St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-02-05
GAMBLING AT WASHINGTON.
New Members Usually Br0ke--Darh
Days Ahead for the sports.

=
New Members Usually Broke--Dark
Days Ahead for the sports.
Washington Letter in the Chicago Herald.
A veteran professional. who stands in
good repute al the capital as a square man,
but who has been an absentee for some
months past, recently made his reappear-
ance here, looking worn. jaded aud some
what seedy, although the diamond stud still
q tteFed on his shirt bosom and his cuff
buttons sparkled with the brilliants sur
rounding the antique intagliOS of which
they are composed.
II don't know" said he, ''what sort of
season We will have in Washington.
Things look gloomy in'our line all over the
country and we dare not open out here. at
least for the present. The boys are dealing
on the sly everywhere and our customers
are in constant fear OF discovery and arrest
by the police.
You want to know about congressman?
Well. my experience is the more new con-
gressinen the less gambling from that quar-
ter. Most new congressman come here
broke and are on the economical lay. They
can't afford the expense. as general rule,
although here and there we lind one who
loves to hight the tiger or TO
pldl pOhcI anu DDclDu. NudIibtS
Of political administration are bad for our
folks. The clerks and officials. who usu-
ally drop in for an even ng's sport when
they do not anticipate removal. haul in their
horns and become emnently conservative
when politics change hands. That is the
present condition. and even if gaming were
permitted it would be in a small way.
mainly confined to 'pikers.'
Comparing the present era with the
past, it makes fellow grOan! Before the
war we mingled with statesmen. lawyers,
doctors, planters and the best the land af
fOried. A gentleman could come in. take
dinner. buy a stack or two of reds. play his
game, talk politics and national affairs with
his friends and associates and go his way
without fear of disturbance. Those were
the great big days when gentlemen were
rated TO win or lose from hundred To a
couple of thousand or so, and we turned
the cards for them with unalloyed pleasure
Nowadays il is sneak In and sneak out with
the better class of people. They are in ter
rOr all the time, and there is no pleasure in
their gaming. Why. some of our leading
men have been arrested by the raiding pO-
lice and forced to hide their identity under
the names of John Smith, Thomas Brown.
George Washington, James Madison and
as bail to appear before the magistrate next
morning.
''Sueh dinners as we used to give in the
ancient days. l have sat at the head of
the linen-eoyered. silyer-lined table, with
senators. judges. congressman and high Of
ticers on my right and left. The spreads
were fit for king! Oysters in every STYLE
clans. soups, roasts and entrees. chicken
liyers, calves brains. turkey giblets canvas
back ducks, quail, pheasants, diamond
back terrapin, olives, pickles. celery by the
buShel, corn dodgers. buttermilk. sherry,
port. claret, burgundy, champagne. fruit,
dnuble-decker pies, puddings, custards,
ices nuts, Taisins, cheeses and what tnOt,
with the best regalias, cognac and pouce-
cafe for the doxOlOgy.
''Then. after the affairs of the nation had
been criticised and discussed. the game of
tarO opened. usually limited to twelve and
a half and fifty but sometimes one hun
dred out of hand. Gentlemen who felt 9th
erwlSe inclined repaired To a private room
and played brag. poker. whiShOr boston.
while couple or two in the corner pitted
against each other at cribbage, gush or
thirteen-the-Odd. Patrons dropped i'm and
out without let or hindrance save the in
spection OF the colOred guardian to prevent
the entrance of Objectionable persons, and,
winner or loser, all were gOOd-humOIed and
satisfied.
''Latterly 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 discOntin-
ued. Why, sir, we now sell our cigars
Usually chap gOOds-and the extent of hos
Ditality dispensed from the buffet by the
servant is an occasional plain drink .Pickets
are stationed on the outside TO signal the APP
pearance of police or detectives, and our
rooms are 'tyled' like a Masonic lodge. The
virtuons public really supposes this puts an
end to or inhibits gambling. his is all
mOonshine. and is like the prohibitory
whisky business. You close up the decent
bars and at once the barrel groceries -four
ISL. Stop selling by the drink and you en-
courage selling by the pint. Shut down the
saloons and you open the drug stores. Pro-
hibit whisky cocktail and you encourage
gin and milk. IL is the old story. YOu can't
have your cake and eat it, People will
drink. chew, smoke and gamble TO a greater
or less extent. and 1t is my experience that
some of the noisiest eOnseryators of the So
called public morals are the grandest rascals
OF all.
''0f course. gambling is a great evil. but,
like other evils. il can be conducted with
less improperly if in deceut hands. We
don't profess to be angels and win money
when we can. Ii the police will let the
decent gamblers alone and only go for the
skin games we could get along nicely at
Washington. As il is We must hide out and
take the chances or incorporate clubs for
alleged social amusement. Why, some of
the aristocratic clubs here do more damage
TO public morals than all the gambling
houses combined. Everybody knows that. :"