Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-09-25

Vuite uDie cplhniuniSutiOiii Hh'pi WV
heading, "Iegalized Gambling" We
regret that we have not space for his
article In our first tentative remarks
upon this subject we stated that it was
very delicate one, and that as to any
communities but those OF the frontier
of the United States our opinion would
be decizively against its licensing. We
were particular In mentioning the garish
"hells" which have been suppressed in
Homburg, Nice, Mentone, Baden-Baden
and other European Health resorts, to
which our correspondent refers, and to
express. our unqualified approval OF such
suppression. The fact must be borne in
mind that. as respects nearly all those
places, they are noted health resorts,
and that the confluence there Of tens Of
thousands of wealthy invalids has been
the true source of their prosperity, and
that this hygienic impulse of settlement
has been reinforced by the dismantling
Of the gambling hells. In addition, the
countries in which public and licensed
gambling has been suppressed are under
despotic governments, which employ
large standing armies and Police force
so extensive and inquisitorial ms to be
highly offensive to the policy of Re-
publican government which, though it
has many and sterling merits, is not
of the paternal aud repressve
order common in monarchical Europe.
We are inclined TO think that in from.
tier community, like Los Angeles, there
would be a positive mitigation OF many
confessed evils by licensing gambling,
though in our first reference to the mat
ter we said that well-meaning but mis-.
directed sentimersalism would make it
next to impossible to secure the enact
ment into municipal laws Of such an
ordinance.
There are certain considerations as to
this matter which cannot be ignored
without positive hypocrisy, in reference
TO Los Angeles and Tucson. They ares
"a Ever since the first citizen of the
United States put his foot into either of
these places there has not been day in
which numerous games, which have not
bean licensed, have not been going on.
Frequently they are SO close to cur most
crowded thoroughfares that the chink of
the coin staked on the hazard can be
heard by the wayfarer.
(2.) In Tucson, where gambling is
licensed, the city derives substantial
revenue, which enables il to maintain
an efficient police from habit whose
force all intelligent people concede and
all well-meaning men deprecate. As a
matter Of fact, in Tucson social order is
preserved and minors are excluded from
these games.
(3.) In Los Angeles, where gambling
is nominally under the ban, minors are
allowed to gamble as readily as adults,
with most demoralizing results.
a. In San Francisco, where both
gambling and prostitution are under the
ban of the law, the most atroeious forms
of these social evils flourish with prod
igality of ruin and Infamous abandon
not known elsewherefon the face of the
globe. The vicious nincompoops who
yearly go to Paris to get on the track OF
the suppressed Jardin Mabille and
the existing Closerie des Lila's could
discover more of dephlegmated, undefe-
Gated vice in San Francisco in day
than they could find out in Paris in a
month of Sundays, Yet San
Francisco is too yirtuous to Ii
cense the milder types of the social
vices, and does not derive dollar to-
wards the maintenance of its expensive
police force from the existence of evils
which, day in and day out, have given
their principal employment to the uni
formed conservers OF the peace and we'll
being of the community. Through a
Difference to decorous and somewhat
pharisaic sentiment, that city prefers
that Chief Crowley and his co-adjutors
should rejoice in royal income from
the existence of evils which have not
been suspended there for two days in sue
eession for the past thirty-four years, and
which will probably not be suspended
for two days consecutively for the next
thirty.four years to a sensible system,
by which the municipal treasury would
benefit, OF course, these places are
raided occasionally, but this is only for
the purpose of adjusting the scale Of
official blackmail.
We have said just enough to show
that if Los Angeles should initiate the
example of Sacramento, and license
gambling, there would be at least the
accruing benefits of an increased fund to
the city, available for the maintenance
of the Police, the exclusion of minors
from gambling games and far higher
degree of order iu the licensed places