The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1895-03-18
PROVO CITY. MARCH IS. 1895
GAMBLING IN PROVO.


Utah county quietly, but severely ar
raigns the city officers for their hand
ling OF the gambling cases. And this
is exactly right. Had the city of
PROVO an efficient administration, the
grand jury lately adjourned would not
have found it necessary to devote days
of time and hundreds OF dollars of the
peoples money paid for territorial
taxes on matters that could as well as
not be controlled by the municipality.
There is perhaps 20 single day in the
whole 365 that gambling in some shape
does not occur, but it is only when the
police shave it in for" some individ-
ual that arrests are made, and then this
personal crusade Is given out as fear
less devotion to duty on the part Uf the
marshal and his police, The fact is
there is a huge amount Of humbug IN
this matter as we'll as pettishness
which is unworthy the dignity of the
officers of the city.
Tlere happened short time since a
case which is interesting in this con-
nection. Two gentlemen, not known
as gamblers, really not understanding
the 6 ne, strolled into certain house
for lev minutes and placed bet
or two OF the green without the least
idea infracting the law or of identi-
fyi henselves with the business in
any aV.
While There were perhaps twenty
FIVE CT thirty en- engaged, these two
gentl5man were reported and no
others, not sven the men owning the
game, ii 9 arimus of the thing was
too plain, and when every effort was
made TO jndict them before the grand
jury that body very properly refused
to entertain the charges. 1t is cases
of this kind which injure the cause of
justice and bring into contempt the
officers 30 acting. All good influences
rejoice when honest efforts are made
to stamp out the gambling evil. but
when they become but mere incident
to some scheme of personal revenge
and spite, it is unmanIy, unoficer-like
and unworthy the dignity of either the
city or county government.
In this thing the district court and
its admirable grand jury has read the
Provo police establishment lesson
which should be we'll conned by the
force. Real violators of the law, men
who daily and openly break it, should
not be passed over while mon who
nave no identity in that way are
cinched simply to crafty personal
pique. When this lie done, then grand
Juries do right to not only ignore but to
reprove officers who thus unlawfully use
their official stations to wreak revenge
for personal injuries. There is no
policy which can be pursued that is
more injurious than to permit such
things, We cannot all see alike. One
man perhaps finds it difficult to see the
wisdom of city on this extreme west
ern frontier alignlng itself with the
Oldest communities of the east in mat
ters of this kind, while others would
plant here the same puritanism which
thrives in Maine and Massachusetts,.
Both may be honest in this matter,
but that is no reason why the police
must ssJoin in today with one side
and tomorrow with the other, con-
trolled only by the feelings which may
for the moment hold sway in their
breasts.
There is DO case on record where a
good public end has been served by
the qualification of official ill-will. The
cause of the law and justice cannot be
served in this way, but incslculable in
jury is done whenever an officer is per-
mitted to use his official position to
harass and annoy his personal enemies