Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-05-10

/ bling. found a young man some time
ago in distressing circumstances, about
to fall into the hands of the law because
OF his extravaganza. lent him mon
ey, and he promised everything, and he
kept no promises. He took good pains,
however, to keep the money. / have
sought with tears and prayers and sacri-
fees to save scores of young men when
once under the influences of gamblers
and gambling. and have never succeed
ed in saving one to my knowledge. /
have advanced money again and again
to keep them out of Jail and from public
disgrace, and have in every case lived
to regret it. | have never advanced one
of them dollar that has been returned.
The reason is they do not know how to
tell the truth. They do not know the
value of money. They have lost their
powers of reckoning from the moral
point of view.
A young man with brilliant mind and
liberal education came to the city some
time ago. His life had been hallowed
by prayer from his cradle. He had the
brightest prospects before him. He had
the highest testimonials in his pockets.
He had the best avenues open for sue
cess. But he went to the races one day.
He went again; he continued to go. He
dropped from the race track into the
poolroom and from the poolroom to the
house Of strange women, where he lived
in debauchery for a year, until wrecked
in both body and soul. There is nothing
in him now to build on. He does not
know the meaning of honesty or truth
or manhood. | have seen this thing 60
on until my soul was sick unto death.
MR.. RICHARD CROKER.
Our legislature has recently had a
spasm Of virtue most remarkable, and
they have given us a bin to close the
poolrooms, for which we devoutly thank
God. We would not deceive ourselves,
however, as to the cause that produces
this remarkable piece of legislation.
The reason we succeeded in getting ii
was simply that Mr.. Richard Croker, our /
boss, has himself decided to go into the /
race track business He has recently /
purchased, SO report declares, the ia
nous Belle Meade farm of race horses in
Tennessee for $4,000. Besides this
amount. the distinguished Tammany
chieftain is known to have spent $50, 900
in the purchase of race horses last fall.
The source of this marvellous wealth,
pouring from man who never followed
any regular business except Office hold
ing in the city, is of course one of the
modern miracles as yet to be explained.
The poolrooms were in full blast up to.a
short time ago, when Mr.. Croker or some
one else in power determined to close
them. The poolrooms are of course the
enemies of the owners of race horses and
the owners of race tracks.
We hope that between these two rivals
we may at least reduce the evil while the
fight continues. But no one who has
any knowledge of the condition of our
cities today will believe for one moment
that the poolrooms can ever be sup
pressed so long as the race tracks are
legalized by our lawmakers. 1t is I'M
fair, it Is unreasonable, and it is legis-
lation for disreputable portion of the
community. The whole race track bust
ness is of the same piece. 1t is gambling
pure and simple. There is not race
track in america that could live one year
without gambling.
/ charge the race track with the fact
of lowering the tone of the nations life
at its centers, and of lowering it to a
degree of debt and constituencies ef-
frontery never before known in our his
tory. This fact was APPLY illustrated re-
Gently when Alfred Tennyson, the poet
laureate of the English world, was buried
in Westminster abbey. Tennyson was
the matchless songer who paid that
tribute to Albert the good
the father Of the present Prince of
Wales. Thus he sang of Albert:
Who reverenced his conscience as his king;
Whose glory was redressing human wrong;
Who spoke no slander-no, nor listened TO It;
Who loved one only. and who claye to her.
Not swaying to this faction or to that;
Not making his high place the lawless perch
Of winged ambitions. nor vantage ground
For pleasure, but through all this tract of years
Wearing the white flower OF blameless life,
Before thousand peering littlenesses,
In that fierce ligh. which beats upon throne
And blackens every blot
So sang the bard of the consort of her
who sits upon the throne and worthily
md with dignity impersonates the power 1
If the English people. And yet while
hey were burying the great poet and &
while the whole world stood with I'M '
covered head, even outside of England,
he Prince of Wales, instead of going to !
he burial, preferred to spend the day at !
he race track. The contrast between Z
he Prince OF Wales and his father is a '
Tery clear expression of the contrast be- I
ween the tone of national life today
md what it was during the life of Al G
BERT. And for this lowering of charac- '
er and of manhood the race track has t
,layed one of the mightiest roles. |
THE POLICY SHOP. +
Second-The power of the pestilence T
We observe in the development of the a