The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-02-07
THE FORBIS GAMBLING BILL.

THE FORBIS GAMBLING BILL.
Mr.. Fcrbis' bill to suppress gam-
bling is creating no little comment
BY the people throughout the Terri
tory, the prepondersncs of opinion
apparently being in Its favor.
Mr.. Forbis, of this county Originated
the bill, and has put forth his best
efforts to have it enacted into a law.
OF courseit has been ably seconded in
the house by some of the best talent
of that body, and it having been re-
| ferred to the committee of the whole,
1t received q unanim ,us vote with
the recommendation that 1t do pass.
The inference then, u.s.. that the SEN
| timent Of the lower house is strongly
in favor of the bill, aud 1t will 60
through by the same vote it received
In the committee of the whole, when
t comes up for. final passage. Just
how the council stands upon the
proposition remains to be seen. But
it is hardly likely that that body will
put its veto upon q measure so unan-
imously recommended by the popu-
lar branch of the Legislature. Hence
it can reasonably be inferred Judging
from present a~ppearance', that the
| bill will become a law. The MINER
| heretofore has RETAINED from taking
an active part in the discussion OF
the question, preferrlng to leave
the matter of legislation to those
who were chosen by the peo-
pie to act for them. And even now
it seems like a piece of presumption
to tell legislators what they should
or should not do. But q candid ex-
preston of sentiment should not be
con- trued as an attempt at d~:cta'ion,
particularly at this time, inasmuch
as the bill In view is far Oh its journey
toward the pinnacle Of success. That
the measure is In every ems a just
and laudable one connot be success
fully contradicted. The practice
of gambling Is a blight
upon any community, and to tolerate
it is to shut our eyes to n of the
greatest curses known to civilization.
Were it a fact that the pernicious
practice effected only those who in
dulged in it, it would not appear so
%intolerable; but when the youth of
The land is being daily led astray by
the enticing games of chance; when
mothers and children in Vulnerable
instances are made to suffer the
pangs of hunger in consequence of
the weakness of the head Of the
household, a righteous judgment
would say, remove the inducement
leading to the cause Hundreds of
honestly dispe sed young m n start
out in the world full of hoIe, only to
be lnvejgled into these dens of vic
and stripped of their all. The fish
being weak, they acquire the habit
of gambling through a desire to "get
even," which lasts them through life.
Thus 1t il that these holes of iniquity
are nightly crowded with a feverisb.
sensitive class of people. Even will
the daily lsborer, when his days
work IS done, hasten to the gambling
table to try his chances. Year in and
year out he pursues this course till
time brings him to a realization OF
his folly when only to late. His sub
stance has been squandered, valuable
time frittered away, and at last the
wreck of manhood is all to be e en of
what otherwise should be an orna-
ment to society. Their dimsy argu
ments are that to stop gambling
would be the means of cTippling the
revenue of the towns and counties,
and as a conseq renee property taxa
ton would necessarily have to be To-
creased that the many building &C.
cupied by the fraternity" would lie
empty to the great detrlment of those
who put their ali into them and
who are compelled to bear their
proportion of taxes to carry
on the town and county gov
ernments. All this and more
they put forth as arguments in favor
of gambling. But it is the sheerest
nonsense and only prated to brighten
tax payers into aiding them in the
attempt to thwart a project, the just
ness of which cannot be denied. If
our towns and counties are to be sup
ported AMI kept up at the expense of
the tears of mother, the cries of
children, and the degradation of
youth, for heaven sake let them be
buried in oblivion. The bill pend
ing before the Legislature, while not
so sweeping in its nature as some Of
the more radical would like, is q
long stride in the right direction, and
should become q law.
John A. Logan has received the
Republican caucus nomination for
United States Senator from Illinois.
Whether he can be elected by the
legislature that body on joint bal
lot being about a tie-remains a
question, the solution of which the
people generally r anxious to hear.
On receiving the nomination he was
conducted before the caucus by a