The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-04-25

ion of gambling whlch - - I
" in accord with our view of the
the excellence of the law that we
take the liberty of changing the ma 1
ture of the pronouRs he uses ana
giving il editorial prominence
Alters congratulatory word, he says;
The keeping of gambling house
is a felony now in the State of Ten 4
nessee-any man convicted OF II, i +
n criminal and to be punished as
such in the State penitentiary along
with other criminals, and we are
glad, and every honest and true CIT
izen ought to be glad, it is So
Now, the first question that pre-
SCENTS itself before the minds OF IN (
telligent men is, will the law be ex-
ecuteI? Will courts and officers OF \
the people, who are entrusted with
the business of executing our laws
sec to the enforcement of this oneF
Will il be generally enforced
throughout the State? 1t ought to
be-we-hope il will. But to ensure
such general enforcement will re-
quire, in the first place, an out-spok-
en- courage upon the Partof the press
of the State, sustaining and encour-
aging the courts. and especially those
worthy servants Of the courts OF the
State. the coustablcs, sheriifS andJu-
rvmen of the various counties, in the
faithful and courageous discharge OF
-hcir several duties in the premises.
That this aw suppressing the
gambling hells, as they are com
monty aud not appropriately call
81. will be executed in some locali-
ties. and perhaps in many localities
in the State, we have not a doubt.
But the law is too important and
the good it promises to do far TOO
valuable to allow it to be a mere
dead letter upon the statute-book OF
anv judicial circuit, or any county,.
or any part of any county IN the
stale IL deserves to be enforced,
and ought to be enforced, through
out the length and breadth OF our
great commonwealth. ....
II faithfully enforced upon the
part of officers of the law, Judges
and iuries from Carter TO Shelby,
what will be the immediate good
ruit OF it? Simply this, the drtr'"g
of professional gamble S out Of ne
!SGtsg And what next? The clos
ina If erery qambing shelf IN Ten
aesses! Or perhaps it would have
been more in the order OF events To
have reversed the positions OF the
last two sentences. Perhaps the
professional gambler would not leave
until he 70 md his old haunts shut
up. Well, this ought really to be
the case now-we hope it Is, but fear
| il is not; that is, not universally the
case. Gamblers are proverbially
desperate fellows as a class, and we
shall not wonder if they show fight
in some localities, and try to bluff
the game" upon some of those who
NAV be entrusted with the solemn
and sacred duty of enforcing the
laws. They may generally retire
from the field without an effort to
stay. but we hardly expect them to
do so. Tennessee has been a favor
tie haunt with many of them, and a
field. in fact, that has been quite pro
life and has produced its full share
of them in the past They will not
like their Punishment for life.
But they will have to bear it, we
hope aud believe, or else give up
their degrading vice and become
law-abidiug citizens. In the former
case. the State can we'll afford TO lose
them, and will be much benefited
by their departure to parts un-
known" however much others may
be losers by their domicil amongst
them. Ina the latter case, the State
will make a clear gaIn--getting a
good citizen for bad one and an
honest laborer for vicious idler.
Our great State, by its location no
less than Dy its salubriOus climate
ana the enterprise and intelligence
of its people, to say nothing of those
divinely directed good providences,
commonly called accidents, bywhich
the pursc-strings of some OF the
great miIlionaires of the country
were Ioosened and their gold pro
fuselv poured into her lap for edu
cational purposes, ranks among the
first States of the Union in the mat
ter of educational facilities. Her
universities, colleges and academies
are educating, and will continue to
educate, a large portion of the youth
of the South and Southwest. The
patrons of these institutions Of learn
ING in which as a people we have
right to take pride, will feel that in
the passage and faithful and rigid
enforcement everywhere of the law
suppressing gambling houses, they
have another assurance that while
the minds of their sons are being
1900 ond ;rnnroved within the