The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-11-20
BETTING ON ELECTIONS.
The Safety Valve of Heated Discus
sions on Results Yet
to Come.
Immense Sums Laid on the Presi-
Dental Contests in 1884
and 1888.
Tho Professional Election Bettor Never
Loses, Whatever the Result May
BELLS Methods.

Election betting has saved many fight.
Two earnest partisans coming together and
getting into heated argument over the
merits and dement's of their respective par
ties and their candidates are often prevent
ed from coming to blows by the fact that
they can post money on the chances Of
their favorites and thus cool their wrath,
says the New York News. Nothing is NOR Q
common during the excitement preceding
an election than to hear one man tell an
other that that which he says is untrue,
and the other reply: II bet You 800 I'm
right" In this way the heated blood of
both is cooled.
Probably the heaviest betting ever done
ON any election in the history of elections
in this country was that of the Blaine cam
paign in 1884. The parties were very even
" divided at that time and an amount of
enthusiasm which has never before nor
since been equalled prevailed, and the ad-
herents of each presidential candidate were
20 confident that their man would win tina t
many were willing to wager the last penny
they had in the world in support of their
party and its candidate.
Very heavy betting was INDUCED in dur
ing the presid ntisl election in 1888 and al
though the volume of money probably did
not equal the amount staked on the chances
of Mr.. Cleveland and Mr.. Blaine, it was
large enough tc make half dozen or more
men, had it been divided among them, indie
pendently wealthy. The growing increase
Of election betting has given rise to q GER
tain class OF gamblers who make it bust
ness to bet on elections, and who devote
large portion of their time to studying out
the best methods Of reaping u rich harvest
after election day. no matter which candi-
Tho professional election bettor is one of
the shrewdest of that class Of men who
make their living by figuring out and play
ing upon the weakness and cupidity OF their
fellow mon. He has no party, when 1t
comes to betting, and although he votes. as
a rule, and is personally the earnest advo-
cate of the cause of one Of the two great
parties. betting on elections is with him a
business solely, and is shrewdly and care
fully conducted in manner that has DEM
onstrated itself to be most sure of success
full results. To-day he hacks the republic
can candidate, tomorrow a democratic
candidate.
Il depends on the conditions Of the wager,
the conditions of the election, and the pre-
vailing sentiment as to who will win. 1t is
a curious fact that during the last three OF
four presidential elections the dads laid by
election bettors have almost invariably been
in favor of the candidate who was defeated
at the polls. In the election of 1884 Mr..
Blaine, even up to election day, was the
favorite with the bettors, and in the cleo
ton of 1888 MIR. Cleveland held that posi-
ton with them.
Gambling has been more thoroughly re-
duced to fine art by its devotees during
the last quarter of a century than ever be-
FORE At the race tracks there are now 4
cokh coSo 1,lorn knnxrr, II, tho fpn foFnSkv ~
'scalpers." These men, while they are
bookmakers, devote themselves entirely to
betting on sure things. They watch
the slate of their fellow bookmakers,
carefully note the odds against the different
horses, and lay their bets with their fellow
bookmakers at price point and half
above the odds they lay themselves; for in
stance, suppose Kingston to be a favorite
in race, the odds against him at the OPEN
ing of the book being to 1.
The scalper watches closely the drift of
the betting before he posts his own Odds
The bookmaker opposite to him is placing
4 to l. He discovers that a very large
amount of money will be put on the horse
by the public. and before posting his own
odds he sends 4 messenger to his fellow
bookmaker with instructions to bet him
say 800 at odds of to l. The bet being
recorded, the scalper posts his own odds at
3to l. The bulk of money going on the
ring, and soon the current quotations are
put ~ to l.
The scalper holds his odds of until he
gets the same amount bet against the horse
that he was wagered with lis fellow book
maker. Should the horse win or lose it is
impossible for the scalper to lose any
money; if he wins the scaiper wins the DIFF
ference between the amount he has bet him
self at odds of to ! and the amount he has
to pay out at odds of toll. There are sew
eral professional bookmakers who devote
themselves almost entirely to this method
of doing business at the race track, and the
shrewder of them realize every day from
two to five hundred dollars from then
ecalpinR profits.
The methods employed by the election
bettor who makes business of gambling
on elections are very similar to those en-
ployed by the scalping book-maker. The,'
is this difference, however, and the differ
ence lends an additional reason for profit t,
the professional election bettor The cleo
ton bettor is dealing with men, and in do
ing SO he is forced to make a thorough
study of human nature, and also to maxi
himself conversant with the issues in
volved in the election from which h
He is therefore required to possess NOR
than ordinary attainments, and is usuall,
found to be man of considerable educa-
ton.
Many of these men live in other section,
of the country, but when election time ap
proaches, New York being the most fertile
field for their operations, they come pre-
pared for business, One of the rules of the
professional election bettor is never to la,
bet unless he gets the best of the odds o
unless his adversary is betting on major
ity. One of the great fields for profit is il
betting against specific majority. Al
election bettor never asserts that any candi
date will win by any specified number o
votes. He waits for his adversary to NAL
such an assertion, and when he gets him t
claim an unlikely majority for the candi
date he fayors he quietly bets him that sue
majority will not be gwen.
There have been a number of these me-
In the city during the last month. Pa
Duffy, the New Orleans gambler, who oh
years ago by threatening to shoot Ere
crest professional election betters vii
haunt New York during election time
Duffy made good deal Of money over Il
election of Mayor Grant and the Tau
many ticket last Tuesday, and he woul
have made, strange az the statement nut
seem, almost a. much had Mr.. Scott al
Ollie Teale's hague been successful.
The methods e . professional Eclectic
bettor and tho training necessary to ma
him successful in the calling he has chos
to follow were explained to the reporter
one of these men at the Hoffman house ty
nights preceding the last election. II ha
been in this business" said the informs
flor more than dozen years. and I c,
make money enough out of any fairly CO
tested election to keep me in comfort du