Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-10-08
There Is nothing u reasonable in the pro

There Is nothing reasonable in the protest
OF parents and property-owuerso on Second street
againS: the continuance Of a poolrooIn in their
neigh borbood. Pooirooms are not among the
necess:.ries OF city lie. The city would be bet
ter Oft without any of them; tor their influence
Is not eevating, at best, and the great majority
OF them have positively injurious effect on
the morals OF the neighborhood in which they
planted and On the value of adjoining
property. for the purposes of both residence
and trade. They particularly dangerous
resorts for young boys, and more than one
breakdown among our older business men has
been traced to the frequenting of such places.
Some are more tolerable than others, owing to
the exercise of some conscience in their man.
azement but as a rule they more perncicus
In their influence than the regular gambling
rooms which fiourished here so extensively In
past times. The practice of gaming was at least
openly discounte1anced, and patrons of such
establishments had to take some precautionsin
visiting them. The openness with which the
poolrooms are carried on, however, makes them
seductive to many who despise anything sur
reptitious, even in their a!nusements.
In the Second street case, specific charges are
made against the room complained OF, which
cannot fail TO intensity the natural feeling
against il. When such shop becomes the
habitual resort OF bad characters. or of noisy
men and boys who carry their vulgarty beyond
-
nuisance and should be suppressed at once. If
the police did their whole duty in the premises,
there would be less frequent ground for COM
plant Oh this score. The license granted to a
poolroopl isrevocaLle at an time that its privi-
leges can be shown TO have been abused. and it
is as much the duty of an officer having such
place on his beat 20 report breaches of privilege
as TO look after ans other form OF misdemeanor.
The proprietor has it in his power, If he be
enough of a man. TO raise tine tone of his estab-
Hshment 10 point where IL will be an endura-
bic evil, perhaps Hecan close mis- doors against
immature lads, and turn disorderly customers
not only out OF his rooms, but of the sidewalk
In front. If he is afraid unwilling to do this,
he must take the consequences OF his apathy.
and not find fault when his license is taken
away and his business broken up.
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The whole country will draw a breath of
grateful relief that another stage in the pro-
eeedings against tie anarchist murderers in
Chicago has been safely passed Judge Gary's
decision Is a sound piece OF legal reasoning and
sturdy logic. The plea Of the prisoners that, so
long as the actual handling and throwing of
The fatal bomb had not been proved upon one
of Them mere could be no valid conviction, is
absurd. The Older newspaper readers of Amer
lea will recall without difficulty the Knapp
murder case in Massachusetts, in which Daniel
Webster as one of the counsel for the state,
made a speech so striking that a part OF it can
be found in nearly all the larger elOcutionary
text books of to-day. In that instance two
brothers had engaged rufiian to commit q
murder which they did not dare undertake
with their own hands. They were not with
him when he fulfilled his Instructions. They
did not even know the night, the hour or the
other circumstances of the homicide; yet they
were convicted, and the conviction held. Par
sons, Spies and their fellow-couspirators were
not less guilty than the brothers whom Webster
prosecuted. They may not, as Judge Gary in
timaies, have thrown the bomb themselves or
elaborated the Instructions to their ignorant and
brutal followers 20 the extent of naming the
day and the minute when il s.tould be thrown;
but they were the incters OF the murder, and
deserve 10 be hanged tor it.