The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-13
AGAINST GAMBLING.
Pastors Scudder and Brett
Uphold the Constitu-
tional Amendments.
VIGOROUS SERMONS YESTERDAY
Women Urged TO Use Their In
fuence Against Race Tracks
What the Issues Are.

shall race track gamblers return to
New Jersey" was the question discussed
by Rev. John l.. Scudder, yesterday, in
his prelude to the regular sermon in the
Tabernacle and this is what he said
On Tuesday, November 2, a momentous
battle will be fought between the moral
and immoral elements in New Jersey. The
warfare will extend over the entire State
and be waged at every polling place in the
commonwealth. This battle will be the
last of d long series of conflicts and will
determine whether race track gambling
shall return to curse our beloved State.
This is q supreme issue in which every
father and mother should be profoundly
concerned, for no form of gambling is
more fascinating and pernicious than this.
When a young man begins to play the
races he becomes the victim of cunning
villains who absorb hi searnings, unfit
him for business, destroy his moral
sense and not ~unfrequently convert him
into a thief or swindler. There is no
kind of gambling in which young men
so utterly lose their wits and self-respect
and travel so fast to destruction. The
people of New Jersey understand this
well, for it has been burned into their
experience in years gone by. No one need
tell us about this evil. When it prospered
here it ruined happy homes and turned
certain portions of our State into daily
pa-ndemoniums. The blacklegs of New
York and Philadelphia overran the State
n the gambling fraternity controlled
our Legislature, laughed at justice, and
yuanfnn1u inS1l1tad fha In WA hiding
citizens of New Jersey. The evil became
so odious and threatening that the people
rose in their might and stamped it out of
existence.
NOW, do we want a repetition of these
outrageous and disgusting scenes? OF
course we do not, but we shall haye them
unless we turn out in full force and pass
this anti-gambling amendment at the
coming election. The gambling interests
are active and expectant. They hope to
win through the general listnessness OF
the better classes. They are working in
the dark while good people sleep, and II
we are worsted in this conflict defeat will
be due not to our inferior numbers. but
to our carelessness and senseless
optimism. AS for several years we have
CCI AAOO Ills
some may think the blight will not re-
turn, but they are mistaken. The gamb-
ling fraternity have not been idle. HI
are confident of defeating this valuable
amendment and they will succeed unless
we are wide awake and vigorous. Let
us strike this reviving monster a final
blow, as he now rises from the dust n
gathers strength for renewed encounter.
is badly wounded, but he is not dead.
1 have no fear of the outcome II the
people will take the same interest they
did five years ago, for the decent people
are in the majority, and victory will be
theirs if they only take the trouble to
walk to the polls and vote: II the
are victorious we ought to hide
our heads for shame, and we shall deserve
to be revisited by this moral pestilence.
May the Lord deliver us from such a
dreadful calamity May every patriot
put a bugle to his lips and arouse the in
different. May every Christian Endeavor
Society become a recruiting station, and
the Church of God win a signal and
lasting victory over this reputable enemy.
We all know the issue involved; now let
us all go to work"