The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-17
START THE CRUSADE.

The time seems propitious to begin a
vigorous crusade for the suppression of
lottery gambling in this City. Public SEN
timent, aroused by the report of the Grand
Jury and the statements made through the
CALL by the District Attorney, the Chief
of Police, the chairman of the late Grand
Jury and others having knowledge of the
subject, is fully prepared to support any
| action that may be taken to enforce the law
and crush the infamy.
For the lotteries there is not word of
defense to be spoken. It may be said OF
this evil that it involves wheels within
wheels of fraud and crime. In the first
place, all lotteries are violations of morality
and Of law. Within this wrong is found
the further wrong of fake lotteries, in
which the swindling is unmitigated, and,
as if this were not enough, there is still
another wheel in the nefarious trade that
grinds out forged lottery tickets and re-
duces the game of swindling TO outright
and complete thievery.
According to Chief Crowley's estimate,
based upon facts brought to light by the
investigations of the police, fully one-half
the lottery tickets sold in this City are
rank counterfeits. Even those that are not
counterfeits are worthless. To purchase
tickets in any lottery is to enter upon a
gambling game in which the cards are
shaffied, cut, dealt and the result an
nounced by INSCRIPTIONS sharpers out of
sight OF the victim and safe from any DOS
sibility of revision of their work. 1t is a
clear case of knavery on one side and
folly on the other, and the results are all
one way.
There is, however, deeper depth to the
evil than that which appears on the sur
face. The lottery sometimes forces money
from its victims. By giving large per.
centagc of the price of tickets to those who
sell them, the lottery sharpers have been
able to induce avaricious and domineering
employers or foremen TO act as agents for
the sale of tickets, and dispose of them to
employees who for fear of losing their posi-
ton dare not refuse to part with their
honestly earned dollars in exchange for
these dishonest bits of fraudulent paper.
To put an end TO these evils and redress
these wrongs is cause that NAV rightly
claim the assistance OF every upright citi-
zen and every earnest worker for the
general good. We are aware the contest
Will be hard and a complete victory diff
cult to attain. The lotteries are powerful,
insidious, secretard strong. Their agents
are found equally among half-starved
wretches, who take chances of peddling
the tickets for a living, and rich bankers,
who handle the coin for a liberal cons ider-
alton. From the sly dodger sneaked about
in the dark to the great newspaper that
goes everywhere in the light Of day, their
advertisements enticing the unwary find a
way into almost every home. These things
while attesting the power of the lotteries
should arouse the moral forces of the City
instead OF discouraging them. The time,
as we have said, is propitious for the
crusade to begin. The officials of the City
and County will find in the contest an earn
est support from all associations organized
for the public good, and in the end we are
sanguine they will also have the aid of the
other papers of the City as well as the
CALL in exposing all the iniquity of the
trade and revealing its unlawful, criminal
and swindling practices.