The record-union., 1893-09-18
GAMING AND THE FAIR.


term, and the period has passed without
that disgraceful condition attaching re-
garding gaming that has done so much in
the past to bring merited reproach upon
the city. Gambling there may have been
in privacy somewhere, but if so not more
than in any other coast city of equal size
at any time, nor was there about it any
thing of which the people as a people
knew.
AS a matter of fact, however, owing to
the firm stand taken by Sheriff O'Neil,
and the refusal of the City Trustees to
justify violation of the law, there were no
gambling-rooms as usual; thus COM
that gaming cannot be suppressed. We
are perfectly well aware that while the
great mass Of the people are pleased with
the action of the Sheriff and the Trus-
tees. and delighted with the total alb
sence Of the disgraceful scenes attendant
upon the open running of games on
gruntled. Some restaurants and some sa-
looms have taken less money, but it would
be an insult to intelligence and decency to
consider the demands of a class for a
moment, against the law, the good name
of the city, and the peace and safety of
the people.
We have had a fair without the streets
swarming with the offscourings of all the
hell-holes of the State; the insolence of the
hoodlum, the whirl of the wheel of for
tune, the rattle of the dice and the click
of the balls, the cry of the gamekeeper and
the loud-mouthed call of the game solicit
ors have not been heard upon the streets.
1t has been possible for guests, women and
children, to enter our hotels and places of
amusement and entertainment without
their ears being offended or their bodies
jostled and crowded in the entrances by a
mass of humanity that would benefit the
race of man by dropping dead. As di-
rector of the State Agriculture openly
fair time has been a nuisance, disgrace
and shame, and never again will I be q
party to its toleration.'' So say all the
people who esteem decency on the streets,
observance of the laws and orderly be-
havior above the petty gains of a few
dealers.
If, after the experience of the last two
weeks, there is any good citizen who
holds that return to the old system is
desirable, he or she must be blind to the
fact and insensible to the best interests of
the Capital City of the State. The fact is
that in the midst of the greatest none
tary panic of the Nations history, with
money hard to get, labor unemployed,
produce unsold and winter coming that
threatens actual distress, State Fair has
been held with great deal less of loss to
the State Society than was anticip ated.
No one expected Pavilion display OF
products and industries; no one expected
the attendance to be one-half as great as
it was: no one anticipated so good an ex-
hibition of horses and cattle. All in all,
it was, then, successful fair and more so
because there was not gaming in every
other doorway and the town was not
oyerrun by the ruff-scuff of the State and
coast.
Particular pains were taken by the
REcoRD-UNIoN to ascertain the senti-
ments of visitors upon this matter, and
without a single exception we found the
expression to be one of pleasure, enthusi-
astic satisfaction, so to speak, and one
unending, warm and sincere tone OF
praise for Sacramento. The city had to
nut on no extra police force; no people
were garroted. sandbagged or robbed; no
skin games and swindling devices were
heard of; the unsophisticated were not
taken in and done for; the jaws of i'm
mature bells did not yawn at every corner
to devour the weak and corrupt the
Young. The streets were filled with