The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-12-06
Monday. December 6. 1876.
Pool-SeIling in Politics,
From he ~ Y. Tribune. Dee. 3D..

".
why" says The Nation, ''do We not
hear more from the refOrmers' about
John Morrissey? What work of purifi-
"cation is that modest Christian gentleman
now engaged in?" He is in Washington,
busy, as we understand, in saving the
country from the ruin and disgrace threat,
ened by the election of the Hon. sMichael
G, Kerr as speaker of the house of repre-
sentatives, Mr.. Kerr is admitted, even by
his enemies, to be one of the most thor
oughly honest men in pnblic life, politi-
clan who has been tested by long term
of service and found absolutely incorrupti,
bic. But he is alleged, we do not know
upon what precise grounds, to represent,
we do not know in what precise way, the
opinions of Tammany Hall, whatever
those may be, and Mr.. Morrissey has ac-
cordingly made up his mind that the duty
of the hour is to purify politics from the
contamination Of Kerr. The candi-
dacy of Mr.. tKerr, he thinks, is a
national disgrace, and "he will never
permit it to succeed if he can help it. "
So Mr.. Morrissey is going into this thing
with all his might, and if current rumor is
to be trusted, the New York custom house
and Col. Tom Scott are backing him heav-
lily.
1t may be only coincidence, but no
sooner had the Hon. John Morrissey ar
rived at the capital than pool-selling on
the speakership opened with great liveli-
ness in one of the Washington hotels
We are used to that sort of thing in New
York where on the eve Of election the
resorts of the fancy" are given up to this
species of betting. and the statesman Of
the period puts up his money, and dis
cusses the speed and bottom of the run
ming candidates with great affluence of Ian
guage. When antiquaries of the year
1915, searching the great public libraries
which by that time will be required to hold
complete files of the Tribune, decipher from
the stained and widowed pages of the vol
ume now drawing to its close the cabalistlc
records Of the pool-selling of 1875, they
will find that it was the custom of this
generation to make the same use of its
governors, mayors, congressman, and
police justices that it did of its race
horses, and that certain class Of hard
handed sons of toll, represented by Mr..
John Morrissey, earned an honest living
by betting upon their performances. They
may be a little puzzled to explain our
civilization when they find US selling pools
on elections, and ordering the police to
break up church rattle; but Of course
we must draw the line somewhere, and
just now we draw it at charity fairs. But
if public pool-selling on the results of a
general election is common enough in New
York, it is SO much of novelty in connec-
ton with the speakership at Washington
that we dare say some dispassionate OBJ
servers-intelligen foreign travellers, for
instance. or members of the diplomatic
corps-will call it great scandal. And
the reason is PLAIN,
The number of persons upon whose joint
action these bets are laid is so small that {
few ofthem can combine TO bring about any
result they please. Suppose these few make
up party for little speculation? They
have only to buy pools and then vote 50 al
to win, Or suppose some Jealous patrio
in the sporting line has commission from
rich corporation in want of subsidies, Of
political organization with purposes OF it
own to serve, to buy up members enough
to secure the speakership? Bribery is no
safe; but he can pick out his men ant
innocently offer them odds in a nice liitl
pool and then if he loses how surprised h,
will be! Washington is governed in an odt
sort of way. and it is not always easy to SCI
Just where the authority for any needet
action hes; but there ought to be powe
somewhere to put a stop to this sort @
business at the capital, or before long
will be told all over the world tina
members of congress put up the speaker
ship at auction.