Daily Republican., 1884-05-30
The Gambling CNrse.

There are other kinds Of gambling
in practice than the handling of a pack
of cards, the throwing of the dice box,
the turning of the wheel of fortune or.
the operations of a sweat cloth. 1t is,
carried on in corners in grain, corners
in lard, in meat, in produce of all kinds,
and most especially in stocks. Yet the
first series come in for the hearty con-
iemnation by those who manipulate the
markets and deal in margins and un-
lawful interests.
The New York Legislature has been
attempting, through its late session, to
pass some law by which slelght of hand
gambling with cards, dice, wheels, sweat
cloths and such other devices better
known to the gambling fraternity
might at least be checked if not pro
hibited, but has failed in the attempt,
1t was found that the evil of gambling
had acquired such strong hold upon
the community, and had become vice
of such monster mein that it could not
30 easily be removed. There were even
amongst members of the Legislature
men who would gladly have blotted out
the evils Of gambling by the aid of cards
dice ETC., who could not consistently
act on such a momentous question
while they themselves We're engaged in
dealing in margins and short at ten
per cent. month, making fortunes
while others were tleeced Of their money
as etfectually AS if it had been swept
away from them by the operations of
sweat cloth
There seems to be wide difference
morally in the public mind between
gambling by cards and sweat cloths and
gambling by the more genteel methods
of fleeing customer by charging him
ten per cent a month for money loan
ed, but the result is the same and it
cannot be denied that the gamblers IN
shorts and shrinkagrs are the most dan
gerous of the two classes on account of
the gloss of ge rteel respectability
thrown around the latter.
1t is impossible for the community
that endorses Wall stre-t methods to
the petty speculation IN games of
chance, nor can such community az
sume moral tone when de-canting
upon the evils of gambling IN any form,
Everyone sees that the attempt to draw
a distinction between the two kinds Of
gambling is really frivolous and futile !;
that is is strainng at gnat and
swallowing camel. The obviou' fact
is that the man who deals in futures on
the street is just as much Of Il gambler
as the man who " cnppers the ace y at
faro, and it makes no moral difference
whether dollars or millions ara con-
cerned. Wall street j., moreover, a
great national school of gambling, and
its influence for cultivatiug the passion
for what is called speculation" is a
thousand fold greater than thai OF all
the so-called gambling games in the
country.
Iflt is a good thing thai men should
so employ their faculties and ru"ms If
it is legitimate business 10 deal IN tC-
titious values; if the kind of business
that fills the Journals with defalcatlun-,
frauds, thrft>, cmbrLzlements, bank
ruptCieS and suicides j. one which
ought to be encouraged and approved,
then there can certainly be- no parliril-
lar harm in a little faro, or draw poker,
or saven-un, and it is mere atfectatiOn
of morality 20 inteTtrr" with these
amusementS, to Ch .rk them, while Stoci1
gambler, are allowed ~ pursue ummp-
leste their worst method If tirrcjng uu-
susprC'ing p"npL". Wall street gamb-
ling does more harm in month than
the other forms Of gambling do in ten
years. The latter are but anucNrS :,
the Wall street system. Spectators
in daytime are generally gamblers AT
night, quit" naturally, and the one
form leads ~ the other almost Il, a mat
ter Of course. Gambling is gambling
whether il j. over tine counter at the
stock exchange, ON the curbstoue, 81
over a g"rrn cloth, aud the worfl real
Ives this, mo matter what futile attempts
may br mndr to put the grades of gam
bling mo different CatrgDlieS.
There should be an honest attempt
made t. suppress gambling, but il
should be- made at the right place if i
is expected 10 succeed, \ war againS
faro and the roulette " would only b'
Topping off the branches of the tree
while the roots which give them all til,
life they have, would be as strong an,
vigorous as ever