The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1871-10-06
SHALL IT CONTINUE.

Many of the best citizens of the
county have called our attention to
the fact that gambling devices were
permitted to be brought on the Fair
ground, and that gambling was open
ly carried on. That such is true is
undeniable, and there is great re-
sponsibility somewhere. In the rear
apartment of the Portland Lunch
House, were not less than six gam
bling tables, presided over by slow
fellows of the baser sort" with hiring
eyes and hang-dog faces, while scat
tered over the ground were scores of
small sneak thieves from the lowest
gambling hells in the State, acting as
"cappers." to inveigle unsuspecting
youths into their tolls. No precau-
ton was taken to guard the entrance
to this gambling establishment against
any who desired admission. The
business was carried on in that bold,
high-handed manner which says to
those who object to such things, help
yourselves; we have right here. y
Now that such things are not only
base and disgraceful, viewed from a
moral stand point, but violations of
law and punishable by fine and i'm
prisonment, may be seen by re-
ferring to the following section, to be
found on page 1859 of the laws of
1865 of this State.
SECTION 1. Each and every per-
son who shall deal, play or carry on,
open or cause to be opened, or who
shall conduct, either as owner, pro-
prietor or employee, whether for hire
or not, any game of faro, monte, rou-
lette, rouge-et-noir, lansquinette, ron
do, vingt-un or twenty-one, poker,
draw-poker, bluff, bragg, thaw, or any
banking or other game played with
cards, dice or any other device,
whether the same be played for mon
ey, checks, credits, or any other repre-
sentative of value, shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor, and upon conviction
thereof before any justice of the peace,
upon complaint, shall be punished by
q fine of mot less than twenty nor more
than two hundred dollars, and shall
be imprisoned in the county Jail until
such fine and costs are paid; Prorided,
That such person. so convicted, shall
be imprisoned one day for every two
dollars of such fine and costs; Ind
1orouided further, That such imprison-
ment shall not exceed one year.
1t is the right of all persons, when
they know the law is being violated,
to give information to the proper au-
thority, and have the guilty party ar
rested and dealt with. This being the
case, those who desire to exclude
gambling from the Fair ground have
the power in their own hands to do
SO, and failing to attend to such duty
they have little cause to complain of
others 1t is easy to find fault but is
sometimes hard to eradicate the wrong
complained of. At the next meeting
of the Agricultural Society, should
gambling devices be brought on the
ground. let the law be appealed to by
any good citizen and he will be sup
ported by the whole moral sentiment
of the community. The species of
gambling practiced at our late Fair
was the lowest grade, and to be found
only In the dirtiest slums of large cit
les. The young and inexperienced
are the only parties liable to be caught
in such traps, and older heads fail to
do their duty when they permit
thieves to boldly spread such snares
for unsuspecting youth.