Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-02-06
THE GAMBLING BILLS.
Danger of u Clash Between the Council
and the House on the Subject.

Danger of n Clash Between the Council
and the House on h Subject.
Some OF the gentlemen who came over
from the capital on Saturday evening re.
manned over yesterday, and on bel: z asked
how the gambling bills stood, one Of them
stated that It was utterly impossible to
tell what the sentiment among Legislators
on the subject was. IAN / can tell you ia
that the gambling bill is the most import.
ant subject OF the session. Ii seems 10 be
SO regarded by the members generally.
Just now It looks as II il were going to be
killed by amendments. But no one can
tell the ultimate fate OF it. 1t seems as
though the Council were jealous Of the
House and didn't want TO allow it the
credit OF introducing the bill and SO has
madei its substitute a separate bitt.h
Another gentlema, stated that h. thought
the Thompson substitute reached the case
more eifectually. The attempt to specify
what games were to be prohibited would be
sure to TAIL. II was better to make all
other games unlawful except the few that it
is desirable to authorize. The Hunt bill
specifies certain games as unlawful, but If il
were passed, James not specified in it would
be produced with Just as Questionable
features as those mentioned in the
Hunt bill. 1t would letter to exclude all
games whatever except faro and poker
and then there would be no chance to ring
in amy sure thing games at all. The only
objection that could be urged against this
is a il might be held to exclude pool-sellins
on races, and that would raise a storm of
dissent. He could not say how the Coua-
Gil and House bills will ultimately be recon.
ciled. There is q decided feeling among the
members in fsvor OF the passage OF such a
bill, but both are unnecessary. He thought
il just possible that the House might &C.
eept the Council substitute bill as an
amendment to the Hunt bill, but there il
no certainty that it will do so.
A suggestion Was made yesterday by a
gentleman that deserves consideration. He
said that while it is imperative to reach the
s~ure-thing games by resressive enactmsnts,
the Legislature ought to pass some pro-
Quoted on the second floor. As carried on
nov it is too openly conducted. Women
and children passing ON the street see it
and the effect ia d~emoralixing. II required
to be carried on ou q second storyit would
remove it from public observation with a
good effect on the community. 1t would
be necessary, were any law passed on
this subject, to be very explicit in pre-
scribins the height OF q second story as
at least fourteen feet above the level of
the sidewalk, or else such evasions
would be possible as happened in Nevada, |
where q similar Law was passed without de-
timing a second story properly. There The
gamblers got round it by raising the rear
end Of the room three or Tour teet.
One good result of such a provision would |
be that most OF the one-story frame houses
on Main street would have to be replaced
with substantial two~story structures Of
brick. It is understood that one of the |
gambling houses on Main street near Broad |
way, intends to rebuild with a handsome |
twostory brick this spring.