Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-02-06

| OF, or being nc, Since when, Mr..
ton Of, the, such thing be pub
Speaker. ,t,Teinia? / answer, since the
ilshed OF Of the act legalizing pool-seli-
passax,Tc The Governor has admitted
ine. mare Of the responsibility for this
| ls,ete of affairs In his message. and asks
as 10 provide a remedy. The respon-
sibility is now upon us the question Is,
How viii we meet It?
ut has been said by honorable gen
tlemen OF the General Assembly I'm
the discussion Of this question with
me you cannot legislate morality into
men. This. Mr.. Speaker. is true. adj
nit; but we can legislate this form
OF temptation out Of the State and therx(
by save many from moral ruin. ia,
while men are praying. Lead u<not
into temptation, but deliver w from
evil shall we who are delegated 10
make their laws license ii go from
place to place. as the bill ~ reported
by your committee would%?
NOT A FAZTIC.
"slr, I am not a l/atic on any great
moral question, Wi believe in throwing
the protection ~ the law around our
young men. %d If, after having dis
charged our/uty in this respect they
viii not " content with anything less
"TIrefore. LET US see TO it that no re-
spXsibility attaches 70 us for the con-
tXuance Of this foul blot upon the soil
IT our state. Shall we. Virglnians. Doast-
ful OF our fair name. our achievements
in peace our valor in war. shall we per-
nit this cancer TO destroy our fame. 10
degrade through our sons those honOred
names Of which we are Justly proud
l,-frf s1
other OF the great brotherhood OF States?
New York and New Jersey stood IL as
long as they dared and IN the latter It
brought about a political revolution and
gentlemen, ] warn you that II q be
allowed 10 continue here a like result
Will follow. Good and true inel who
bear allegiance to the dominant party are
FESTIVE under this state of affairs. 5nd you
have but to observe the signs Of the
times as portrayed in the secular and
religious papers of the day to satisfy
yourselves that this warning IS timely.
LIMIT IT TO THIRTY DAYS.
"The suggestion has been made in one
of the daily papers perhGps in more;
have only seen II in one) that Z would
perhaps be the best solution Of mis- ques-
ton to limit II to thirty days. and tie
bill Of my friend from Fau1uicr IS I'm
effect will be TO scatter II Cor several
months over the entire state. If the
management Of the pool-selling interests
so desire. Is there any compromise On
such question? We can compromise
dollars and cents; can a principle be
compromised?
THE question at issue is, is the bust
ness right or is It wrong? If right. the
more we have Of IT the better: If wrong
the more effectuaily IL is suppressed the
better we serve the cause of good morals
VIII you tell me. sir In what particular
this form OF gambling differs from that
by cards, az the faro-bank, etc? The
law forbds them; should il legalize the
other? Who. ~ this presence. will in
trOduce "A bill 10 legalize the faro bank
for thirty days I'm each year In any one
place or city, or for seven months I'm
the year? I am told that faro-banks do
not contribute 10 the growth Of any
farming industry. and that pool-seliing
does. and for this reason the raisers OF
fine stock must be subsidized by the
gambling interests.
What an argument. and how sur
prising that gentlemen who are not in
any way Identified with gambling should
advance II. IT is contended that the
business Of fine stock raising will be en-
tirely destroyed. that millions Of dollars
would be legislated out OF the pockets Of
those who engaged in that business
under the belief that Virginia would DO
nothing TO suppress the evil Of pool
selling. II the bill introduced is enacted
into law.
II do not charge that those who mako
this assertion are doing so for the pur-
pose OF clouding the issue which is
so clearly drawn-that Of legalzing or
suppressing vice-but l do unhesitatingly
say | do not believe millions, or even
one million is invested in racing-horse
raising in Virginia, but let us grant that
IL is so. shall we legislate 10 foster this
industry in defiance Of the moral senti-
ment Of the thousands of our citizens
to benefit the small number who are so
engaged?
THE AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS.
Another argument against the bin is
II will rum agricultural associations.
Who are the representatives Of agricul-
ture in this State? Why sir, the State
Board of Agriculture, composed Of these
gentlemen-Messrs. Corbin, McMath. Blu
ford, Mallory. Hurt. Gaines, Mccain.
Stuart, and Whitehead. What do they
say? Listen: Resolved, That we. the
members of the Virginia State Poard of
Agriculture, representing The agricultural
interest Of the State, deprecate the abuse
grounds in permitting thereon pool-selling
and gambling.
Can there be any better testimony 10
the pernicious effect upon such associa-
tions of this book-making, pool-selling, or
| mutual business? Mr.. Speaker | like
horse-racing-no one enjoys such sport
mo. e-yet | nave been ,old that was op-
| posed TO IL because not in favor OF
/ gambling on them, and nat ;here would
be no racing unless t'oolS-mlling, pool
I selling, &c, was permitted. II this be
true, and l do not admit It, better-a
thousand times MISUNDERSTANDING this
sport, than sanction the evils which
would result from legalizing gambling on
the tiacks. While l don't approve. and
would not license, betting Ia any form,
let me quote from one of the leading
sporting papers OF the country: Before
boOk-naking was introduced on our
| tracks betting was kept within reasonable
| limits. and racing occupied a much higher
place in the public estimation than now
Jerome-PaIk track was inaugurateG Sep
TENDER .. 1866, and at once became the
home Of fashion. Fat dividends were not
/ thought Of. the prime object of racing
Was sport. The book maker VAS an un-
discovered quantity. ard recorders were
not paid regular salaries by winter
tracks 20 sugar-coat their schemes in the
columns Of the daily journals
sUGAR-cOATED SCHEMES.
Does not this admission convince you
gentlemen, that IL Is dangerous to give
evea the faintest sanction TO this busi-
meas lest the evil continue 10 grow until
II should become even a greater stencil In
the nostrils OF the citizens Of this Com
mOnwealth? We are aware that the
schemes OF those who would pCrpetuate
this evil are being 'sugag-c jated.' espe-
cislly when the gentlemen reIresertinc