Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-18
GAMBLING AT WASHINGTON.
New Members Usually BrOke-Dark
Days Ahead for the Sports.

AOA INC CpoFIss
From a Washington Letter.
A veteran professional, who stands in
good repute at the capital as a square
man, but who has been an absentee for
some months past, recently made his re-
appearance here, looking worn, faded and
somewhat seedy, although the diamond
stud still glittered on his shirt bosom and
ms CUT buttons sparkled with the bril-.
llants surrounding the antique intaglios
OF which they are composed.
II don't know" said he, ''what sort OF
a season we Will have in Washington.
Things lock gloomy in our line all over
the country, and we dare not open out
mere, at least for the present. The boys
are dealing on the sly everywhere, and
our customers are in constant fear of dis.
coVery and arrest by the police.
You want to know about Congress.
men! Well, my experience is that the
more new congressman the less gambling
from that quarter. Most new Congress-
men come here broke and are on the
economical lay. They can't afford the
expense, as a general rule, although here
and there we find one who loves to fight
the tiger or to play poker and boston.
Changes of political administration are
bad for our folks. The clerks and officials,
who usually drop in for an evenings
sport when they do not anticipate re.
moVal, haul in their horns and become
eminently conservative when politics
change hands. That is the present con.
dition, and even If gaming were permitted
1t would be IN small way, mainly con-
fined to 'pikers.'
Comparing the present era with the
past, it makes a fellow groanl Before
the war we mingled with statesmen, law.
yers, doctors, planters and the best the
land afforded. A gentleman could come
in, take dinner, buy a stack or two OF
reds, play his game, talk politics and ma.
tional affairs with his friends and assoei.
ates and go his way without fear OF dis
turbance. Those were the great big days
when gentlemen were rated to win or lose
from a hundred to a couple of thousand
or so, and we turned the cards for them
with unalloyed pleasure. Nowadays it is
sneak in and sneak out with the better
class of people. They are in terror all the
time, and there is no pleasure in their
gaming. Why, some Of our leading men
have been arrested by the raiding police
and forced to hide their identity under
the names of John Smith, Thomas Brown,
George Washington. James Madison and
the like, and forfeit their collateral put M
as bail to appear before the magistrate
next morning.
''Such dinners as we used to give in the
ancient daysl have sat at the head OF
the linen-covered, silver-lined table with
Senators, Judges, Congressman, and high
officials on my right and left. The spreads
were tit for a king! Oysters in every
style, CLAIMS, soups, roasts and entrees,
chicken hYers, calves brains, turkey glib
let's. canvas-back ducks, quail, pheasants,
diamond-back terrapin, olives. pickles,
celery by the bushel, corn dodgers, butter
milk, sherry, port, claret, burgundy,
champagne, fruit, double.decker pies,
puddings, custards, ices, nuts, raisins,
cheeses, and what not, with the best re-
galias, cOgnac, and pouce-cate for the
dOXOlogy.
"Then, after the affairs of the nation had
been criticised and discussed, the game
of faro opened, usually limited to twelve
and a half and fifty but sometimes one
hundred out of hand. Gentlemen who
felt otherwise inclined repaired to pri-
vate room and played brag, poker, whist
or boston, while a couple or two in the
corner pitted against each other at crib
bage, gush or thirteen-the-Odd. Patrons
dropped in and out without let or him
drance save the inspection OF the cOlOred
guardian to prevent the entrance OF OBJ
jectionable persons. and, winner or loser,
all were anu hdAAbAGus
ssLatterly these things have been forced
to change. The dinners and suppers have
narrowed down to cheap affairs, so to
speak, and in many cases wholly disoon-
tinued. Why, sir, we now sell our cigars
usually cheap goods-and the extent OF
hospitality dispensed from the buffet by a
servant is an occasional plain drink.
Pickets are stationed on the outside TO
signal the appearance of police or detec-
tiVes, and our rooms are 'tyleP like a
Masonic lodge. The virtuous public really
suppOses this puts an end to or inhibits
gambling. That is all mOOnshine, and is
like the prohibitOry whisky business.
You close up the decent bars and at once
the barrel groceries flourish. Stop selling
bV the drink and you encourage
selling by the pint. Shut down the
saloons and you open the
drug stores. Prohibit a whisky cocktail
and you encourage gin and milk. 1t
is the old story. You can't have your
cake and eat it. People will drink, chew,
smoke and gamble to greater or lesser
extent, and IL is my experience that some
of the nOisiest cOnserYators OF the So
called public morals are the grandest
rascals of all.
"Of course, gambling is a great evil,
but. like other evils, il can be conducted
with less improperly If IN decent hands.
NE don't profess 10 be angels and win
money when we can. II the police Will
let the decent gamblers alone and only
20 for the skin games we could get along
nicely at Washington. AS il is we must
hide out and take the chances or incor-
porate clubs for alleged social amuse-
ment. why, some OF the aristocratic
clubs here do more damage to public
morals than all the gambling houses COM
bined. Everybody knows that"