The herald., 1896-03-10


EDITOR HERALD-My attention was this
morning arrested by an article appearing
in the columns of your Sundays issue
purporting to be a communication signed
"Observer," in relation to the poker room
evil as it now exists in this city.
| desire heartily to indorse each and
every statement of this letter. From per
sonal observation know them to be but
the expression of literal facts. A perusal
of the ordinance governing these matters
also convinces me that these rooms are IL
legally conducted, and ought to be closed
up at once.
Speaking of minors, it is no uncommon
sight to discover school boys thronein9 the
poker rooms with their school books dang
ling from their arms. dropping their nick
els and dimes into the money drawers of
the ''proprietors" of such vile dens.
These gambling dens are doing an inn
mense amount of evil. Laboring-men,
clerks, mechanics, street-car employees, and
others of small income, are enticed into
the games and habitually lose their pitiful
earning in ventures where there ia little or
no chance of winning. The percentage
claimed, and taken by the "house" by the
compulsory sale of cards, in a short time
eats up all the money or checks on the
table.
There are about twenty of these poker
rooms in operation in the vicinity of First
and Main streets. The gross receipts from
the ''sale" of cards in these rooms varies
from $40 to $4O-or sometimes even as
high as $50 or $6O-according to the pop
ularity or patronage of the house. We
will say tho average is $40 per day for
each house. A little figuring shows
that these unlawful resorts are absorbing
about $500 per diem from the pockets of
the class of workers and wage earners who
can the least afford TO lose it. Four hum
dred dollars per day amounts to $12 900
per month, or $l44,O0O annually in round
numbers. This immense sum of money
comes every dollar Of it from the working
classes, and were the poker rooms abol-
ished would be spent in the stores and
among the shopkeepers in supporting the
families and those dependent upon the
men who now are wasting their substance
at gaming.
While the religious and moral elements
in the community are exercised over the
social evil as it exists upon Alameda street,
permit me to suggest that the unlawful in
diligence of vice which costs the retail
trade of this city some $15O,000 year,
more or less is of suSicient Importance to
demand part. at least. of their attention.
This is the financial aspect only of tine
evil Its moral-or rather immoral-side
presents surface SO broad and stupen-
dous, that an entire page of your paper,
set with solid nonpareil, would fail to do
justice to the subject.
The records of the police court, the di-
vorce mill, the prison register, the county
farm and the hospital eloquently tell their
own stories in relation to the vicious effects
of gaming.
The Fiesta will shortly throng our fair
city with strangers. Let US blot out these
impurities at once. just as we would drain
a cesspool that disfigured Spring street.
Let us purify the moral atmosphere, and
for the sake of our city's fair name, as we'll
as for the sake of OIL selves and
the families of those misguided men
VINO are are pouring $1,000 month
keepers of gambling dens, let us close up
forever the unlawful sinks of iniquity
that now infest the heart of town under the
name of Club rooms" Respectfully,
ONE WHO KNOWS.
Los Angeles, March s, 1896.