Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1859-05-11
The Why-ard Why Not.

The Territorial Legislature of New Mexico
recently passed an act entitled IAN Act to
restrain the vice of Gambling, " but when pre-
scented to Gov. Rencher for his approval, he
refused to sign ii, and returned it to the Legis-
lature, giving among other reasons, that not
withstanding the title purported to restrain
the vice of gambling, yet in effect it provi-
ded for the repeal of that law now in force
against gaming, and gave to it the sanction
and authority of law by licensing it." The
Governor then goes on at length to give his
reasons, from which we make the following
extract:
"Where | find the main object and body Of
a law good, | sign it and leave its defects to
be corrected by future legislation. Inthe Bill
before me, this is not the case. 1t in effect re-
peals a law which | believe a good one, and
which is admitted to be a necessary and proper
one by every moral community, and every en-
lightened Legislature. Instead of Restraining
the vice of gaming, it legaliZes and sanctions a
vice which must further demoraliZe US as a peo-
pie, and weaken the arm Of public Justice
THERE'S no vice which so e~nslaves and debases
US, none which destroys the happiness of so
LAoIJ Ah1AAASE. Va A1N ~ AAAo 3AA NaAAN
so many unhappy victims. The revenue
which the Bill proposes to raise by a tax on
gaming, would barely pay the expense Of
prosecuting and furnishing the many crimes
which would result, either directly or indi-
! rectly, from the encouragement which this
bill would give to vice. To say the least of
4 it, 1t is a bill to raise revenue at the sacrifice
of the morality, good order and character of
society. Instead of legalizing gaming, all
enlightened governments have passed the Sc
! verest laws against it. They have felt it a
g sacred duty to protect the young, the igno-
rant, and the unwary against those birds OF
prey that, unfortunately, are found every
:, where, even when they are not encouraged
u by law. Your own Legislative Assembly,
when directed by wise counsels. saw the evils
n of legalized gaming, and passed the law which
~ you now wish to repeal. Let us rather en-
" deavor to enforce it, and raise revenue by III
y execution, instead of its repeal. In this way
we shall accomplish a double good, and Civ,
rs to the people Of the State an assurance thar
ID New Mexicoc can govern herself by good laws.
re Governor Rencher is from North Carolina
and holds forth the very doctrine concerning
ms gaming, that the friends Of Temperance hav
i'll contended for with regard to the Liquor Trai
a. fic. Let the reader substitute the words ''liquo
sh traffic for gaming" in the extract give
h. above, and he has an argument as just as
is irrefutable, against the l~egalized ours
-er which the license system Of North Carolin
ne imposes upon its citizens. And yet polit
no clans will sing Te Deums over the one, Will
N they denounce and anathematize the othe
Such is the difference betwixt tweedle-de,
ed and tweedledum We again ask our readeI
ills to examine the above extract from Go,
Sc Rencher's veto message, and substituting Il
he words 'liquor traffic" for gaming" the
Tas cannot fail to be struck with the parallelisn