New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-04-04
FARO.


excite the disgust Of THE TRIBUNE for reason similar
to that which led 1t to damn with faint praise the
precision Of the public practice OF keno Here az In thai
case cheap vice is Disseminated against. The frugal
artisan denied the diversion of faro while 1t per
med to the rich person who relieves the tedious round
Of his duties bank officer and yestryman with ven
turing superfuous coin upon the chances OF cards Ac
cording THE TRIBUNE this is grossly nequtabe The
fact Is however that the police have done very sens
De thing in the selection of their victims. Keno and
what is called the "day game" OF faro allure rustics
strplings and other inexperienced and comparatively
mpecunous persons whom the police ought to interfere
to protect even from the consequences OF their own
misdeeds rich man. who chooses to risk somo OF his
riches in surreptitious may not be respectable
but is certainly responsible person He pays the pen
atty OF playing, and, whether or not he can Afford H.
can hardly be said to be c business Of The police 10 stop
rice which evidently carries its own punishment Inc
men who frequent retired and sumptuous gambling
houses mostly either rich men or professional gam
blers. If they play with tho money Of other people,
they apt DO deauters upon large SCALE since the
high stakes which prevail In the palaces OF faro prohibit
mere pferers sharing in them But the product OF
pferng will suffice for stake at keno or Mt the
day-gamc " OF faro. which has been played In a
shabby way down town. and which the police nave
now brought naugbt. II only gamblers played with
each other everybody would with equanmity their
mutual destruction In the manner OF the cats OF Kill
kenny and judicious policeman would intervene to
stop the slaughter. The people who play at the large
houses people who mainly have their eyes OPEN and
are entitled to consideration The people who play
at such dens as those which have been shut up Of
different class. Tho tendency OF such dens to promote
differing among very numerous class OF shoPmen and
clerks Clearly, the need for suppression Il much more
urgent in this case than In the other World
Comments by The Tribune.
We copy from The World the above strik-
ING illustration Of the organized fraud which
steals votes under the name of Democracy.
The whole drift of the article tends to demon
strate that while poor gamesters ought to be
dealt with according to law, rich men and
professional gamblers should be permitted to
play faro and bet money with impunity.
The TRIBUNE protests against all such dis
tinctions-against all speculations as to what
laws should and what should not be enforced.
We do not know which gamblers are rich and
which poor, nor do we care. The rights and
immunities of one class are just equal to those
of the other. No one has any right to make
distinctions in practice for which there
is no warrant in law. All such
speculntions as The World INDUCES in
are simply impcrtinent. What we demand of
Mr.. Superintendent KelsO and his subOrdinates
is that they faithfully enforce the tocs They
have nothing to do with the wealth or pow
erty, respectability or sbabbness, of law
breakers. They are employed and paid to
take care that the laws are Obeyed and their
yiolators made to suffer the prescribed pen
alties. With "vicen or "sinn as such, they
have simply nothing to do: they have right
to know only wrespecters and law-breakers.
If they did not before know where the lead
ing gambling houses in our City are located,
they know it now from the exposures made in
these columns, and have no shadow of excuse
for further forbearance. Messrs. Kelso and
subordnates will you do your sworn dutyf