, 1879-06-29

ton streets is infested with crowds of pre-
fessional and amateur gamblers,-the forme
living and thriving upon the ignorance an
gullibi1ity Of the latter. There is no attemp
to conceal the nature of the disraputable an
illegal business carried on under the name o
poo1-rooms," and there has been no effor
on the part Of the Mayor and police, SO ia
as we know, to break up these dens or h
arrest the proprietors and managers thereof
Chicago has never been disgraced by 81
open and shameless IN exhibition of con
tempt for the Stato and city laws agains
gambling as it is to-day. The Inauguration
Of the present City Administration seems tx
have been construed by the gambling frater
nifty ns Co1yN's election was, and tht
"sports and blacklegs have come here By
the hundreds with some sort of assurance
that they will encounter no interference ir
their lawless and swindling practices. The
faro-banks are run as "wide open :" rs the
pool-rooms, and all alike appear to be acting
under some pledge or understanding Of i'm.
munity. There is regular carnival OF
gambling in the town, and neither Mayor
HARn1soN nor the police seem disposed to put
any check upon it.
The pool-rooms are the most corrupting Of
ali gambling institutions, because they are
operated as though pool-se1ling were legit-
innate business, and thus attract the presence
of young men who would not consent to en-
ter . faro-bank or keno-den. Ingenuity and
enterprise have extended the gambling facili-
ties Of pool-selling SO as to accommodate the
smallest and the highest gamblers. Not q
| day passes that does not afford gambling
| risks all the way from few cents up to
| thousands Of dollars. Pools are sold on
horse-races, baseball matches, walking
matches, rowing matches, or elections,-no
matter in what part Of the country these
things are taking place. There are @auction
pools" French POOLS" combination
pools" and, for aught We know, various
other varieties suited to tho different tastes
and means Of those who patronizs the pool
rooms These rooms are crowded almost all
the time, and the apparent authority under
which they are run attracts business
men, bookkeepers, clerks, and all manner
of people. Bar-rooms ara connected with
all these institutions, and rum stimulates
and embo1dens the inexperienced aud timid
ones; the beginners soon. become confirmed
gamblers. Those who win money are led
into vicious excesses of all kinds to spend it;
those who lose are tempted to borrow from
friends, pawn their effects, rob tilla, and
raise checks. The evil has become SO wide
spread that many.of the lending merchants,
bankers, and employers have actually engaged
the services Of. detectives to watch these
rooms, and to report to them the names Of
any Of their clerks and employees who visit
the places to gamble. This fact will explain
to good many young men who occupied re-
sponsible positions how they came to be sud
denly discharged, and it should warn other
young men in similar positions to avoid
these money -squandering, disreputable re-
sorts. If the authorities will not close up
these gambling haunts, the merchants and
business men must take measures to protect |
themselves from the losses which the gam
bling Of their employees always threatens.
An appeal was made to tho late Legislature |
to pass law specifically bearing upon the |
pool-rooms and it is q notorious fact that |
the gambling interests had lobby-agent at |
Springfield aud supplied him with money to
defeat the proposed law. There is not a |
doubt that the failure Of the act
prohibiting this species Of gambling was due |
to corrupt influences brought to bear on
But it is equally certain
that the city authorities have the power un-
der the existing laws and ordinances to raid
and break up the pool-rooms, and their
failure to do SO will, after while, be attrib-
ated to the very same influences which proved
80 potent in the committee-room at SPRING
ield. The following section of the Criminal
Jode undoubtedly applies to pool-room
gambling:
SEC. 126.-Whoevcr shall play for money or
my other valuable thing at any game with cards,
lice, checks, or at billiards. or NTH any other
E~t.e1e, instrument, or thing 7ohatsoevet, which
nay TIC used for the purpose OF playing Or betting
'pon, or winning or losing money, or any other
hing or article Of value, shall bet on any game
theirs may be playing, ehall be fined not exceeding
100 and not less shan S1Q
The next section Of the Criminal Code
'rovides IN terms equally comprehensive for
he punishment by fine and Imprisonment
the keepers Of the house in which gam
ling is tolerated. The duty Of the Mayor
nd his police is further defined by the fol
owing city ordinances
CHAP. 28, SEC. II, Luzus ana Ordinances, No :
erson shall have, keep. or permit to bo used, in ;
ny building OF place within this city used, occu
[ed. or controlled BY such person, any ''E. O."
ole, Remarkable, faro bank shuttle board, baga {
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