The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-14

able; these judges of our own selection, or
the editor of the Savannah News?
What says the Supreme Court of Penn
syivania. Anything which induces men
TO risk their money or their property,
without any other hope of return than to
get for nothing any given amount from
another, in gambling and demoralizing to
the community no matter by what name
II may be called. 1t is the same, wether
the promise be to pay on the color of
card or the t1eetness of a horse, and the
same numerals indicate how much is lost
or won in either case, and the loosing par
ty has received just as much for the
money he parts with in the one case, as
in the other viz nothing at all. The
lucky winner is, of course, the gamer, and
will continue to be so until tickle fortune
makes him feel the woes he has inflicted
upon others. All gambling is immoral; the
losses incident to the practice disclosed,
have contributed more to the failures
and embeZZlements of public officers
clerks, agents and others acting i'm fiducia-
ry relations, public or private, than any
other known, and perhaps, all other
causes; that in the train of its evil there
IS vast amount of misery and suffering
by persons entirely guiltess of any partic-
ipation in the cause of it," Who are the
sufferers that do not participate in the
gambling contracts in farm products-look
to the depressed condition of the prices of
farm products in The South to-day and
see if the honest, handwriting farmer is
not the sufferer. lie never participates in
the miserable business but he is compell-
ed TO labor in season and out Of season 10
furnish the products for these spectators
to fatten upon, and the reward of his
labor is stagnaiion in business and low
prices. Surely the Pennsylvania Supreme
Court has spoken parable. The Supreme
Courts of the states of Nebraska, Wiscon-
sin, Illinois, Iowa. Alabama, Maine, New
York, Missouri, Michigan and Massachu-
sets have all decided that contracts of
this character are gambling transactions,
which the law will not tolerate;
that they are contrary to good morals
and against public policy. And the Su-
preme Court of the United States has
given its Endorsement to these views and
| declares, also that such contracts, are
| nothing more or less than gambling con-
tracts Then, how stands the editor or the
! Savannah News. The Supreme Court OF
the United States is regarded by every
| civilized government upon the face or me
| earth as the most djgnified, the most I'M
partial and the most independent court the
world has ever known; so much so, in
! fact that the crowned heads of Europe
have frequently proposed to submit their
! differences, involving great international
! questions 10 this august tribunal for adJu-
! dication Whose opinions are the most
valuable This great court or the editor
| of the Savannah News, who took a Whole
week to determine, whether or not 1 was
right or wrong upon this question ana
| doubtless consulted the members OF the
Cotton Exchange and at last took MS
views from them. Does the edltor mean
to saw that these contracts are moral II
~ 10 lxDnW-0Ptipp VOlIr posi-
ton specifically. If not moral, why not
suppress them. Can a great government
tolerate an immortality of this character,
and can a respectable journalist advocate
such immortality, so declared to be, by the
courts of this country from the highest TO
the lowest?
A bill prohibiting the dealing in futures
was passed by a Democratic House OF
REPRESENTATIVES, and met its death in a
! Republican Senate. Therefore, being thus
backed by the courts of this country and
nv Democratic House of Representa-
tiyes l have no apology to make for ad-
vocating the cause of the people against
this nefarious system of gambling in farm
products by Eastern spectators, whose
whole life from the formation of the gov
! eminent to the present time has been to
prey upon the people of the South and
! West.
Can the EVIL be prohlDlteu Inc CH''eu
States Congress has full. ample ana COM
pjete power to lay its hands upon the
throat of this great evil and choke 1t out
of existence and if I am selected to rep
resent the people of this district in Con-
gress, 1 promise to devote my time, my en-
ergy, and whatever talents l have to its
complete overthrow The courts of the
country have declared against it, and re-
fused to enforce ali contracts of that
character. Now let the legislative depart
ment of the government of the United
States. in defiance of these gamblers, de-
clare it a crime, and the courts of the
country will be glad to enforce the law
and the people will be relieved.
These are my views upon this question,
and propose to stand by them.
A. s. Halves.