Daily inter mountain., 1899-02-13
Butte Ministerial Association
Will Fight the Gamblers.
GARR'S BILL WAS ROASTED
A New Measure, Making Gambling a
MlSdemeanOr, instead of a Fell
II Ony, Will Be introduced.

Ihe Ministerial aSSOcia ton held an ami |
mated meeting at the Mountain View |
church this morning. Rev. j. L. Albritton,
pastor of the Mountain View church, pre- |
sided, and every minister in the city, with
but two exceptions, was present. The
good men went after the gamblers and
! the gambling bill now before the legis-
| lature hard, and if all the ministers of
the state are as thoroughly in earnest on
| this matter are the ministers of Butte
and concentrate their efforts at the proper
time and place when the smoke of battle
clears away the scalps of the gamblers
| who have fathered this obnoxious vice
| licensing bill will be dangling from their
| saddle bows
! After the routine business of the meet
| ing had been disposed of and Rev. AL
/ britton had delivered an excellent paper
! relating to sermons of the times, the Carr
bill came up for discussion. Nearly
every minister hurled bolts of oratorical
Indignation at the BILL and numerous
bulls-eyes We're scored. The gamblers
We're scored, and while no personalities
We're indulged in some very pointed re-
marks were made concerning the man or
men who have had the temerity to pro-
pose the uneashing of the dragon that
has long fattened and flourished on
Butte
The discussion was followed by the in
PRODUCTION of a set of resolutions. The
resolutions We're read by Rev. j. s. Little,
pastor of the NJ e. Church South, and
were received with applause. The resolu-
tions condemned the high handed man
ner in which the Chandler anti-gambling
law had been violated in Butte and else
where. and appealed to the members OF
the legislature, in behalf of higher civil
izaton and morality to vote down the
bill. The resolutions condemned any
legislator who would vote for the repeal
Of the Chandler law or the passage of the
Carr bill.
Every minister present signed the reso-
lutions, which will be forwarded to
member of the Legislature who is leading
the fight against the bill. 1t is expected
that similar action will be taken by the
ministers of every town in the state
A member of the legislature, who was
in the city yesterday, informed reporter
of the Inter Mountain that while the Carr
bill will in all probability pass the house,
where it's adherents have shown consld-
erable strength, 1t would be deieated IN
the senate, after which a new bill max
ing gambling a misdemeanor instead or
a. felony, would be introduced and would
, undoubtedly become a law. This is really
what the gamblers have been after all the
time as it will permit of an arrangement
: whereby they will be arrested at stated
intervals and pay a fixed fine. 1t Will be
in effect the same a law licensing
games.
The Carr bill came up in the house a
: few days ago, when the ma ajOrity and mn
nority reports of the committee on ways
: and means was read. The former recon-
mended that the bill as amended do pass;
the later signed by Cooney and Lindsay
: stated that it would be detrimental to
the citizens of Montana and disgrace
to the state, and recommended that it be
indefinitely postponed. Woods moved
that the minority report be adopted.
Lewis. as substitute, moved that the
bill be printed. This called forth several
speeches. Lindsay Of Dawson said he be-
: lieved the minority report would be
supported by almost the entire citizenship
f of the state The gambling bill was moth
ing but a proposition to debauch and de-
, moraize the youth of the state. 1t was
a horrible if not tiendish measure The
F only arguments which had been advanced
, in it's favor were that the state was in
= need Of the revenue and that the officials
were unable tn enforce the law as it now
stands. Much as he realized the need Of
additional revenue, he would rather see
the state eternally bankrupt than to see
such a blot on the fair name of this sta te.
Lindsay said tha. he understood that
Carr. who had introduced the bill would
, be glad now to disoWn it. He thought
!. the members could better employ their
time by passing laws which would be
: of benefit to the state, than by licensing
: crime and he therefore hoped the motion
to print the bill. which was equivalent to
placing it on general orders, would be
voted down.
l Hedges rose and stated that he had a
! few words he would like to say in Opposi-
t ton to the gambling bill Fergus county's
| former senator, Chandler, was the father
, of the anti-sambling bill passed at the
t last session of the Legislature, and the
1 men of Fergus county hoped that the bill
t would forever stand on the statute books.
He was willing to vote for any far and
honorable measure to raise requisite rev.
enue; he had only one vote to cast and
that would be cast first, last and all the