The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1876-12-12
POOL-sELLsNG AND THE ELEC-
TlONs

POOL-sELLsNG AND THE ELEC-
| TION.
A powerful agent in producing and
stimulating the excitement Of the pres
idential contest, as well ~ in coloring
all dispatches announcing the result,
was the pool gambling in the large cit
les Of the Union. In New York city
alone there are six prominent pool
rooms, and IL is estimated that the
proprietors OF these rooms are the GUS
todians of not less than 81, 900, 900 now
awaiting the result in Florida, South
Carolina, and Louisiana. Baltimore,
Cincinnati, st. Louis, and New Orleans
have their pool-rooms, where youth
and old age, the groom and the swell,
meet on a level, and elbow each other
in their eagerness TO secure the most
favorable combinations on which to
stake their funds. These institutions
enjoy the
CONFIDENCE or THE COMMUNITY
no an extent which our banking institu-
tion may we'll envy. John Morrissey,
a gambler and an ex-prize-fghter.i is to-
day walking around with 81 $50, 900 Of
the peoples money in his private pos
session, for which they have not the
slightest security. Should Morrissey
pocket this money, his victims would
be kicked ont of court il they attempt
ed to complain.
PooL-sELLING Is GAMBLING.
All who participate are gamblers, and
gamblers have no standing in court
whatever. Morrissey is regarded, how
ever. as "square" gambler, and his
patrons have all confidence in receiv-
ing what will be due them when the
election is decided. The pool-room
proprietors expect to make living by
means of them, and they cannot afford
to be even suspected of unfairness.
Still it is not legitimate, and those who
dabble with it imbibe contempt for
straight business transactions. Where
is the bank that can command one
twentieth Of the amount now held by
Morrissey without giving security for
it, ortmaking a statement of its fnau-
cial condition?
HOW IT Is DONE.
The favorite pool combination in
this country is the invention of
Frenchman named Oller, and was
brought to the United States in 1872.
The system is called the "Paris mu-
tual, and is run as follows: Suppose
the event to be horse race. For sew
ersl days previously, opportunities are
offered to spectators to name the win
ming horse. An indicator is displayed
in the room, on which is q number Of
tin boxes. We will suppose there are
three horses entered. The names OF
the horses, A, b and g, are displayed,
each in a different box. The person
betting pays S5 for a ticket and names
his winning horse. He selects, per-
haps, G.; the operator manipulates the
indicator, and the box marked @ dis
plays card numbered /, which means
that S5 have been wagered that @ wins
the race. Others come in, and SO it
goes until the race is announced, when
the pools close. The indicator shows
how many tickets at S5 each have been
sold on each horse. Suppose it stands
thus: A 100, b so, G 60. This will be
$40 tickets at S5 each, or 81 200. If A
wins, the money wagered on b and O
will be divided among the 100 holders
of A tickets, minus the per cent.
commission on the gross amount de-
posted, which is usually charged by
the booksellers. But G il wins then
there would be the amount wagered on
A and B, or 5000, to be divided among
the ~ holders of tickets on @. BY this
system men can bet on any event, from
presidential election to dog light.
AUCTION POOL
lar, as it generally costs more to get
in" This is the usual mode of betting
at horse-races, ETC., all over the coun-
try, and its operation is too well known
to need any description. BY these
systems Of betting person may 'make
hit," and thus win out of all proper
tion TO the amount bet; and it is this
very uncertainty which adds to the ex-
citement, and is fast making our peo-
pie nation of gamblers. During the
presidential excitement there was
vast amount OF
HEDGING.
This consists simply in watching every
phase of an event, and IL an unfavor-
able change occur i'll the lookout the
speculator bets against his previous
wagers, and thus saves his money less
the commission. In the New York
pool.rooms from the first, Tilden had
the cali, leading Hayes at odds Of
about 800 to $50. Ii is generally be-
lieved, however, that he was n party to
L
the pool-room betting was accepted as
an indication of popular sentiment
As most men like to be on the winning
side, he argued that keeping the pools
/ in his favor would win him votes, and
no doubt it did. Men bought into
pools, believing, from pool-room indi-
cations, that he was the popular candi-
date, and afterwards voted as they had
wagered.
THE DECENTRALIZATION
from this species of gambling can
/ hardly be estimated. II not only saps
| the foundation Of legitimate business,
but in the present phase of matters it
has been conducive to frauds and cor
ruption at the ballot-box, such as
"stufiing" the boxes, forging or alter
ing returns, buying and selling votes,
etc; and there is little doubt that
many kilograms pretending to announce
results were the work of gamblers who
were seeking an opportunity to hedge
their bets or secure more. 1t has thus
been made n powerful enemy to pure
and honest government, throwing the
results of the elections into the hands
of unmitigated knaves, defeating the
wishes of the honest electors by con-
verting the ballot into merchandise,
and rendering our elections q mockery
and a farce. For these reasons it
should be suppressed by stringent en-
actmeuts, disfranchising both buyer
and seller. As now conducted, il may
evade the gambling act; but it Is gam
bling, pure and simple, and Of the
most enticing, demoralizing kind. A
regard for the welfare of the entire
country demans its prompt suppress
| sion In all the Sfaias