The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-01-14
An Urgent Plea to Abolish
Gambling.
Rev. E. G. wesIey's Sermon on Law
Which Sanctions Racetrack Betting.
Vote Against It Must BE Unanimous
to Appeasc an Outraged Public.

At the Park Street Baptist Church last
evening the pastor, Rev. q. Ernest Nes-
ley, choose for his text Malachi z, IL;
"Judah hath dealt treacherously and an
abomination is committed in Israel and
Jerusalem"
The sermon was on the subject OF horse
gambling in this State ana the necessity
OF repeating the law that makes IL pos
sible.
An abstract OF MIR. Wesley,s discourse is
as follows:
in the history OF X. j. legislation when,
on May 25th, 1894, our Representatives
voted in favor of the infamous Section
Of Chapter 1880 of the "Public Laws
of Rhode Island" BY its
first section this chapter forbids
spool selling, bookmaking, etc." By It's
second section the same chapter allows
race track gambling to be carried on by
any and every Incorporated agricultural
society at any time and place between
May 10 and Nov. Is OF the same year.
Those who voted in favor OF Section 2,
knowing what it meant, are, by such
vote, self declared gamblers, disloyal
Rhode Islanders, unprincipled, dishonest
and unmanly from any and every possible
standpoint; men dealing treacherously
and committing an abomination before
God and man. No one can read the full
the true text OF the act without coming TO
the conclusion that these men voted as
they were hired to vote.
There are, so 1 am told, those who claim
they did not know what the act meant;
do not believe this can be true In the case
of one person having ordinary
education and intelligence, who
paid the least attention TO the read
Ing OF the act before its passage;
the language OF Section IL SO clear that
there cannot be found graduate OF
Rhode Island grammar school unable to
understand the meaning; that meaning
the establishment by law OF race track
gambling.
Our legislators arc elected by the peos
pie, the people supposing said legislators
will ever be on the lookout for proposed
measures drawn up for the express pur-
pose OF deceit and the misleading of the
indolent and innocent. Legislators should
be on the lookout for every move
of rascality. fraud, corruption and politi-
cal combination against the interests OF
the people. All this class OF legislation
Is. unfortunately, attempted in the Legis-
lature of every State in the Union;. men
who are not competent to "look into,I see
through" these attempts; men who have
not courage and principle enough to
vote against such legislation are not MT
men to be put into any Office or position
did not understand the meaning OF the
proposed act," is also confession, am
not fit person to be elected TO the Legis-
lature."
have called this act an "infamous
one" Section 2 Is infamousin its intent
and provisions the manner in which the
act was held back till the last days OF the
January session--May 18th, Friday-the
present Legislature meeting on Tuesday
the 29th--the extraordinary spasm OF vir-
tue which accepted the first section; the
evident soothing mixture OF said section
intended TO throw the members OF their
guard and make them wholly yunsuspicious
OF any evil design In the less virtuous
Section 2; the remarkably condensed
addition TO the end OF Section 2,
which rendered wholly imperative
the page aud quarter OF virtue
all these careful preparations, this eau
tion, this craft, this deception on the part
of the trainers of the act show the knav-
slowness OF comprehension, culpa-
BILE carelessness, apathy and in
attention OF those who voted, not
clearly seeing that Section of "An Act
to Restrain Gambling, etc" sanctioned
and protected gambling within the
grounds OF any Incorporated agricultural
in the State for six months OF
the year, aud allowed upon such
grounds all that was forbidden
by the previous section. Wonderful
Senators and Representatives Making
unlawful everywhere in the State .ali
pool selling, book making, register.
and then by a second clause of
two lines, making the whole lawful and
right anywhere and everywhere in
the State simply because some agricul-
tural society should see fit TO determine
''pooi selling, booknaking, gambling
- lotx
of horses" One does not know which Is
to be most exposed to scorn and con-
tempt: the stupidity OF such
an agricultural society or the
stupidity OF such legislation. / doubt
whether the history OF legislation in any
other State OF the union can match
Chapter 1880 OF the Public Statutes Of
Rhode Island. A more virtuous effort
than the first part need not
be asked for; but it is evident
that the whole thing was a scheme OF
some who were paid for their success
possibly in money, may be in votes, pos
sibly by being given the freedom of the
"Gambling Carnival" for 1 am most
creditably informed that certain OF our
legislators did gamble on those grounds.
Before many weeks many of those who
have offered this plea 81 did not under
stand" will have the chance given them
TO retrieve their defeated honor, their
BullleQ mhunoou, tnelr gross stupidity,
their lack OF intelligence; the
watchful eye of an awakened and
aroused Christian manhood and woman
hood will not again overlook absence,
hesitation, wrong voting, uncertainty.
Awakened manhood ana womanhood
will neither forget nor forgive the party
in Rhode Island which fails
to respond unitedly, unanimously
TO tho demand OF an indignant
and outraged people; a mere majority in
favor of repeal win not satisfy "the peo-
pie." The vote for repeal must be an over
whelming vote; less than this will be but
little better than sanction. The Christ
ianity, the manhood, the womanhood, the
childhood OF Rhode Island, demand that
this "treachery and abomination shall
be buried deep, fathoms deep, beyond any
possibility OF n resurrection.
IL may be regarded "a good and hope
ful sign that SO many OF our legislators
are bravely and clearly expressing their
views through the columns OF THE News
this fact must not relax the vigil
lance OF the aroused church and
public sentiment. We have not
quite forgotten the stand taken not long
ago by one OF the dailiss OF Providence
for the purpose OF bringing about
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