The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-22
GROUND FLOOR FARO
A Long Fought Battle in the Council
Is Probable. Y s:s
THE TWO EXTREMES MEET
Catholic and A. p. A. Aldermen
Vote Together on the PROPOSE
tiOn-The Mayor stands Firm
AS to the Licenses
he TWO EXTREMES MEET

The fight over downstairs gambling
Is likely to be a long-continued battle
yet. While II appeared from last
nights vote that the aldermen in IA
vor of ground floor gambling are in a
clear majority in the council yet the
mayor has a good deal of power in his
own hands and ii is stated on very
good authority that he is very ready to
exercise the veto power in this case.
1t is claimed by those who are op-
posed to downstairs gambling that no
license can legally be issued anyway
until the council rescinds the resolu-
lions which it passed last year that no
gambling shall be allowed on the
ground floor. The first step, IT Is ar
gued, must be the resembling of this
resolution, passed in due form with
this resolution. Still in effect the IL
cense, 1t Is argued, cannot be granted.
While there is an undoubted majority
of the council in favor of resembling
this resolution the mayor is still there
to veto this proposition and there Is
no apparent danger of sufficient vote
being obtained to carry over the may
cr's veto. The license too, before Ii
can be issued, must bear the mayors
signature. and If he refuses to sign it,
II will require a two-thirds vote to
override his will So If the mayor
stairs gambling may still have a hard
fight of it before they finally win.
The vote last night, however, was
surprise to all who were not in the
game. The gamblers played their cards
well and had clear victory If II
wasn't for the fact that the mayor was
gamekeeper and did the counting. The
holy alliance" between the extreme
members Of the A. p. A and the Cath
all In ~ a
curious thing to see. For the first time
they voted together and their combined
vote with one or two others was suffi-
cient to defeat the middle of the
road" aldermen. An analysis of the
vote on policemen last night would
show that neither of the extremes can
muster a majority of the council.
When the loyal A. p. AS. tried to
defeat a policeman they were blocked,
and when the anita. p. AS. tried to de-
feat a man they were blocked too.
There were enough aldermen who voted
in the affirmative all the time to hold
the balance of power and thus the
whole force was confirmed.
But IL was an affecting sight to see
the two extremes united on a PROPOSE
ton and voting for the same object.
That happened in the gambling propo-
sition when men like Bausman, Heilig,
ance with Byrne, Harrington, Dorais
and others and mustered nine votes
between them. How long the conbina-
ton will last is difficult to say.
1t Is a notable fact too that all the
aldermen elected this spring with one
exception voted for down stairs gam
bling. That would indicate that while
other citizens were engaged in a hot
A. p. A. fight. the gamblers were not
all AA
same to them which ever won.
If the proposed ordinance for the
abolishing of gambling altogether is
ever actually brought to vote in the
council 1t will be of great interest to
note how those aldermen vote who
claim to be in favor of downstairs gam
bling on moral grounds. 1t is doubt
full If the ordinance ever gets beyond a
committee, but IT is hoped that
chance will be given the aldermen to
put themselves on record in the mat
ter.