Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-15
WORLD OF SPORTS,
An Authority Talks About
Selling Baseball Pools.
ITS GOOD AND BAD EFFECTS
Local Opinions About the McAulife
and Myers Battle,
INTERESTING BASEBALL GOSSIP.
How the Western Lightweight Was Re.
ceiVed at His Home.
ITS GOOD AND BAD EFFECTS
INTERESTING BASEBALL GOSSIP.
GENERAL SPORTING NEWS OF THE DAY

Sam Hyams, the popular poolseller on
baseball games, has contracted to leave this
city and go to Denver, Col. He will become
a member of the firm to be established BY
John Loomis in that Colorado city, and the
fact is Sam is very 10th to 60 out of Pitts
burg. There is another fact, and that is
many of the many thousands of local baseball
enthusiasts regret his departure.
Hyam's leaving this city prompts many in
teresting thoughts. He is one of the best in
formed sellers on baseball games that probably
has been in Pittsburg; but this is not the great
feature of his departure His leaving means
that the exciting times that there used to be on
'score or no score" will no more be in Pittsburg.
Inquiries of the strictest kind have proven
that for few years at least no pools, no matter
what they relate to, will be allowed in this city.
For some time past the hope has been ex-
pressed that that poolselling business in a base
ball-selling way would be tolerated.; but all
hopes have been blighted, and the crowds of
cranks who thronged the poolrooms last season
must now be satisfied that they must make
their wagers in private.
WILL THE BETTING DECLINE.
The question among the local enthusiasts is
will the absence of public poolroom prevent
the betting on the games that used TO be last
season? On this question many opinions were
collected by the writer yesterday afternoon.
During the canvass it was instructive to learn
the diversity of notions to whether or not
betting on baseball would decrease at all. Rep
resenting the pool sellers, perhaps Ed Lowry
spoke more logically than anybody else. He
said:
''Of course am of opinion that pool selling
of any kind will not be allowed for long time
to come in Pittsburg, but / question whether or
not betting in its vicious character will be
stopped. Now, on this point want to make
myself very clear, because the time will
assuredly come when the public will
discern the difference between betting
publicly and betting in private
groups, or what term irresponsibly. The pool
rooms have been stopped, but the betting spirit
has not been extinguished. This means that
bets will be made in a way that any amount of
that is, people who hold Stakes and disappear
with them. Take baseball for instance, there
are hundreds of people who will, under any
stop these people from betting one with an
other. You may lock them in a church and |
they will have the schedule of games, and. de. |
pend upon it, they will discover means to make |
bet about every club for any day. In their |
efforts to make bets clandestinely, it is likely
that
THEY WOULD CORRUPT PEOPLE
in the church. that is if an honest wager can |
corrupt anybody. / mention this to show that |
the spirit of betting, or wagering, particularly |
vince the people that they must not bet. 1t |
follows then that as long as the desire to bet |
exists betting ought to be regulated, Just as the
vending of many articles, when used to excess
are injurious are regulated Betting without
regulation, or under absolute laws of prohibi-
uon, develops into the most vicious forms of |
tire business is considered illegal. The sense |
OF illegality prevents honest men from being
responsible sponsors in the business. and the
spirit to bet on popular game is so strong that
VI 70 Gn n GI CT n haP nf
an honest love for the game will risk bet un-
der any circumstances
These ideas have been gathered by me dur
ing busy career in many places both East
and West. OF couse l couldn't sell pools in
Plttsburg next season if the law allowed it. but
DO say that the honesty of baseball cannot be
made better by the prevention Of public bet
ting speculative transactions. Why am
TO bet that bet on an everyday
baseball game between two professional clubs
is more honest than any lottery in which we
participate in church. The very men who
assume to stop public wager on a baseball
game are those generally who risk
and all that their friends own on
the turn of the political wheel. Tell me which
is the most honest? Two honest baseball nlnes
in the field, or two blooded and majestic horses
struggling for supremacy, or two representa-
tives of Two political parties running for office.
Why in the two former we get what is fair no
matter what we lose; but in the last named
of dollars are lost and need tell
nobody as to how the money was lost / anna
and state that as long as the public
want TO bet there will be betting and the
stronger that the law to prohibit is, the greater
will be the swindling."
A young gentleman identified with bank in
this city, and a baseball crank, said: Il never
yet found in Pittsburg any intention to swindle
by poolroom proprietors except once. These
people excepted tried once one afternoon and
tailed, becaCse the game was too square |
They skipped out at an hours notice. How
ever, confess that have bet hundreds of
dollars in the poolrooms that would not have
bet if no poolrooms had been there. They are
/ temptation"
Would you, in the absence of a pooIroom
bet friend a SlOU bill on the street if you
thought you could name the winner of ball
-ame?' was asked.
Most certainly would, poolrooms or no
'oolrooms 1 will still bet If l think can
FinH