Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-12-22
LICENSING GAMBLING.

complish all it ought to, or that its tenn
porary failure to attain its ends will Justify
abandonment of the effort. No people
commence at the right end of line of re-
form, when they begin by fostering the
evil of which reform is demanded. These
are self-evident propositions. But we are
told that the only remedy for the violation
of the laws Of the State prohibiting gam
bling. is to abandon the laws, give rein to
to the evil and collect under regulation a
revenue from it. The reason advanced is
that officials will not enforce the laws
against gaming, and here and there it is
asserted feebly that they cannot, but this
latter excuse is answered by the examples
of communities where the fact is that they
can and do. The obvious response to the first
excuse, however, is to lay the AK at the
root Of the tree and elect officials who can
and win do their duty. To say that this
cannot be done is to confess the failure OF
self-goyernment. If in one, or two or a
dozen trials failure results, the thing to do
is to try again and keep at it until the evil
that underlies and is away back of gam
ing Is removed.
Despite these truths the plea is still adj
vanced for surrender to the licensing de-
mainland which, by the way, is every
where supported by the open and expressed
wish of gamblers, a fact that in itself
should cause instant rejection of the
scheme, because no community can afford
to frame laws upon the basis of the desire
of the influence against which the laws
are aimed. 1t is difficult to understand
how any mind in harmony with the pro-
gressive spirit of the age, and the better
tone OF civilization, can hold it to be wis
dom TO repeal the anti-gamIng laws and
advocate resort to system that Europe,
after decades of trials, here and there,
is abandoning. Those who cling to the
hope that the gambling laws of the State
will he wiped out and license laws be sub
stituted, may just as we'll abandon it; the
people Of the State of California will never
consent to the erection of any such a
policy, because they are not retrogressive
in spirit or action, or returning to the level
of the barbaric.
Here we are devising ways and means,
and laboring in every way business in
genuity can suggest, to induce people at
the East to come to this State, and build
homes in this greatly favored region-how
do the friends of "gaming licenses" sup
pose the conservative men and women of
the East will look upon communities that
license that which from their childhood
they have been taught to regard with alb
horrence? Experience teaches us that we
cannot more effectually repulse that ele-
ment than by adoption of the proposed
policy. We know that as gaming is toler-
ated by inaction of officials under the
law, such people are even now turned
from our DOORS and many instances can be
given OF refusal to settle and invest in
Sacramento for that among other reasons.
If any doubt exists upon this head, let us
put the question squarely to the next enc
hundred representative visitors who arrive
from the East. But let it be admitted I'll.
arguments sake that the spirit of CANINE
does exist, as does the spirit of many an
other evil, and is ineradicable; suppose it
to be conceded that men will stake their
money at the gaming table; that they will
"bet on horse races, elections and dog
fights; that they viii seek out the green
cloth 10 is secrecy, and indulge in vice
that Brings inevitable ruin does it prove
that they viii run less to evil by publicity
of the temptation inseparable from legal
izing the games now denounced by the
law?
Nowhere in all history can the finger be
put upon the record of experience that
justifes the scheme to license the gaming
table. How mas Nevada prospered under
the legalized method? In what direction
have her communities grown under the in
fiuence of this cancer?
In 1910 the Government gave to the city
of Homburg the open gaming system for
revenue. For thirty years the experiment
was tried, but in 1870 the people of the
kingdom were Of one mind as to the evil
and Prussia refused to longer license the
gaming table, and instead passed stringent
statutes putting the games under the ban
of the law In 1869 Monaco abandoned
her taxation system, and turned to
gaming licenses instead. After nearly
twenty years of trial the scheme is about
to be abandoned. The friends of the
policy, towards which the San Francisco
Chronicle indicates a leaning, will in vain
search the world over for ar instance in
which licensing the gaming table has re-
suited otherwise than in generalization, as
a check to progress, and a whitening blight
upon communities.
Every premise the promoters of the
legalizing scheme lay down may be
granted, for the purpose of argument; the
depravity of human nature be admitted;
the dominance of the old Adam conceded
the failure to condemn by law some forms
of gaming the corruption of officials; the
venality of those holding public trusts,
and so on, and still it cannot be shown
that communities viii be bettered, the
moral sense quickened, progress stimu-
lated, the State advanced, desirable popu-
lation attracted, vice decreased and i'm
morality lessened by legalizing that which,
by the common verdict of mankind, the
DEGREES of civilization and the instincts Of
humanity, is pronounced wholly bad, dan
gerous and utterly demoralizing.
Let us be consistent, if we legalize gam
ing. 1t is conceded by every man that the
gaming table brings thousands to ruin
where burglary wrecks one the fatal vice
of the die and the green cloth blasts the
happiness OF thousands of homes where
HOUSEKEEPING brings disgrace to one. Let
MS be consistent, therefore, and fortify the
midnight robber with license and derive
a revenue from a tax upon the jimmy and