St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-01-13
EUSTIS IS TACITURN.
No One Knows Yet What He
Will Do With Gam
bling.
While He DaWdles All Sorts
Of Games Flourish and
Win.
Head hopping Has Been IN
augurated by the Police
Department.
McCuIley Blew Out the Gas
State Horticultural
Society.

Mayor Eustis made a reputation for
Teticence before he was inaugurated-
before he was elected, in fact. Ever
since he was nominated for the office of
mayor lis utterances have been char
acteriZed by wary reticence. No one
has been able to pin him down to
single article of faith. Not a pledge to
this or that policy, not promise Of this
or that reform, has been drawn from
him. His silence is so pronounced that
even the most loyal members OF his
own party have begun to talk. His
course has prompted, in the general
mind, the question whether EustiS is
really foxy about committing himself
or whether he is slow TO form an
opinion
William Henry Eustis has been
mayor in fact for nearly two weeks now,
and has turned his attention TO one or
two queStiCns-the police department
reformation and the house Of aSsigna-
ton problem, for instance: but, as yet,
he has neither said nor done anything
IN regard to one matter which, it
was promised. would first receive
his attentiOn-the matter of general,
wide open, prOmiscuOus. diversified
to absolutely prohibit gambling in Min
neapolis. He is eXpected-at least the
general public has that understanding
to restrict it. An evening paper. one
that plumes Itself on being the official
organ of the new administration.
the pathfinder for the mayor,
as it were, lashed itself into paroXysm
OF virtuOus frenzy just before Mr..
Eustis was inaugurated because the
tiger" was allowed to go about un-
muZZled. 1t said to the new
mayor: There lies your path.
PerverseIy the mayor has re-
fused to leave off reading Great
Speeches by Great Orators" and gazing
al the stars long enough to look at the
path pointed out. The mayors per-
Yersity in this particular Is causing
comment. If Eustis is going to reg
ulate gambling why. don't he regulate
it?" is a question one may hear any
time OF day.
Few will deny that Minneapolis is
afflicted with too much gambling.
Access to the ''tiger's' jungle is all too
easy. Once there, the conduct of the
tiger is found to be all too seductive
and varied. He is all things to all men.
He has diversions of all kinds. all
planned for the attainment of one OBJ
ject-the acquisition of the coin"
When men who give attention to the
gambling problem come to discuss it
their objections are found to lie against
the size of the Institution rather than
the institution itself That men who
want to gamble Will gamble in spite Of
laws. ordinances and 20O-pOund chiefs
of police is almost universally adj
mitted. Sober minded men agree
that the best thing to do is to
restrict it and hold it in control. Few
will be found 10 defend the gambling
houses conducted by Tom, Dick or
Harry. where any one with 10 cents in
his pockets can lose his money. That
sort of gambling house exists in Mime
apOlis in large numbers. 1t can be
found on First avenue south, below
Fourth street: on HennepIn avenue
on Washington avenue. Oh Third street,
on almost any street for that matter.
1t is open to every One-the beardless
boy Just taking his first lessons in life;
tile man VINO labors for Sl.50 day and
throws his money into the jaws of
chance while his family lives in narrow
rooms and subsists meanly, wanting food
and clothing perhaps; the tough sport
and the man who gets money by the
sandbag and spends IL by the turn Of
the card: the clerk, spending for chips"
the dollars of his employer ana paving
for himself q road to the penitentiaTy.
| They are all there and they play faro.
| roulette, hazard, stud POKER craps. any
sort OF game to get the money for
the tigers" keeper.
Right here it may be mentioned that
the critics of MI. Eustls' administration
Will give him an easier time if he sup
press a few of these varieties of gam
bling, such as stud poker, hazard,
craps, etc. Men who have studied the
/ gambling question will tell him that
| the tiger can be more easily curbed if
| these games be suppressed. These
! are the games which make many the
! number of gambling houses. because
they are sure winners. The percent
| age" tor the house is greater in them.
/ These are the games run by the wolf
who must get the money. Suppress
/ them and the wolf will give up run
ming a gambling house. He will not
risk his money against his customers at
/ faro. he wants sure thing" and he
| finds q near approach to 1t in stud
/ poker and such. Make him stop them
! and he will leave OFF gambling.
As the GLOBE announced Just before
/ his inauguration, Mayor Eustis has had
it in his mind to restrict gambling.
Many people are waiting to see him do
| it. He has had time enough
make start. He is not
only allowing gambling houses
to run wide open. but allowing
| them to maintain these big percentage
games, which are nothing but robbery
systems While the mayor is taking his
/ time these houses are bleeding the city.
For instance: The big place run by
the 'syndicate'' on First avenue
south. between Third and Fourth
streets, is reputed among gamblers
to be making a clear profit over all eX-
penseS of from $4,000 TO $4,000 a month.
These are net profits after paving big
rent. employees, light and all the heavy
| expenses OF gambling house. Half a
dozen other houses are doing the same
sort of business as the Syndicate" all
kinds OF games open to all kinds OF
players.
Mayor Eustis' course toward these
people, many of whom boast that they
contributed heavily to the Republican
campaign fund, will be watched with
l