The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-07-08
oBJEcrIoNs or HIs HONOR. TILE

OBJECTIONS OF HIS HONOR THE
Mayor. TO Council Bill No. III. July s.
1895.
To the Honorable. The City Council. City
OF Seattle-Geutlemen
l believe II 10 be my duty to withhold
approval from council bill No Ia. entitled
An ordinance licensing the sale OF goods.
wares and merchandise by means of au-
tomato devices, apparatus or machines.
and providing for the violation thereof"
IN stating my. objections to said bill I
VIII, for convenience. distinguish the diff
ferent classes OF slot machines as auto
matte machines" and chance machines"
by the former term refer to th..s SO
machines which are strictly automatic,
by means OF which customer Is enabled
to walk upon himself in the purchase OF
certain lines OF goods, placing the price
every payment n definite quantity of INC
commodity being sold. By the term
chance machine | refer TO the different
varieties OF slot machines whose action
Is not uniform. and which do not. as I'M
derstand. deliver the goods TO the Gus
toner. Among others the following rea-
OF said bill, and | respectfully submit
them my objections thereto:
First obtection-Said htIi by lis terms
provides for the license OF automatic slot
machines and devices. while I am advised
and fully satisfied that the persons who
are asking for this legislation expect TO
IL the provisions OF the ordinance are
open TO such construction they should BE-
modified before the ordinance goes into
effect.
Second objection-A license Of SIS per
year upon autonstic machines for the sale
OF goods Is excessive for most automatic
devices. and Will be prohibitiye as TO most.
IL not ell. the automatic machines which
are simply legitimate aids 10 business and
are free from the objections which are
applicable 10 the chance machines. As
suming that the business men who expect
10 apply for the licenses provided for in
said ordinance intend 10 Operate chance
Is in my judgment, fully justified by in
formation received from those aayocat ling
the ordinance. the following additional OBJ
secttors should be specified.
Third ohJecsfon-Fron1 a revenue stand
point license fee of SIS per year for
chance slot machines Is in my judgment
fee suggested 20 me by bus mess men In
tereSied in the subject. prior 20 the pss-
sage OF the ordinance. WIS SIS per month,
or Ese per year, one case Being c5ied
diminished receipts 70 the extent Of 10 per
day.
Fourth obiection-The. ordnance con-
tains no restrictions whatever nor any
provisions 10 prevent boys and minors
from playing at the chance machines. All
advocates OF such license with whom I
have conversed have agreed that there
should be strict regulations against the
paying Of the caanes machines BY boys
or minors. one OF the arguments ad-
vanced in favor Of a moderately high H.
cense being thst such scsaSe we3ld lcs
the chance Frszch hines out ~ snsaH cigar
and can1y stands. where boys are apt 20
So them
F7fin object Eon-Chance slot machines
are In the nature OF iostery devices the
purchaser taking chances az 10 how much
ne wiil secure or a. 20 whether he viii
SECURE anything for the money paid
Sixth obf@ctsnn-The~@ chance ma
chimes operar .ng IN public places even
though boys and minors should Dc pro-
hlbsted from playing AZ them. vii oper-
ale as examples and incentives 20 boys
cfance schemes.
Seversa chfecfIor-The use OF chance
machines. even II they are fair IN Their
average results and Do not give q pereent-
age oI advantage 10 the boaSs using Them
fog which fact we should be assured be-
crease the purchases Of giyen number
OF customers IN cigar stores ard saloons
where these machines are raoat generally
used sseT tire purchases which such rur-
chasers would make II the mach .nes Bere
not In use. II could not De considered
good pubic Policy TO encourage nsecaan-
cal cor trtyzErces for Increasing tire spend
trg % money 20 an abnormal extent for
cssr uo4EffAz which are rot usscgAxzrseS
Such course must operate axsinst other
lines Of tfa9e dealing IN reces@arisS ard
against the families OF the ssSsrxssrs. many
Of whom zsAy - IN need % measures
which wnx.4 oxEeTwss be rureA 2ae9 with
TIE money wSxer@d ar machines
Eighth ohseckien-ptshAg gambling ps51-
~ Lotteries and az sc1snsss ard devices
for publicly dlsposs-g az anything % val
AZ by chance. are against tbs policy OF
cur national laws. directly N conSlc. vish
our state law. sDc aEafnzt the public wei
and young NAE. OF al legitimate business