The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-12
FAVOR A SMALL STAKE.
A Very Warm Discussion at the
San Francisco Whist Club
Last Night.
!. J. ToRMEY SHOWED UNDER.
of Eighty-Seven to Thirty
Seven.

Gambling will be permitted in the San
Francisco Whist Club. Such was the de-
cision of a majority of the members last
night.
A special meeting of the members was
called by President N. D. Rideout for last
night to discuss the following resolution,
introduced by E. J. Tormey:
''That gambling, betting or playing
cards for stakes or points for money or
other representations of money in any and
every form shall be absolutely prohibited
in our clubrooms.
Mr.. Tormey vigorously supported the
resolution, and hot discussion followed,
the principal opponent of the resolution
being George E. Bates. In the course of
his argument Mr.. Tormey read the follow
ing letters, which he had received on the
subject:
Letter from Eugene S. Elliott, Milwau-
kee, founder and for three years President
of the American Whist League.
| have your favor of the 9th. / sympathize
with you under the conditions in which you
are placed. But my experience suggests moth
ing better than withdrawal on the part OF
such members of your club as are opposed to
playing for stakes and the starting CT a new
IL
ton prohibition ofall games for money or the
representatives of money.
1t is singular to me that players cannot see
that contest for stakes detracts from the
value of the game though am perfectly will
ing to admit that after a person has become &C
customed to play for stakes he looks upon the
game as it is played in the great majority, OF
league clubs as dull and spiritless, but the fact
remains the same that the gambling game does
not not pay for person DESTROYS OF perfecting
himself in whist
81; l.
ever been given was the test made in Chicago
some months ago, when number of mem beers
OF the Chicago Whist Club mot all of them
their best players) met picked gang, OF Chi
cago gamblers at duplicate whist and defeated
them badly.
Letter from Thee Schwarz, Chicago,
president of the Chicago Whist Club and
vice-prssident of the American Whist
League: $500
We have had bylaw in the Chicago Whist
Club ever since its organization prohibiting
playing cards for money. A violation of this
As general thing, however, may say that
those who play duplicate whist do not care to
play for money. There is enough interest
without it.
Letter from Mr.. A. G. Freeman, San
Francisco:
I am this day in receipt of your letter of the
I'd OF May, including proposed amendment
W
Your failure to find my name on the list of
members was due to the fact that resigned
my mem bership in the latter part of January
last. / was not advantageously situated for
playing on tournament nights and had found
my chief delight in the club in the fact that
when l first attended it it was possible
on other nights and on Saturday afternoons to
always find three other persons who were
willing to join in game of whist for its own
sake. AS the time went on l found 1t more
difficult to obtain partners in q game
| mr.
until at length 1 visited the club on several
occasions and was entirely unable to partici-
pate in game, the persons to whom appliea-
ton was made always excusing themselves on
the grounds that they were waiting to get into
the points or money game.
l therefore resigned my membership upon
the ground that the new condition of affairs in
effect excluded me from participation in the
benefits of the club.
should, perhaps, though I have never
have pursued a somewhat similar course
to that you have undertaken, but for the
fact that my inquiries among the members
of the club showed-that many of them had al
ready engaged in the practice of gam bling until
the milder form of amusement WAS no longer
agreeable to them, and that the others were with
few exceptions Indifferent respecting the mat
ter. l therefore concluded that there could
not be any place for me in the San Fran
cisco Whist Club. Should any club hereafter
be- formed in this City to which the
have drafted are acceptable, should be very
glad to be humble member of it.
The resolution was adopted by vote of
81 to SO.
In speaking of the matter last night, Mr..
Tormey said: 1.-THE result of this action
of the club viii be the formation of new
whist club, where whist will not be played
for money.
81 have done my best to stop gambling
in the club, but after to-night's over
whelming vote against me have no other
recourse but to withdraw from the
clI1h -