The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-01-03
AGAINST The Pool LAW.
Rev. G. w. Burnham Of the Pawtuxet
Baptis. Church on Horse Gambling.

The pastor OF the Pawtuxet Baptist
Church, Rev. &. w. Darnham, preached
from Prov: 1874, Sunday evening last,
with reference to t.e repeal OF the law
which permits pool-scliing and gambling
ut Narragansett Park. lie said in sub
stance: "fhe text, 'Sin is a reproach to any
people, applies 10 a fragrant public viola
tion OF law of rectitude or duty, whether
IL Is statute law or the unwritten laws
of the mind. Statistics show that by
means OF the churches and Sunday Schools
nearly all the people OF nation and state
are directly instructed in the principles oil
morality from Christian standpoint and
have an intelligent conception OF right
and wrong in public affairs. Unquestion-
ably the large majority OF the people are
morally disposed, and disapprove OF evil,
either in Ubiquitous legislation or in the
non-enforcement OF just legislation. The
officials, the Legislature, the Judiciary,
should fairly represent the moral sense of
this great majority. To allow a vicious
minority TO manipulate public affairs in
order 10 cover dishonorabo and degrading
schemes, subjects the majority TO the re-
proach OF completely in tho vile practices
that are tolerated. Ths esponsibility
rests upon tho majority where the
power TO shape legislation and fill the
offices resides.
''The reproach OF lcgalized saloon rests
upon US. The saloon las no possible JUS
tification before God or mau. 1t is one of
the crowning sins invented by Satan and
practiced by unscrupulous men. Its cata-
logue OF evils is endless. There is nothing
good that it spares. There Is no peaceful
home that Is safe from its pea ce- destroy
ing influence. There Is no virtue in man
or woman but which its Touch remorseless-
ly defilcs and destroys. There is NJ net in
the category OF vice and crime but 1t in
cites. There Is no abatement to
the stream of criminals with which
IL fills the prisons TO overflow
ing. And as we observe all this
evil we are shamed, as people, that
righteous law, endorsed byan overwhelm-
ing majority OF the people, was permitted
TO be Smftten down by minority
shamed that partisan influences were
allowed TO paralyze the police and judi
cary, shamed that the Legislature, the
persistent lying Of the great journals,
joined with the saloons, were allowed 10
deceive and discourage the people and ac-
complish its repeal.
"The cause OF temperance is not 'lost
cause however, and the saloon cannot
always rule. The people have not spoken
their final word in this controversy. But
in the meantime the reproach OF its legal
justification rests heavily upon the people
of this State.
eve, the people, are under reproach
also, for toierating the social vice,
which, because of its moral Vile
ness, cannot be easily discussed
among virtuous peope. The sacred
writer describes it as sometimes hiding
itself in houses which are visited lin the
twilight, in the evening, in the black and
dark night and sometimes as openly
plying seductive arts lin the streets, lying
in wait Mt every corner and yielding to
the temptation as taking the
way to hell, going down
to the chambers OF DEATH This sin exists
and faunts itself in our State. not De
cause it Is not ontlawcd, but because it is
winked at by the authorities and ignored
by the people; not because IL is not felt to be
intolerable and efforts been made to
remove 1t, but because the crusade against
1t was so shameiessly travcstied and ridi-
culed that strong organization OF good
men quailed before the cyclone Of abuse
that swept down upon it and they aban-
donei the effort.
added to these two infames we are
now under the reproach OF legalizing
form of gambling that can
fnd a foothold in no other State
in the Union. How the horse racing
gamblers gained their purpose with the
Legislature and Executive need not be lis
cussed. The fact that they gained The
right OF way for all the rogues in the
country to hold high carnival in our State
and ROB and cheat the inexperienced and
unwary at their leisure Is fact that
reddens every honest cheeis with shame.
Gambling nder cover was rife before, but
this brazen challenge OF legalized swind-
ling was too much for the most patient
people in the world. The people vince
under the reproach It has brought upon
them, and the leg islators are repentant
and promise everything; yet II is well for
the people to invigorRte the virtuous pur-
poses OF their servants with mass of
petitions for repeal that will outweigh all
other considerations. The outcome of
the war upon organized venality,
vice aud robbery in the victory
OF the peoples cause in the city OF New
York, shows that even when evil power
has the advantage of 10 z tolerance, and
full control OF every department OF the
law and government, IL can be overt brown
and the right tie put in its proper
place. We cannot bitter close the
old year aud begin tSe new
than by doing oui utmost 10 remove thi,
vicious enactment from tho statutes, and
undertake, so far as we have influence, TO
remove every othor evil lcgalized or ,ol-
Grated in our commonwealth. and so wipe
eff the reproach that adhcres TO our civil
ana social life.