The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-26
MAY ALL HAVE TO Go.
Gambling Liable to Be Prohibited
Entirely in the City of Butte.
MANY ALDERMEN AGAINST 1T
IL Is Thought a Majority of Them
Will Vote to Abolish the Nuis-
ance- Gamblers hemse elves
Seriously Alarmed

The proposition to stop gambling In
Butte entirely is no longer a Josh and
some OF the gambling men are getting
quite anxious about it. At the La
council meeting, during the debate on
upstairs and downstairs gambling.
Alderman briggs favored keeping the
gambling upstairs, from the point of
view of morality. Alderman Byrne re-
torted that for the very same reason he
was in favor of putting the gambling
downstairs, and he thought that was
the surest way to get people disguised
with gambling and have it abolished al
together. To show that he was sincere
he moved that the city attorney be in
structed to bring in an ordinance at the
next council meeting prohibiting gamb-
ling altogether. Harrington seconded
the motion, and it was unanimously
carried.
II begins to look now as If the ordi-
nance would make great deal of trou-
BILE for the gamblers. Acting City At
torney Darrow said that he will have
the ordinance drawn up ready for in
PRODUCTION at the meeting tomorrow
night. If the five aldermen who voted
last week against downstairs gamb-
ling support this ordinance, and Alder
men Montgomery and Rodda, the two
absentees, also support it, together
with Byrne and Harrington, that will
a. HudJOIlty VI the WIFI
one less there will be a tie and Mayor
Thompson makes no bones about his
intentions of knocking OUT gambling If
he can do IL. Alderman Montgomery
declares himself ready to support any
measure to down gambling.
Some of the aldermen and others
have questioned the councils power to
stop gambling. The council has the
power. Section $500 of the new codes
defining and enumerating the legislat-
i've powers of the council, has the fol-
lowing: ''19-To regulate or prohibit
dance houses, gambling houses, hurdy-
gurdy houses houses OF prostitution,
houses of lewd resort or other places,
by whatever name called, of public re-
sort, where females act as mattresses
or servants, and where spirituous or
vinous liquors are retailed."
That covers the ground very clearly,
and leaves no doubt that the council
has power to prohibit gambling" 1t
looks as If the council win have to vote
on this ordinance, for ii cannot be sup
pressed while several of the aldermen
are known to be strongly in favor of
the ordinance. They declare they are
going to push the thing, and while they
do not expect to be able to pass the or
dinance at one meeting, procedure
which would require a two-thirds
vote. they will muster votes enough to
pass it in regular order, which will only
require bare majority.
At the time when Alderman Byrne
declared his intention of introducing
the ordinance no one believed there
would be any possibility of its passage.
But now the thing has become serious,
and the gamblers are apprehensive that
the ordinance may pass. Most of the
gamblers prefer upstairs gambling any
way. and are perfectly satisfied to obey
the wishes of the general public and
remain upstairs. They are unsparing
In their criticism of George Hopkins
and Joseph Vogler, who have forced the
matter into the councn and made IL
possible that an ordinance prohibiting
in the city of Butte may be
passed