The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-12-16
POOL-ROOM GAMBLING.
A Vice That Is Undermining the
Youth of This Country.
\, San. the Morals of Young and Old aud
n. FiIIiny our JaiIs with Those Cor
rupted by Its Inhu-

Ii is said that poolroom gambling
does more injury than all the faro
banks and other institutions for
gambling put together. When
man has once been smtten with
the fever for betting on races
he is of no use for anything else any
more. II destroys his morals The
vice is fairly undermining the youth of
this country. No wonder that de-
tectives are commonly engaged by large
employers To go around among the pool
rooms and find out il their clerks fire.
auent them. The most trusted employe,
once attacked by the frenzy, is no
longer To be counted upon. His inter
est in his work relaxes, and there is no
telling when he will begin TO steal IN
order TO provide himself with money
for the qualification of the passion.
For the benefit" of clerks and Others
who are engaged during the day there
has recently been arranged in 81. Louls
a scheme for racing from eight p. IN.
u twelve p. IN. The races in the day
time are supplemented by races at nlght
under the glare of the electric lights.
These nocturnal contests are watched
and rambled on in cities all over the
union. says the Washington Star.
Before long it may be expected that
other tracks will adopt a similar plan
In former times people were Obliged 10
20 somewhat out of their way in order
70 obtain an opportunity 70 play away
their money, but the races bring the
luxury of gambling within easy reach
of all and even the women have adopt
ed the vice To an alarming extent.
Many business men, who most ANXIOUS
lv discourage such indulgence by their
employees, are themselves plungerS, ana
there are not n few such IN New York
who often carry from twenty To forty
thousand dollars in their pockets for in
yestment in horses, thinking nothing OF
venturing ten thousand dollars on
single race. Compared with this form
OF gambling the Louisiana lottery was
a harmless institution. II Is claimed
that it is demoralizing the people from
the highest TO the lowest, and the time
NAV vet arrive when national as well
a. state Legislation will of necessity be
resorted to for the suppression of the
evil.
Saw that one finds one hundred book
makers on a course on race day. Each
of them paws one hundred dollars day
1ST MS III st'AN'N'i ~ N'''''
the racing association which owns the
track gets five per cent. commission ON
every ticket sold. 1t also gets the profit
on the sale of programmes at ten cents
each. which is a big item when fifteen
To twenty thousand people are present.
The bar and eating privileges are sold
at high figures, and from twenty-five
TO fifty thousand dollars a season is
IN, hNrt he fal.trr1 nh Rnmn.4nV for
it's privilege. Racing is to the telegraph
company great source of income.
This can readily be comprehended when
IL is considered what an enormous
quantity of telegraphic matter is sent
out from the tracks to the pool rooms
and elsewhere all over the country.
Dispatches are flowing over the wires
in a continuous stream, reporting each
race at all stages Of its progress, from
start to finish, and this is only a part of
the electric correspondence that is
transmitted.
The expenses Of booIlmaller in active
practice are great. To begin with, as
has been said, he must pay one hun
dred dollars day To the race track for
his privilege. lie is obliged to employ
two expert accountants at ten dollars a
whose business it is to register each bet
made in duplicate, while the other
writes the tickets. This kind of work
requires great skill, inasmuch as prices
are changing every minute, and the
horse that is the favorite one minute
may presently drop 10 nothing. Be
sides these men the bookmaker must
have a cashier at fifteen dollars a day
-, oh q tha how
dinarily he challls the price up himself
but he may prefer To engage somebody
for that job. The cashiers and ac-
countants are all sporting men them
selves, and they receive such good
wages for only three or four hours tot
four days IN the week. II should fur
ther be mentioned that the bool1maller
needs two or three messengers, VIII,
have varied duties, one of which is I,
maintain running communication
with the paddock for the purpose of OBJ
tanning information, notice of tricks
etc. He is obliged to spend a great
deal of money on supplies in the way o
stationery, etc, which are all manu-
factured and sold at high prices by on,
man, who has obtained from the rae
ing clubs what is effectively monop
oily.
Notwithstanding these big expense
it is observable generally that book
makers wear diamond shirt studs, oc
cupy boxes when they go To the theatcrs
and are accompanied on such occasions
by handsome and beautifully dressed
women. In short, they are high roll
ers," and well they can afford to be, in
asmuch as their expenses are paid anC
the cost of their eXtravagant living i
liquidated mostly by poor clerks an,
other people to whom even small losse
by gambling signify distress. 1t is tn
latter who contribute mainly to tn
maintenance of the race tracks, int
which such a tremendous stream O
money flows, derived from a million pet
ty sources and carrying with il the pit
full earnings of the shop boy, togethe
with the squanderings of the spenC
thrift on the high road to dishonor.
Slave Trade on the East Coast OF Africa
Intelligence from Alden says the slav
trade on the east coast of Africa
again increasing, owing to the hig
prices now offered for slaves. and cara
vans from the interior are arrivin
daily. These caravans, il is declared
have experienced no difficulty in pass