The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-18
THE GAMBLING QUESTION.
Some Pertinent Questions for the
Grand Jury and Others.

some IertInent nv
Grand Jury and Others.
Editor Morning News: The article in |
your issue of Wednesday under heading |
of Gamblers Pay Big Fines" was no
doubt read with a great deal of interest |
by hundreds of people. The effect 1t pro-
duced upon those who perused it was va
RED To the politician it afforded much |
pleasure aud food for campaign talk.
But there is another class of people l |
am glad to say, residing in Savannah, |
people who are not gamblers and poll |
ticians who do not believe that the laws
should be prostituted to the wishes OF
that element and who have at heart the |
welfare of their city, The happiness and
prosperity of their families. and are striV- |
ing to rear their children in the path of
righteousness, morality and respectable
ity. These are the people whose voices
should be raised against the damnable
influence of the policy lottery and the
gambling bells. The former, the appren-
tee school of the latter, inVeighs the
Young boys of 10 TO is years of age, into
the buying of policy tickets, which are
sold from cents up. At the age OF 10
they are then qualified to enter the lux
urious apartments of the professional
gamblers
The respectable class of people who are
opposed to running of gambling rooms in
any form or shape should strike decisive
blow against this iniquity while the press
is exploiting the conduct of the gamblers
and the method by which the officials
wink at their disregard of and total dis
respect for our laws. The article noted
above says that once or twice year the
gamblers are indicted by the grand jury
and by a process familiar TO them they
are allowed from six to eight months in
In
time according to your report, these gam-
bling places are run, thereby giving them
ample time TO get money sufficient for
these fines
If this condition exists l beg to ask Of
the grand jury the following pertinent
questions:
BY what means are these gamblers
brought 10 the attention of the grand jury?
Is it by special presentment of the so
iicitor general, and if so, does he obtain
his information from his special detec~
tive?
If that is the case can the grand jury
| explain why this official indictS only at
certain intervals these violators of our
laWs2
Is there any member of the grand jury
| whose inquisitorial powers are great who
| will have summoned before that body the
| solicitor general and his detective and eX-
| tract from them the reasons why. if they
are abe to obtain evidence upon which
| to indict gamblers in July that they cam
! not obtain more evidence until the fol-
| lowing year, although the gambling places
| are known TO never cease their opera
! tons?
| It seems that the grand Jury has full
| power 10 act in this matter, and if the
| solicitor general is derelict in obtaining
! this evidence a suggestion from that body
J might bring him to fuller understanding
of his duties to the community.
Now a word to the police. In Con-
! gress street lane between Drayton and
| Bull, there are several policy shops. These
| places are run in direct violation of our
| laws They are run wide open. Passers-
| by can glance in their open doors and
tell what is going on. The city detectives
| must know this. The police, if they are
| allowed, and l use this word advisedly,
| to patrol this lane, can see these places.
Certain hours daily this lane is crowded
with negroes waiting for the drawing
10 take place Why do not the city de-
tectives and police break up these gam
bling shops? Is il not their duty to re-
port violations of the state law 1t has
been said by the city officials that the
| police have no right to enter these places.
The police docket is in contradiction of
that statement. 1t shows that they dc
enter houses for the purpose of suppress
ing gambling, but the gamblers 1t seems
must be negroes with a or 10-cent limit
hundreds, and probably thousands, of dol
lars to the campaign funds
The writer clearly remembers when q
negro was killed in a house on Farm
street, in a raid by the police, merely
upon information given by a negro woman
| that some "coons'' were in the house
playing skin. In Bay lane another Negro
was shot and killed by a policeman while
escaping from a raid on a skin game.
Other Instances can he secured from the
docket of The Police Court although We
hear the rot about the police having NO
power 1t has only been a few years since
Chief McDermott shut up the policy shops
for a time and stationed a special Officer
In Bay lane from Whitaker TO Barnard
to watch the dives that infested that vi
entity. If the police can raid the negro II
his cabin engaged in a 5-cent game o,
"skin." can they attack the policy shop:
in Congress lane or the gambler in hi
, luxuriously furnished rooms. VIII tn
proper officials eXpound to us the. differ
/ ent appuca tons of the law whereby thu
, gambler with the bank account ready fo
the campaign fund is protected from 20
, lice interference and the poor coon" pur
: ! - nd CHI TDcttpea