Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1897-04-10
GAMBLING.
NickIe in the Slot Machines
TO Be LegaIized by the Portland
City Council.

The Portland city, council has or
iianced TO legalze and license nickel
in-the-slot machines. Mr. Logan, a
colored orator of that city addressed
the city council as follows:
"The charter of the city of Portland
is to the common council of this city
what the constitution of the state of
Oregon is to its legislature. The
charter declares that a majority of
the cnuncil may pass any ordinance
or resolution not repugnant TO the
laws of the United States or of this
state" The laws of the state Of Ore
gon declare That each and every
person who shall carry on any game
played with cards or any other device,
whether the same be played for money
or any representative of value, shall
be guilty misdcmeannr,' etc.
"rhat nickle-in-the.slot machines
are gambling devlces within tire
WI NIC obtlOC obdlhIC ilt tiAUtis
with the least respect for his opinion,
will deny. But the honorable gentle
men, Of PUrtland's common council.
while admitting these machines to be
devices, reply, we are looking out for
revenue only. There is Il state statute
against gambling. If slot machines
are gambling devices, let the state
authorities look out for that BY a
parity of reasoning, the legislature, of
Oregon. might as we'll say, we will
license counterfeiting the money of
the United States at so much per
annum. We want revenue. There is
law in the statutes of the United
States against counterfeiting. Let
the United States look out for the
punishment of counterfeiting.
$50 far as statutory or legal author
ity is concerned, the council had
about as much right to pass the
nickle-in ,the-slot ordinance as 1t had
to authorize the erection of sum-
mer garden on the bleakest summit
of Greeniand's icy mountains.
81 am not reformer (so-called) nor
the son of a reformer; but 1 hold
that any device that is so strenuously
contended for by class of men who
expect to exist in this community by
the open and notorious indulgence in
the gambling habit by all ages, sexes
and conditions, is inimical and dan
gerous to the welfare of this city. II
is contended that these machines les
sen the indulgence in the habit Of
cigarette smoking and dice shaking
fhis l deny, and say positively thai
cigarette smoking has in no wise beer
Iessened by these iniquities: and dice
shaking has only increased since the
machines have been suppressed, anC
then only as substitute for its more
attractive superior.
"The gentlemen of the common
council may congratulate themselves
on their imaginary advantage (from
which l trust they have derived much
benetit); but / am willing to stake my
professional reputation to the hazard
that not one penny of the nickel-in
the-slot machine ordinance license
will be collected wherever it is op
posed.
1.-TWO prominent facts characterize
this remarkable effort for revenue.
First-It is not unadvised. On the
contrary, it is diliberate 1t is steI
taken with the fullest knowledge
that gambling device is given Of
fetal countenance by this city-s
thing both feared and despised by
every parent within our borders, fol
this monstrous evil appeals directly tt
the young. Second-the cigarmaker'
and liquor dealers to a man opposed
it. Who asks for it? Who whispered
into the alert ears of the official cham
pions of this law condemned by al
other men, the magic word, revenue.
Prostitution is punished by state
law. Has that and revenue reached
the official tympanum BY the way
what an awful effect that word 'reve
nue. has on some people, 1t makes
one admire the bastard in King
John, who declares his purpose;
{" There is no sin, but to be rich
And being rich my virtue then shall
be,
ITO say-there is no vice, but beggary.
"For instance, take man who liel
awake nights, tossing on sleeplesi
pillow and worrying himself to deatt
over revenue in both its incoming
and outgoing aspect, and all for pal
try $1,000 year-he fits it in by {
nickle-in-the-slot means that is con
demned by all, and completes IL by 4
creamatory measure that is sanctioned