El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-01

IN the INDIVIDUAL. ana criminal prose-
cutions could only be spasmodic and
Intellectual in the nature of things.
The men who rent houses to gamb-
lers and prostitutes are legally and
| morally as guilty as those who ply
their trade therein. For man who
, makes his living out of the dens of
vice. directly or Indirectly. to talk Of
reform. religion. or good government.
is as grotesque as the spectacle pre-
scented by the devil in the guise of a
monk. These men may deceive them
selves. but to others their pretensions
are but n sham.
Gambling is leprosy. tainting and
| killing both individual and communi-
| ~. The Herald prefers to put the
discussion. so far as il relates to the
business man and the gambling evil,
upon n strictly commercial basis. With
out assuming to discuss the matter in
any detail. il must be clear to every
thinking citizen that the prevalence of
the gambling habit among SO large a
proportion of the population, and es-
pecially among the wage workers. is
| uneconomic. II causes the direct loss
OF an incalculable amount to the legi-
innate trade channels of the communi-
ty. tends to weaken the basis of ev-
cry business that Is conducted on cred
IL. leads to false calculations and to
grave losses. and hence to unfair dis
elimination against the honest and
respectable bill-paying citizen. who
has to be taxed in the way of higher
prices to make up to the merchant
what he loses to the gambling element
through non-paying customers.
Moreover. again to consider the
question as a commercial one purely.
the prevalence of the gambling habit
leads to general speculation and ex-
travagance. TO u condition like that
which persists in FL Paso ut the pres
ent time. when the amount of bills out
is so enormous as to be almost be-
yond belief. II is gambling that makes
IL possible for one of the best inform
ed men in the city to make the state
ment that there are at this time $780,
900 worth of bills outstanding against
FL Paso people that will never be col
lected. The man is engaged i'm a bus
mess that gives him exceptional OPP
portunities to see the inside OF local
business enterprises.
Yet there are those who say that
gambling is a stimulant to the COM
munity. Not so: il is gangrene
There are two things to be done,
| at once. One is to secure clean cleo
tions. The other is to provide effec-
tive substitutes for the saloons and
gambling dens. so that visitors and
residents. young men and old. who
seek recreation. can get il in decent
surroundings and amid respectable
people. \ mems club is needed here
badly. a place where for a nominal
sum or for nothing ut all decent men
and boys can 20 and spend the even
ing. in the gymnasium. library. bill
lard rooms. card rooms. or night lee
| ture classes
| AS to securing honest elections. the
sense OF the people is already being
aroused to the necessity of this step.
The remarkable deliverance of the
grand jury with regard to public Of
icers who seek TO evade and nullify
the laws they have sworn to uphold.
as printed in yesterdays Herald.
| marks long step in the direction of
| improvement. Followed up by prop
erly directed and consistent work on
the part of decent citizens OF all par
| ties. the utterance. as being official
and truly representative. will result
| in great good.
In any discussion like the present,
let II be kept in mind that tor any Of
Tense against the laws or against pub
lie morals, three factors are to be held
responsible. in the following order:
4. The people.
-. The officials.
,. The offenders.