The San Francisco call., 1895-12-14
Supervisors Continue to Juggle
With the Pool Ordi.
nance.
POSING AS MORAL AGENTS.
The Grand Jury Firm in It's Purpose
to Get the Inside Facts of Cor.
rupt Bargain.

all confident that the Supervisors known
as the Solid Eight intend to pass any or
dinance to close the poolrooms or the
poker-houses. Some of the grand jurors
may be deceived by the professions of pro-
found concern for the moral welfare of
San Francisco, which members of the
Solid Eight voice in the juryroom, but
other jurors who look below the surface
conclude that there is a motive for this
moral outburst, and that the motive is to
gain time. 1t is known to the Supervi-
sors that Judge Sanderson desires to i'm
panel another Grand Jury before January
/, 1896. 1t is known also in the Board of
Supervisors that Judge Sanderson has
cautioned the members of the Grand Jury
against finding indictments on insufficient
evidence of guilt.
Many members of the Grand Jury are
deeply impressed with the belief that the
booksellers are contributing from $500 to
$1,000 q month to prevent the Board of
Supervisors from interfering with the busi-
ness of selling pools in town. There is an
impression that some of the money reaches
a clique of Supervisors to which Demo-
Gratis and Republicans belong. While the
Grand Jury is morally convinced that cor
rupt influences have been invoked to per-
petrate the most dangerous phases of
gambling the positive proof, necessary
under instructions to find an indictment,
has not been secured.
In the Grand Jury there are members
who believe that the Supervisors have no
| idea of closing the poker-rooms. 1t is be-
lieved that the Supervisors are making
this play to compel the poker-game man
ayers to pool their interests and put up
money to retain an attorney. The same
suspicion attaches to the proposition on
| the part of Supervisors to pass the Wagner
ordinance.
1t is suspected that boodlers in the
board want to compel the bookmakers at
the racetrack to put up literally for an
attorney. Behind this thin subterfuge of
retaining counsel half of the money used
to corrupt State Legislatures and munich
pal Councils is raised and nearly all the
jobs are hatched.
Since julius Kahn, W. w. Foote and
Walter Levy received legitimate fees of
$1,000 each for managing the pool cases in
court the business has been conducted
without legal obstruction. Yet since that
time, according to the testimony of the
booksellers themselves, $500 $500
month for five months-has been collected
to retain the services of an attorney who
enjoys the special confidence of the Solid
Eight Supervisors.
The attention Of the present Grand Jury
was drawn to the vice OF pool-selllng by
numerous communications setting forth
that this feature of gambling was demor-
alizing the youth of the City. Any Super
visor that cares to visit the pOolroOms on
Ellis street can be convinced of the truth
OF these communications. The Grand
Jury sought the advice of the Chief OF Po-
lice and solicited suggestions from repre-
sentative citizens of high character and
known integrity. Those who conduct the
indemnity associations are supposed to
know of the temptations which lead to ruin
young men holding responsible positions
in banks and mercantile offices, and their
advice was solicited. They pronounced
the poolroom the devils own school of
vice and earnestly recommended the
Grand Jury to put stop 10 pool-selling in
town. So an ordinance was drawn and
submitted to the Board of Supervisors
with an earnest recommendation that it
should pass.
One of the Supervisors Immediately
placed copy of the ordinance in the
hands of J. ii. Dickinson, the attorney of
the booksellers. He discovered, so it is
said, that it was defective as moral instru-
ment, inasmuch as it did not prohibit the
selling of pools on foreign racing events.
The Solid Eight Supervisors concluded not
to pass it, but to introduce another order,
known as the Wagner ordinance, which
ought to be entitled can ordinance to
compel all booksellers and bookmakers in
close up or put up With these two
orders the Solid Supervisors have since
been Juggling, and every day vociferating
that all kinds of vice should be suppressed
by law Meanwhile the BOOKSELLERS are
doing thriving business and putting up
in regular form $500 a month for counsel
fees.
Chief of Police Crowley refers to the
record of arrests to prove that he has
exhausted the resources of his department
in efforts to prevent pool-selllng. Harry
Corbett acknowledges to twelve arrests.
but boasts of an uninterrupted career of
pool-seling since his house was opened.
Chief Crowley even took away Corbett's
license to sell liquor. but the pool-seller
continued the pool business without the
bar.
Judge Wallace in his decision on the old
ordinance indicated how the Supervisors
could regulate the business, but the board
does not act. The Grand Jury prepared
an ordinance, but the Supervisors continue
to profess virtue and perpetuate vice.
1t is this kind of Board of Supervisors
that some members OF the Grand Jury
expect to reach by moral suasion and all
the time the pool-rooms are in full blast.
members of the Grand Jury who be-
lieve in firmer measures are asked by 9TH
ers, What can we do? We cannot get
positive proof that corrupt influences are
|
defeat the ordinance which we recon-
mended, but we cannot prove it and there
fore it would be folly to find an indict-
ment.'"
Others on the jury who hold that the
fight against the vice should continue re-
ply:
''Let us do our utmost to get all the evil
dence of guilt within our reach, and then
use what influence we possess to help the
succeeding Grand Jury get more proof.
Let lis continue the agitation until hoo
ding Supervisors are exposed to public
indignation and contempt; until the COM
munity shall point to them as moral out
casts We are sustained by the people,
the press and the moral agencies of the
community. If we cannot win now we
can arouse public sentiment that the
Board OF Supervisors cannot ignore"
The booksellers are wiser than the boo
blinded Supervisors. They discern
premonitions of the storm, and for proper
shelter are praying for license PROPOSE
ton. They want the board now to fix the
license at $500 month, and thus close up