State and social laws. They have CIV
en- protection to intemperance-the have
been the principal patrons of the innumer-
able brothels that have set, and are yet rest
ing, as foul incubus, loathsome curse, on
the fair reputation of Californian society,"
This is not all Their fortunes allure the
unguarded youth into their coils, and when
once caught their miSfortunes madden him
into desperation Thus are hundreds of
our most respectable young men, sacrificed
to this most dangerous and criminal vice. -
This cannot safely be permitted in any form
of government, and especially in that of a
Republic. In Republican Governments
the people rule, and if they be found cor
rupt, what was once republican, is degraded
to the level of libertinism "The destinies
!
of a nation" says Cotton, "depend less on
the greatness Of the few, than the virtues or
vices of the many. Eminent individuals
cast further the features of her glory or
shame; but the realities of her veal or woe
lie deep in the great mass. The curling
tops Of lofty waves are the crests of the
ocean, but from its depths flows the over
powering strength of its tides" 1t is, there
fore essential as a nation, as Americans, that
we put stop to all public evils, the ten
dencies Of which, are the corruption Of our
young men-our lawgivers. Let us not use
the common argument against it "that these
evils, by way of the popular voice, will cor
rect themselves legislation should
have nothing to do with it." The popular
voice is already expressed through our leg
islators, and now that that popular will is
clearly understood and demonstrated in the
passage OF the law through our popular rep
resentatives, let US see that the Law is nam
tanned to the letter.
The Alta Cal. in speaking of the Anti
Gambling Law says:
''If no other good deed had been done by
this Legislature, this act alone would en-
title it to the public gratitude. Gambling
here has long been crying evil 1t has
injured us at home and abroad The tran
sient visitor coming here and seeing the
gambling carried on in open day, the big
piles OF silver, gold and gold specimens
spread out to tempt the looker-on, has gone
away with the impression that this is the
most dangerous and immoral place in the
world. 1t is vain for the newspapers to say
that society here is as good as it is in the
Eastern cities-that life and property are as
safe here, or that it is desirable place for
the young people to come, so long as the
monster vice OF gambling stalks abroad un-
moleSted. If society were good they rea-
son, and correctly, such practice would not
be tolerated in public. If bad practice is
tolerated in public the people are at fault
and what could be said in defence of the
morality OF the people of California so long
as they permitted this vice of vices to exist
unrestricted
The suppression of gambling will have
good effect III more ways than one. 1t will
not only save the uninitiated from the path
OF destruction, bat away from California it
will operate to our advantage In many
parts OF the United States gambling is look
ed upon as thing very dreadful, and the
reports which 60 from here of the impunity
with which it is carried on has keot awav
many of that class of citizens whom most of
all we need-the moral, the sober, the in
dustrlous. Every correction of abuse like
this will render California attractive to the
emlgrant. 1t is sign that society is i'm
proving; and when the farmer, in his cold.
bleak, New England, New York or Micbi
gan, hears the glowing accounts of the gold
en- land OF California, with it's delicious eli
mate and prolific soil, its luxuriant fruit and
lnexhaustlble mines, he need not picture to
himself the open gambling saloon, with its
meretrlciouS display, nor the streets filled
with men each having large revolver slung
to his body; but in short time it is to be
hoped that our city shall be as free from
gamblers and from armed men as Quaker
church, so that the last objection to emf
grating to California will be done away-
Then shall the hardy, the sober and indus
trious citizen think it is indeed the land of
promise, and the tide Of immigration that
shall set in shall urge us onward with giant
strides IN the path of greatness and prosper
ity."
From what we can see and hear. this law
will be carried into peaceable effect in this
portion of the country by the proper author