The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-23
THE GAMBLING MANIA.

insinuated itself into every department of
business and social life. Its poison is found
in every vein and artery of commerce, as
we'll as in the web and wool of the social
fabric. The passion is among the very
strongest and most seductive of the entire
group of the frailties of human nature. 1t
feeds upon itself and grows stronger by in
diligence In working its way from the
bottom to the top of business and social life
everything with which this spirit has come
in contact has been contaminated,
and now, from its high places
in the market, and in both civil and
official life, it emits a constant flow of moral
virus that runs and spreads like all epidemic.
Il is devil-fsh whose arms reach into
every nook and corner. The bank cashier
is caught up and devoured, and the conf
Dental clerk follows. The discovery is made
too late, and homes are desolate and hearts
broken. The prison door swings open to
receive those formerly honored and trusted.
A cunningly devised circular finds its way
ers, and upon its face is borne
the marks of plausible and
honorable enterprise. The money, to the
amount mentioned, is enclosed to Swindler
& Son, who have thus fastened their victim
upon the hook, and by the expert manipu-
lations of the arts of the gambler these
farmers are turned into what are called spec
ulators. When the merchant goes home at
night to his family, he is liable to be made
beggar before morning by the overmaster-
ing influence OF the passion for gambling on
the part of his trusted clerk.
These cases are not wrought out from
fancy, but from facts taken from daily ex-
perience. The middle and poorer classes
while comparatively free from participation
in gambling ventures themselves, yet suffer
none the less from its consequences. The
prices of the staple commodities are rendered
unstable and uncertain. The workman has no
assurance that to-day's labor will buy to-
morrow's bread, because combination of
gamblers make a football of the price of
it, For the same reason the producer
is robbed of his right to obtain the returns
for his products fixed by legitimate demand.
To the mania for gambling public officers
both civil and military, have been made con-
spcuous victims. Men known and respected
from boyhood are honored with the. custody
of trust funds, and presently, like clap of
thunder from a clear sky, their constituents
are dumfounded with the intelligence of
operations in futures, and heavy deficits
in public accounts.
The passion for gambling is stronger than
the obligation of an official bond, and
outweighs personal honor. Men who have
had the courage to face every danger in war,
and returned from the field covered with
scars and honor, have gone to ruin as COM
mon gamblers From these cases, and others
without number that could be cited, it is
evident that this passion is the most danger
ons that pervades the civilization of the
time. But the most direful results
follow when men OF vast wealth
and influence are broken and ruined by it,
not on account OF the men of this class, but
because their wreck and ruin permeates So
ciety at large, and reaches out and destroys
the innocent in great numbers who had
trusted them If these gamblers could be
turned loose TO devour each other the car
niyal would excite little pity; but what is
souandered is the fruit of some mans hon
est toll. The gambler produces nothing.
Every dollar lost by him has been iilched
from some one who earned it. When a mil
lion dollars is lost in margins" on Change
there is, perhaps not dollar in it that the
loser has acquired fairly. As fortunes are
lost in this way somebody must win them.
The wealth of many prominent spectators
in the country can be accounted for in no
other way. These Spectators, as they call
themselves, are looked up to as patterns in
business affairs by the young men around
them In many cases the very first attempt
the young man makes to follow his model
he will fail and land in the penitentiary.
Had he succeeded in winning his million
instead, the leadership in affairs would have
been open TO him.
Who is to blame for all this? What is the
remedy? All are to blame. Individually
and collectively we are sadly in need of ton
ing up on this question. Contemplating the
matter and looking the ugly facts squarely
in the face, We shall be forcibly impressed
with the necessity OF a prompt and deter
mined fight against this destroying evil.
Called upon to point out remedy, much
reliance must naturally be placed upon
wholesome LEGISLATION OH this snhiect. and