Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-12-07
AWExlCAy GAMBLING.

GRAFTON OF Americans IL prone 20 follow
the devil on the downward DAD TO per-
dition. it is TO be found in the multiforn
popular devices for getting something
for nothing: or. in other words, IN the
widespread passion for gam bling. Not
only IN the large cities where vice has Its
temples. but IN quiet villages and IN
some of our ac adeuiies and colleges, the
faro bank and poker table are running
snnie of the most gifted and promising
III IA of the time. corruEtlnG their hearts
and habits. teaching them to be tricky
and false. and leading them stral-ht
along to the disgrace and ruin which tot
lows thievIng defalcation- ana breaches
Of trust. Even IN New Hampshire there
are scores of men who are today broken
IN fortune, IN ambition and IN rep0ta-
iIon, simply because of their strife Tor
riches at the gambling table. where only
ne who il cold FLOODED enough to be a
professional cut throat ever succeeds In
,m assIng a fortune. Aud yet this klnd
If gambling. which shuns the daylight
and fourishes only behind shutters and
bolts. which IL outlawed by the statutes
and by public opinion, wnic only tue
hesrtless succeed Ia and only the shame
less confess. TO be addicted TO, comes as
aear to being an honest occupation a.
almost any other. The gambler with
cards is generally cheat, but he has
thus in his fayor-that, as rule, he does
not cain to be anything else. He say.
to the man who plays with him: " IN
tend TO get your money without giving
you anything IN return. and whoever
bets that he isn't sharp enough to carry
out his intention does 50 with his eyes
open.
The victim, Of course, expects to WIN;
but when he has lost his last dollar, and
perhaps hundreds that belong to others.
ne has only himself to reprOach. de
nas known from the start that he Wah
engaged IN All Illegal, dangerous and
Disgrace ful business, In which he could
expect no favOrs and no quarter, and
when he thinks 1t all over hc ~ forced TO
the conclusion that he has Jared quite H.
we'll a. he deserved.
Next to the Cd I'd table come The lOtter
/ les, beginning with those which control
.ome of the southern State governments
aud openly defy the laws Of the United
states, and ending with the cheap copies
by which pious people whip the devil
/ round q stump" at church and charity
fairs. Some Of these are cheats OF the
| worst description, and some, perhaps,
are managed squarely; but they are all
| organized for the purpose of appealing
10 the passion of men for gambling, and
| conducted to get none, without return
| iuQ an equivalent. They all rob their
| oatrons, and, in nine cases out OF ten,
gather their receipts fioin the ignorant
| and the poor, who have no money 10
spare.
Alvin sister Of tho lottery curse goes
| out in the shape Of the prize package
| which is the bait used to lure people into
tho nieshes OF traders who have mer-
| ohaHdise to sell that cannot be sold at
| the price asked upon its merits. This
| too, appeals to people desire to "try
| their luck" and is species of cheap
gambling which finds victims by tue
| thousand among those whose circum-
stances should induce them not to fool
away their money in game Ut chance.
Generally, this game Is cheat ut both
ends. The prize is not what 1t Is repre-
sented, and the wares which 1t helps to
sell are frauds. Whoever buys a prize
package of candy ia order to get chance
to find a gold ring, even when III luck.
gets glucose instead of sugar and brass
instead of gold; and most of the men
and women who are Induced to pay 81
for clothing and groceries by agreement
that some one of them shall draw piano
or chamber set are pretty certain 70
wear shoddy and eat adulter tlons for
the rest of the year, while even the for
tunate prize winner listens to hideous
music and sleeps on rickety bedstead
until he wishes some of his enemies had
lis good luck.
Still worse IL the mania for gambling
in stocks, which oOrrOdes the conscience,
frenZies the BRAN, and petrites the
he arts Of the men and women who com
prise We spectators of Wall and State
streets. This is an emlnently fsspeCta
ble curse which attacks all classes. IL
haunts the parlor as we'll as the bar
room, roOsts over the doors of oui
strongest banks, occupies font seat
and Oftentimes the pulpit In church
and makes paupers and thieves out OF
the most gifted and thu most trusted in
the community. 1t is recognized as a
legitimate occupation, and the man en-
gagged in il loses neither caste nor his
seat ut tho communion table as long as
he succeeds.
And SO it is all along the line and In
all conditions of life. A frantic struggle
to get money without working for it-a
reckless trusting to luck, a deliberate
stalking of everything upon the honor OF
professional sharpers, tricksters and
cheats. And the worst of it is, there Is
u criminal apathy and indifference tC
this mad rush to destruction, and bu,
few efforts pade to check it. We have
a., MA ~ for tha
suppression of intemperance. no lack OF
preaching to correct the evils that grow
ont of our divorce system, and rs often
AS We care to be We are lectured upon
the necessity of reform III our dress and
manners; but this widespread and many
shaped gambling curse exists and grows
in the silence that gives consent, provok-
ing scarcely a protest anywhere, and IN
earnest movement for its suppression
nowhere. Ii ought to be otherwise, and
some day it will he, or We shall have a
country in which honesty and fair deal
ing are strangers.
SAN FRANCrsCo Coal MARKET.-J. W
Harrison. coal and metal broker. ia his
weekly market review, says: The ag
gregate arrivals of coal this week from
foreign ports have been unprecedented
in the annals of California, aud if cir
cumstances had not strongly favored
the holders there would have been a
disastrous decentralization in prices
but the limited quantity on hand, com.
bined with a large proportion of the
importations going direct to consumers
has fully sustained the market In the
history Of the coal trade it is safe to say
il will never be repeated. Holders ar.
fully aware that the quantity atloat and
the quotations made for present load
ing cannot seriously affect future prices
| Coal is the only foreign article of any
magnitude that today shows profit or
cost of importation. Cumberland and
anthracite grades cannot fail to feel the
present hardening of prices on all Other