, 1888-02-26

Inc ameHuI1en was ADOPTED.
MI. Duffey rose to explain. 1t had
been charged that he was a a railway m
ploye. He was and wanted the railroad
men protected. He advocated the pas
sage of the measure at their request. Mr..
Duffey was called to order by Mr.. Rob
erts, who objected to a speech when there
was no motion before the house.
Mr.. Adams moved that the committee
recommend the passage of the bill as
amended.
1.-THE time has come when every mem
Der in this house has an opportunity to
show his %colors, said Mr.. Pease.
Speeches are perhaps now in order"
Since the gentleman from Albany has
thrown down the gauntlet" said Mr..
Hooper, of Crook, II will accept tie
challenge. l AIN not in favor of this bill
because it will be a dead letter, If enacted,
and | believe in a practical life and pos
sible laws. Ever since Noah left the ark
gambling has been the ruling passion of
man. 1t is an inherent attribute of the
human heart. Show me the man who
will not gamble in some way aud | will
show you an imbecile. When the Saviour
was bleeding on the cross and darkness
had gathered over Gethsemane his slay-
ers were gambling for his discarded raj
ments.
Look at Chicago. where gambling is
prohibited. The vilest dens flourish. In
Denver the business men have petitioned
the authorities to allow the sporting fra
ternity to resume operations. Your argu-
ments about the evil influence on innocent
childhood and misguided husbands and
fathers is irrepressible. Man is a free
agent. If a child inherits a passion for
gambling, the law cannot prevent it. If
gambling is relegated to secluded attics,
isolated cellars and private rooms, will
your wives and mothers be better pro.
tected? | say mol Then the restraint
imposed by publicity is withdrawn. Then
your sons, fathers, husbands and friends
will sneak into alleys and up back stairs
like a thief in the night. Shame now
keeps many Of them out of the gambling
houses. T~wo-thirds of humanity are not
moral and virtuous for principles sake.
1t is fear Of the opinions of their fellows
which causes them to walk in the straight
and narrow path. If the prayers and
entreaties of loving wives, doting mothers
and c9niding children will not prevent
those so inclined from gambling as it is
conducted here, this bill will not remedy
the evil.
1 have visited the gambling houses in
this town, and saw no pale faced mothers
darling gambling away his money and
morals; saw no laborer taking bread from
the mouths of his wife and children and
finging 1t into the greedy NAV of the
gamblers.
l have seen at church fairs in this
would-be moral city the hard earned dol
lars of the clerk, merchant and laborer
lured and coaxed out of his pocket by the
silverY tongued siren in the guise of an
angel, who presided over a gambling
booth.
Sunday night it was announced from a
pulpit in this city that the gamblers were
leaving no stone unturned to defeat the
measure. None have interviewed me.
The roaring bulls of Bashan have been
the preachers. Look at the lobby now,
come here to Brighten and intimidate us.
Well, we cannot be scared. This is an
age of freedom and reason, and it is the
%prerogative of every man to stand by his
convictions.
The preacher to whom l lust
referred said that our constituents
would remember US at the polls. They
will say, You needed not the handwriting
on the wall and are weighed in the bal
ance and found wanting When | re-
turn to Crook county my constituency
will say, We'll done, good and faithful
servant, return thou to the Legislative
halls If the question is settled by the
ballot the ultras will be showed under so
deep hat they cannot be rescued within
ten years. The divine declared that leg
~islators who voted against this measure
were digging their political graves. L
will vote NO on this bill so loud that
every resident of the territory will hear
it, and if by so doing L dig the grave so
tragically referred to, | will approach the
tomb like one who wraps the drapery of
his couch about him a lies down to pleas
ant Dreams"
Tie foregoing is simply the gist of Mr..
Hooper's remarks, which were pithy and
timely. The lobby was quiet, but iGir
faces frequently scowlcd at the gentleman
from Crook.
The committee of the whole arose, re
ported progress and asked leave to sit
again.
The anti gambling bill is doomed. If
enacted in its present form it would be
imperative and no revenue would be de-
J rived from that source.