Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-11-22
The Evils of Betting,

The evils of betting upon elections
were never seen more conspcuously
than at the present time. Betting was
a regularly authorized and established
branch of Mr.. Tilden's elecioneering sys-
TEN. over which Mr.. John Morrissey was
the presiding genius. His gambling es-
tablishment was the fountain of iniquity
from which flowed the influences that car
ried betting upon the election into all the
cities and larger towns of the Union and
many of the smaller towns and villages.
The extent to which the matter of bet
ting upon the election has been carried this
year may be gathered from the fact that
not less than three million dollars are at
stake upon the issue in the pools" of New
York city alone. How this has served to
demoralize business and 10 correct honest
business habits the New York Tribune
describes as follows.
at is stated that a million dollars have teen
taken out OF Wall street alone for investments on
the election. Hundreds of collectors for large
houses, who make settlements only at the end OF
employers funds locked up in these pool boxes are
now In agony on account Of no settlements by the
pool sellers at the end of November when they
will be called to refund what they have collected
Thousands OF young men who scraped all possible
sums together to invest in these pools are now
awaiting in hopeful poverty for the day when set
Elements will be made. Even merchants of stand
ing are in distress and discredit because of this
delay, and there is one painful case now being
gossiped about of merchant who has had To 90
EurOpa hia addlad hro,r
endeavoi to rescue his imperiled business
These immense sums are now tied up in
the pool-room, and as the principal gam
blers declare their intentions not to pay
any bets until the next President is inau-
gurated, the money must remain idle for
months. Moreover, the men who have
invested money in these pools have no le-
gal redress, if the gamblers choose to
make of with it. The law does not re
cognize pool-selling more than any other
form of gambling, and the men who have
staked money in these pool-rooms are
wholly at the mercy of the gamblers.
Even this is not all. There is an old
law in New York authorizing the Board of
Ten Governors of the Almshouse to zap
ply for receiver to take possession of the
funds obtained and the effects to be raf-
fled" in any prize enterprise. The Com
missIoners of Charities and Correction sue.
ceeded to the powers Of the Ten Cover
nors; good legal authority holds that pool
selling. before the law, is in the nature of
prize enterprise; and so the New York
papers are very generally calling upon the
Commissioners of Charities to apply for
an Injunction upon the managers of the
pool-rooms to prevent them from paying
out any OF the money until the Courts
have decided whether or not the Commits
sioners can lawfully claim it. The point
is a good one, and we hope the Commits
sioners will act on it, There will be
plenty of poverty which might be re-
lieved, this winter, by the use of two or
three million dollars, and we venture to
say that the Commissioners would expend
the money much more wisely and more
for the good of the community than the
gamblers who staked it. Such a course
would clinch the moral already clearly
taught--the folly and decentralization of
betting.