The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-08
POOL ROOM VERSUS FUTURES.
ALDERMAN WILLIAMS DISCUSSES
AN INTERESTING SUBJECT.

same Category With Selling Pools
ON Races-One Deals in a COmmod-
ity Which Has a Basis of Value,
Even If Delivery BE Not Demand
ed, While the other Has No BASIS
of Value-NO Question of the Char
acter of the Pool Room Business.
He Says, Nor of Councils Duty in
the Matter.
The friends of the pool room are looking
around quietly and sizing up the members
of Council, with a view to seeing how they
stand on Alderman Williams ordinance
to prohibit the keeping of pool rooms in
the city. They are of the opinion that
if Alderman Williams had held hands off
that nobody else would have interfered,
and that aldermen, who may now feei com
PEELED to vote for the ordinance would
have made no objections to continuing the
pool room license another year. 1t has
even been suggested that perhaps Alder
man Williams might be brought to see
the matter in a different light and per
suaded to withdraw his ordinance There
need be no hopes on this score, however.
The alderman has fully made up his mind
on this question. The fight for the passage
of the ordinance will be made in open
Council, and those who vote for it and
those who vote against it will go on record.
Alderman Williams has been doing some
sizing up himself, and he hopes to have
| enough votes with him to assure the pass
age of the ordinance. He counts upon
/ the support of Alderman farrell, and also
expects TO have with him Aldermen Mills,
/ Thomas and Graham, and there are one
or two others whom he thinks will not
] oppose the measure. He expects to divide
/ the vote evenly at least
THE pool room was not licensed by the
| present Council" said Alderman Williams,
! in speaking of the matter. and there
| would be no inconsistency in this Councils
declining to permit the pool room to con-
tinue its existence On the contrary, it
| would be in line with the policy adopted
/ by the administration. The Mayor, as the
| spokesman of the administration, has an
! nounced its opposition to gambling in all
forms and his determine ton to suppress
| it by the use of the police force. In this
| he has the support of Council. How can
| we, with any consistency, endeavor TO
suppress gambling if the most open and
most notorious form of gambling which
exists in the city to-day is licensed by the
| city to continue its existence. Council
owes something to the morality of the
community, and 1t is its duty to the com
| unity to put an end to the only form of
gambling now openly conducted here. Say
| what you will, the pool room business is
| gambling pure and simple, and it is an
| open training school in this vice to the
youth of the city. What reason is there
in preventing the sale of lottery tickets
to those who would dissipate their small
earnings in this manner when those of
| more means are offered the opportunity
of buying pool tickets on races and thus
losing the money which should be devoted
to other purposes"
Some of those opposed to the ordinance
! have thrown cut rather broad hints hat
! it is hardly consistent for a member of
| Council who is noted for his dispos ticn 10
| take flyers in cotton to be the one to in
troduce an ordinance to prohibit pool
rooms. Those who use this argument as
sert that selling pools on races is only
| minor matter when compared 10 the
wholesale gamb ing n cotton futures. These
| remark have reac ed Alderman Williams
ears and he is not averse to expressing
himself on this phase of the quest on.
1.-THE selling of pools on races and the
| dealing in cotton or other futures have no
| relation whatever to each other" said Mr..
! Williams. The man who buys futures on
| cotton or any other commodity deals in
something which has an actual basis of
value. 1t is a contract on which he can
demand the delivery of the goods should he
so choose. If he prefers 10 receive the
| profit or pay the loss on the transaction
| instead of accepting the commodity, this is
| a matter of business A pool ticket is not
a commodity and does not represent one.
| 1t has no basis of value. There are no
goods for which delivery can be demanded.
| II is simply a guess a s to which horse in
| a race win win, and if the buyer guesses
| right, he wins, and if he guesses wrong
! he loses
s'When I buy a thousand bales Of cotton
! predicat ed on my judgment as to the ten
dency of The rarke' " sad Mr. WIN ans,
'dt.is no more & mbl ng tAan when l NY
a lot in he southern sect n of he city and
run the risk f losing Y a fal' in the
value of real est1te The n an with a SIN III
amount of capitaF who buys a lot on
margin is Just as likely to be wped out
by fell I'm the value of real estate as If
he had BOUGHT cotton IN allir g market.
! Yet dealing in real estate S not booked
upon as gam bling. Beca use here is an ele
| ment Of chance in a transaction it es
not necessarily imply that gambling is
involved. Almost all materials and supplies
handled by our whol sale merchants are
! bought for future delivery and the mer-
/ chant runs the risk of gaming or los ng as
! the article or commodity char ges in value
/ after he makes h con ract for he go DIS.
| Yet no one considers this gambling. is
simply the nv nient and necess Iry meth
cd of doing business under modern condi-
| tons"
81 do not desire to pose as an advocate
of dealing In futures of any kind" said
/ MIR. Williams. Il believe the healthier
trade conditions would prevail if it were
| required that there should be actual deliv-
| cry on all contracts Whether cotton flu
| lures be gambling or legitimate business
this is not in The power of Council 70 reg
ulate 1t is within the power of Council
to prohibit pool rooms. There Is no ques-
ton of the demoralizing effects of these
pieces, and Council cannot consistently do
anything else but its duty to the public
| and thereby close the pool rooms
GOLD AT CAPE NOME.