Evening star., 1898-12-15
A CHINESE CHARADE
One Form of Gambling That Pre-
walls in Havana.
CORRESPONDS TO THE GAME OF POLICY
How 1t is Played and the Chances
Of Winning.
NJ ANN ERS AND MORALS
copyright, 1895, by Charles NJ. Pepper

Copyright 1895 by Charles NJ. Pepper.l
From STAFF Correspondent.
HAVANA, December s. 1895.
/ have been visiting some Of the places in
Havana where good Americans ought not
to go. 1t came about in a simple way. One
afternoon the Cuban barber said to ME,
wearily: when our people can't play
they'll work They all want to play" He
meant to play the lottery, the Chinese
charade and the cheaper forms of gambling
which are open to the poorer classes.
The evening of the same day a Havana
clubman asked: 'Win your military au-
thorities shut up the clubs? The demoral-
ization is dreadful" A few days previously
a Cuban from one of the towns in the in
terror, who answers the description of a
landed proprietor, had been making in
quiries as to when the American military
garrison would be established there. As 70
one in Cuba under the leisurely policy that
has been adopted can guess when a garri-
son will be stationed at any place / was
unable to give the information asked. I'VE
hope the commandante will be reSolu:a
enough to stop the gambling in the cafes"
SAID TINS gentle man. Was ii bad? Yes, in
tolerabic. Ii had brGged the chasm h,-
much money. hut lney played across the
same table to datermne who should have
what little there WAS.
To these various suggestiorS of what the
American military authorities might 10 it
was Impossible to give AN encouraging an
SWer l was mindful of the advent -erS
and sharFers who Hooked into Havana
IRON the United :, ,atcS imm -,tiatcly after
the protocol was signed. They are here
yet. though fortunately their obtrusiveness
has been Cbscured by the prCSeaca of many
Americans who have come on legitimate
business. The American bar rooms are also
multiplying. which means that the gam
bling dens for which they are a cover are
growing in numbers. The business basis
of all these places is the same. They are
started on the idea that ii L. better for
Americans to lose their money TO Ameri-
cans than to Cubaus ana Spaniaris. The
proFrietors also have the notion that some
of the natives may be drawn into the game
through desire to mold The Latin to the
AnglO-SaNOn civilization. Tho delay in mil
itary OCCUPANCY has kept these institutions
in ;he background. but they expect to have
their pennantS fiuttering in the breeze the
day after the flag is raised on Morro Castle.
Expect Something He.ter.
With the knowledge of all this and Of
more, too, the hesitation of a citizen of the
United States in promising an improved
morality to the Cubans will be understood
Yet they do expect something better under
an enforced restraint OF tendencies which
nave become second nature. Nobody sup
poses that few thousand American troops,
themselves possessing the falIngs and
weaknesses of human nature. can reform
the people OF another country, especially
when. the line between harmless customs
and vicious habits is SO often obscured.
Nor VIII IL be wise To make too great
parade of virtue in whatever is done.
Without sermonizing on morality the
military authorities Will lind a simple con-
dltion confronting them. They will find
gambling not d private nuisance, but
public evil. The evidence will be over
Wheming that Ii Is demoralizing to all
classes, that it is destructive to public or
der and that it is a hindrance to the indus
trial and governmental recureration which
the United States is seeking to encourage.
All this will be fact and not assumption.
Such facts existing, the military authori-
Ties can act with effectiveness No train
of constitutional and police court loungers
can hamper them with court proceedings
and lnJunctions. A roar of Indignation will
80 up, but the Indignation can be charged
to account Of military despotisn," and
the process of closing the places can go
right ahead. 1t Will probably be found wise
to begin this policy by shutting up the
American institutions first and then paying
heed to the Cubans and Spaniards.
The Chinese Charnde
To return to the Chinese charade and the
&C mmon people The charade is an institu-
ton of Havana much as the lottery the
cock fight and the bull fight 1t differs in
one particular, in that It has not for 4
hundred years enjoyed the joint patronage
of the church and state, and has not di-
vided its revenues with them. The lottery,
as everybody knows, under Spanish rule is
d government institution. The vendors of
the 'billetes, or tickets, "A numerous
class, whose calling is recognized The
Chinese charade is ostensibly unlawful. 1t
is no hgra Nl..N.
spite of its unIawfulness the charade has
fourished for two reasons. One was that
T. did not come in competition with the
government lottery. Those who bought
lottery tickets usually invested in the cha
rade a side issue. Those who were too
poor to buy lottery chances made their in
VeStment i'll the Chinese game. Public Off
Gals shared in the profits of the game
more as partners than as official black
mailers. The men who tried to reform
Spanish rule in Cuba-some of whom were
poets and idealists-uSed to call the Chinese
charade a public scandal. Nobody needed
them
l had noticed in the cafes and other
places the sale OF chances in the charade.
The venders were quiet and did not seek
custom as the lottery sellers did. But they
had their regular customers. One of these
Venders It first refused my offer to buy
one of the little strips of paper with Chi
nese characters. Finally, ne consented.
Five cents bought single number and
ment. "Bueno-sood." l would go with him
and see the play. mo, no, senor Ameri-
cano." That was not possible The pres
ence of strangers might frighten the pa
irons and drive them away. He would
not act as PRACTICE guide. Well, l
would go alone What was the number of
the house? He could not remember. 1t
was somewhere on Yndustria street. This
street is quite a long one.
Two Americans VINO are described in the
Havana papers as Industrious" and "cele-
brated, respectively, had become interest
ed and wanted to go along. They We're not
army officers, they could do so without
compromising the government of the United
States. We stepped from the cafe into the
street and hailed a colored boy, who was
passing. Did he know when the charade
was played? Yes; at II in the morning, )
in the afternoon and o'clock at night
And could he find the place? He was in
doubt. A peseta, or 20-cent piece, resolved
his doubts affirmatively. But ne could not
promise admission for the senores Ameri-
canos. The senores Americanos were will
ing to assume that risk themselves So the