New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-22
MApRTD's GAMBLING CURSE.
A VICE THAT REIGNs HIGH AND Low AND SUP
PORTS A DANGEROUS ELEMENT IN SOCIETY

a VICE THAT RErGNs HIGH AND LOW AND SUP
PORTS A DANGEROUS ELEMENT IN SOCIETY.
A recent cold .>>.oded murder in the doorway OF
q garbIin4 resort in Madrid gives the correspond
ant IN that city OF the "Beriiner Tageblatt cause
TO describe at length the almost uncheoKeu HEEL,
for play that exists In the spanish cap''ai ""u
some OF its results II IL generally asreeu, saS'
the correspondent that gambling has never oeioie
been so widespread and open in Madrid as at pres
on, under the NOUS rule OF the Conservative Ultra
n,ontanes And that IS saying a good deal tor
play has always been one OF the great curses OF
Madrid not only account or the lndlneTehce vi
the police but also account OF the inherent ols-
position OF the Spanards toward this occupation.
which to many. is almost their only means or
support The type Of gambler who sees in play
only a means OF relaxation. and who carries
II on only sport. IL almost unknown al
SPAIN and quite so in Madrid The ma
jority Of players visit the club with apou'
the same object they who buy lottery tickets;
they want TO get money on which to live ana
amuse themselves. For. great is the poverty IN
Madrid. still greater is the desire for amusements
of all sorts. AMI much greater the indispositlon 10
earn honestly the necessary money. For this reason
the majority of players include all sorts OF people,
from officials who want 10 double their monthly
salaries In order to free themselves from all sorts
OF debts, down students whose small allow
ances do not permit them to go TO the oulhshts'
and who take TO gambling in the hope OF making
enough to crafty themselves
There are besides great number of people who
actually make a living off the mania OF others FOR
play 1t has been remarked that out of five hundred
thousand people in Madrid fully fifty thousand do
not know when they get up in the morning no" ana
where they viii get enough to eat during the day;
OF these nifty thousand at least nNe thousand ma
the answer TO this problem in and through gam
bling. as bankers and croupiers porters ana wait
as usurers and blackmaers BY profession. as
touts and informers. They form considerable
are able to carry doubtful election for the men
they favor all the more easy since the resP peel
the polls If this mob is opposed to a candidate
there is danger Of an sorts C% 1d dopnTs
brought into uproar.
Moreover 1t is 90 secret how such an occurrence
comes about a result Of gambling. With very
few exceptions There is no orEanization here that
s9mbiing. Why? For the Simple reason that there
are not clubmen in Madrid CROUCH, or with money
travagant luxury desired with all the conveniences
demanded. For relatively low annual dues they
with ali the newest books a sumptuous buffet
and all sorts Of other good things, There Is no
other way than 10 rent out the gambling privilege;
This is even the case with the club OF the political
leaders; tho money that comes in through this
means serves partly for election purposes and part
" for subsidizing newspapers. ,,e.,...
Thus II be understood why the dihcuity OF
suppressing gambling Is almost lnsuperaDle, ana
why ii is a serious problem. As matter of fact,
Governor of Madrid has retained ms posi- S long
who has seriously set to work TO enforce me law
against gambling Politicians ana innuehu5l per
SOnages whose clubs nave Deen Win
intriSue against him: so do the police. who lose
large part of their income-which they receive APP
parently quite in the New-York method-and so
do all the hungry horde just described that IS
ready for everything except regular and honest IN
dustry Now when 10 speak, everything hangs
by a single thread. when the war has turned SO
many doubtful eXistences, so many Cauhnes INTO
the street the case is douby serious. Yet il might
have been expected that the new men IN Once VINO
before they were put in swore so soienHliy tndt
they would make way with all these abuses, woulc
AT least show some effort in this direction Instead
Of this II must be recognized that they VINO Plditv
constantly about the public morality not only
leave everything TO go on IN the old way, but even
10 become worse and worse, although the liberation
of gambling is of the principal reproacnes
brought up against all administrations For, great
as is the enormity, the sentiment against It Is
equally great among the decent people and even
among the players themselves-of course those
who have lost. 80 as
one of the colleagues Of the German CORRESPOND
emf quoted a well-known writer, Is frequently
seized by the devil of play and generally Loses
ON the next day he regularly writes numbering
article against gambling, and poses as a nero OF
virtue But this kind Of virtue, observes tne cor.
respondent also characterizes these who only want
TO be freed from the public evil Of gambling