The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-04
GAMBLING EVIL WIDE SPREAD.
continued from Eighth PAGE.

Continued from Eighth Page.
MacDoneWs code read that it is the duty
OF policemen TO watch all persons of known
bad character und report all policy deal
ers, gamblers and receivers of stolen prop
erty to their commanding officer This
law is too hard on the policemen. 1t would
Ike all of their time making reports. 1t
is TOO much for one commanding officer to
receive all these reports. The city should
prepare special erchives in which to re-
ce:ve and file away this Information"
1.-The result Of this general license to
gambling" said Mr.. Anthony, 'is
5hat the youth of the city are becomins
saturated with the gambling spirit and
generation of gamblers is being raised up"
Mr.. Anthony then gave his attention to
keno. He referred to a keno room on
Broughton street whose projectors have
shown themselves fully abreast of the
times by keeping up modern scientific i'm
provements, the room being fitted with a
large keno board, operated by electricity
and fitted up with electric fans for the
comfort of the patrons of the game.
Go down on Broughton street a little
way from Bull street any night" he said
and you can stand on the sidewalk and
hear The numbers called by the hour. The
doors are open to any man or boy who
wants to go in. Some preachers found
their way into one of these places the
other night They found what they We're
looking for. l was not one of the number
however. Keno is said TO be poor mans
game. 1t can be played with a small
amount of money. Men and boys on their
way to market are said to stop at these
rooms and come out later With empty
pockets and go home later with empty
market baskets. All sorts of people can
play the game. One of the preachers saw
a Jew. a Chinaman and two boys playing
at one table"
Laws Ample if Enforced.
1.-The laws are ampre for the prevention
and punishment of gambling and all that
is needed is the disposition 10 enforce
them" said Mr.. Anthony. "The law pro-
Vi.les that no one shah rent a house for
gambling purposes, that no one shall con-
duct a gaming house and that no one con-
ducting such a house shall allow a minor
10 enter there. The law provides that any
lawful officer may break down doors 10
make an entry into a gambling house. Any
justice of the peace can summon posse
and make raid upon these houses
Mr. Anthony said that it was not difficult
to place the responsibility for the non-en-
forcement of the law. After the statements
made by the recent grand jury, he said,
somebody should either do some fighting
or quitting. He sympathized with the
grand jurors who took the view of the
matter that the law should be changed so
as TO require Imprisonment instead of fines
At the same time he did not entirely agree
with them. man should be given one
chance to pay out, he said, and then II
he came up again for the same otfense he
should be sent to prison. The grand jury
had taken the position that the present
system of fining is a source of revenue to
the officials and that this was the reason
tae business was not broken up.
The grand jury has the matter in its
hands," said MIR. Anthony. 1T can see
TO it that the law is enforced. The state
elects a man and sends him into the
county for the purpose of prosecuting
criminals. He is allowed a certain fee on
each case prosecuted by him. lie is given
a detective whose business it is to find
out offenders. If this detective does not
know of the gambling business he must
be binder than a bat. What is known to
everybody in the city certainly cannot be
unknown 10 the officials"
Mr.. Anthony declared that it is time for
the community to take a hand in the mat
ter. 1t is partly the fault of those OPP
posed to gambling and church-going people
generally that such a state of affairs
exists 1t is not the business
of the citizens to ferret out crimes
and see to it that criminals are punish
ed, but it sometimes becomes their duty
to do so. "Give the grand jury all the
information in your power" he told them.
Don't be bluffed off by these people who
grand jury who talks against gambling
for the purpose of making fool of him.
Responsibility for the EVIL.
There seems to be a great squirting"
said Mr.. Anthony, 'as to who is respon-
sible for this state of affairs. THE jus
tees of the peace have looked into the
law and have decided that there is some
special provision by which this authority
is vested in Council the Mayor and al
darr1qO v8ha OF n that M
bling is a state offense, and that they have
no authority, and the grand jury says
that its hands are tied The councilmen
take an oath TO perform their duties ac-
cording to the laws of the state of Geor-
gia. Gambling is a state offense. So are
theft and murder, yet the police are very
Vigllant to make arrests for these crimes.
BY the use of the police force in this
city this business could be broken up in
very short order. The authorities either
do not want to break it up or else they
want 10 and can't. If they do not want to
do so let them say so plainly and let the
people know that they are in league with
gamblers and toughs. If they admit they
want to break 1t UP and cannot the very
statement proves them too weak to hold
Office"
Mr.. Anthony said that since his coming
to Savannah in January he had had TO
put out of the church seventY-five men
out OF a membership of 2i0 They were
mostly young men from the country. boys
iron good homes, who had come here and
mad been unable to resist the vice of the
city which surrounded them on every side.
rambling had had much to do with their
departure from the paths of rectltude.
hen my work is interfered with in this
manner l feel that l have the right to
speak out" said he In conclusion he
urged that ell right thinking people should
lend their aid in the movement against
gambling. May God give us that spirit
OF conservation which will lead US as one
man in this work" he said.