Great Falls weekly tribune., 1895-08-09
UNEQUAL Laws.

The New York World is engaged in a
mighty battle against the excise laws.
or, in other words, the Sunday closing
of the saloons in that city. 1t appears
that for a long time the law has been
virtually a dead letter, that it has been
permitted to be cvaded though not open
ly violated. The new police commission
ers, however, have decreed that it shall
be enforced to the letter and their orders
are being carried out. SO far as the or
binary saloons are concerned, and the
handy side door is now barred as closely
on Sunday as is the front door. The
World makes the point that the law, or
the mode Of its enforcement, is unequal:
that it initiates against the working
man in favor of the rich man. 1t claims
that the wealthy members of the swell
clubs and the we'll o-do patrons of the
big hotels can get all they desire to
drink at the places named. but the re-
sorts patronizcd by the workingman,
where he has been used to get his glass
Of beer or drink of whisky are closely
and etfectually barred against him. This
the World calls rank injustice and is
up in arms against it. The World is
right If sumptuaiy laws are to be en-
acted and enforced they should be gen
cral in their application. The state has
no more right to control the appetite
and conduct Of the poor than Of the rich
man. 1t can close club rooms and hotels
on Sunday with as good grace as it can
close the saloons. The TACT is all such
laws have been aud will be lamentable
failures in large cities. They cannot be
enforced for public sentiment is against
them. Tney increase rather than lessen
the SO Called evils they are intended
and expected to guard against. here is
an illustration of il in Montana. At it's
recent session the Legislature in wise
and moral mood prohibited gambling in
this state When the subject was first
brought up an attempt was made to ex-
empt the gentlenan5 game of draw
poker from the provisions of the act, but
finally It too was Included. The passage
of the law has robbed the state and
counties Of large revenues derived from
licensed gambling. bat who supposes
that /! has even tD Il degree put stop to
the vice. Ia all the CT les there have
sprung up clubs ana card rooms in
hotels and other places where tie mem
bers iadulge il card playing to their
hearts content. 1t is against the law,
but who is to bother them. TIE places
are conducted on the quiet, and are
liable TO be for a long time to coma No
one cares to go into private room in
notel or lodging house to see how a
party of gentlemen are amusing them.
selves. and they are therefore safe from
intrusion. The fact is an anti gambling
',.' like a Sunday liquor law cannot be
enforced against all classes. The rich
laugh at and defy it and the poor
devils are always hunted down and
punished for attempting to initiate their
better off fellow citizens. 1t is conceded
that drinking and gambling are evils,
but they are co-eval with human exist
ence and the practice of them are part
of human nature. No natural line of
social distinction can be drawn between
those who are addicted to them and
when the law intervenes at all it should
place all classes on an equal footing in
practice as it does in theory.