The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-09-22
A GAMBLING NATION.
THE AMERICANS COMMON VICE.
Not Limited to the Institutions for Faro,
Roulette, Poker, ct iii, but Intro
duced Into Every Feature
OF Business and Life.

Gambling has become the favorite
amusement Of Americans. With many
it Is business rs well. The extent OF the
habit is, of course, unmarked by statis-
ties or census except in the case of "hus-
siness gambling or speculation, but 1t is
almost incredibly great. The constant
or occasional dealers in grain on margin
at the Chicago board number thousands
in the city and thousands more i'll other
cities and in country towns chicago
Is the centre of all grain speculation
In America and there il
scarcely town in the North of
10000 population that has not one or
ID more brokers, each with his correspond
snts in this city and telegraphic com
munication q dozen times q day. An
estimate of the number of their GUS
toners is well nigh impossible, but they
must be an army. Stock gambling
through Wall street is, of course, the
most extensive. Every tluctuation on
the exchange is Immediately tele-
graphed in all directions, to be scanned
by tho many thousands of investors.
Daily newspapers the country over find
their readers so eager for information as
to the gossip and features of the stock
and grain "markets" that they are
led to employ special correspond
ents and writer's to cover these sub
Iects with great thoroughness. More
than one newspaper printed either i'll
Chicago or New York incurs an annual
Expense exceeding $1,000 III procuring
Intelligence valuable only to specula-
tors. So general is business gambling
ev0n in provincial cities that newspaper
proprietors are compelled oiten against
their will to supply tho demand for
''market news"
But it is not only in grain and railway
stocks that "busiuoss gamblers" find
attractions. Mining stocks are extern
sively dealt in, especially on the Pacific
coast, while oil numbers its votaries by
the tons of thousands throughout the
North. rho New York, Oil City, Brad
ford and Pittsburgh Exchanges enjoy
transactions each year involving two
hundred times as much oil AS is annu-
ally produced, and the producers and
z consumers complain that they are COM
pletely at The mercy of the speculative
interests.
Extensive as margin speculation in
grain, stocks and oil is, ii is probable
That its patrons are outnumhered by
those who gamble in form to which the
word speculation is not applied. Thou
sands of pool-roOms at which ventures
are taken ON horse races and base bali
games are crowed daily by men and
boys in almost incredible numbers,
Telegraphic reports Of the results OF
races at Saratoga, Brighton, COney
Island or Louisville are received In great
profession. Ventures can he made with
sums as small Ms ten cents and as large
as the gambler cares to risk. This form
of gambling is singularly attractivetC
the young and professional, who
crowd the rooms in every city in which
they are tolerated. In addition to these
stationary poOlrooms are the hundreds
booksellers who follow horse races OF
high and or low degree, numbering theil
customers by many thousands daily.
In large cities, and in most small ones
there are gambling houses, at which
faro, roulette and poker are served to al
Corners. In some cities these places are
run openly, in others semi-Secretly
There are hundreds of them of various
kinds in Chicago, aud they are patron
lied daily and nightly by thousands O
mon. Chicago is no more given to this
form of gambling than most othol
American cities.
In addition to all these are the lotter
les and policy shops, which are in SOME
respects indentcul. One lottery con
Germ enjoys receipts of SIX millions o
dollars year, and pays out in prizes s.,
lSO,OOO. There are several of lesser mag
nitudo in operation. Throughout tht
South, and in most large cities of tn,
North, are policy shops, at which custo
mers speculate upon the outcome of tn,
numbers at the lOtterit $ daily "dTaw
ing" These shops are also numbered
by thousands, and their customers ar,
chiefly working men.
1t could almost DO said, that every
body CANDLES. Besides the boards q
trade, exchanges, lotteries, brokers' OF
fees and other regular gambling estab
lishments, card playing for money i
carried on in innumerable saloons, club
rooms and private residences. Thos
who do not gamble in stocks or oil o
buy lottery tickets or play ut faro, ma.
sit down at home to play poker with nc
quaintances or match pennies on the par
Tor table. Rare Is the man, who does no
occasionally venture Il dollar or dime
in some of these ways. If nothing els
remains, he Will, If quiet man, make
wager ON the election, or it Il countr.
lad, wait for the county fair and expert
ment with the wheel of fortune.
We are nation tgamblers.-. Chicago
News.