The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-18
The Gamblers Side.

The man who says he does not Ike
70 gamble is the biggest liar in the word
or else he is different from the great
mass of men"
That was what one OF the oldest gamb-
lers in this city said the other day. He
said he was not judging other men by
himself but was giving the experience
learned by long time in the gambling
houses. He declared that while he had
always been considered a gambler that
ne had staked less money on games Of
chance than some of the prominent peo-
pie who would resent 1t If they were
called a gambler
4 have worked in gambling houses
nearly all my life" he said. 4 have
simply been a hired man to run the
games and there Is where l learned that
the majority of men not only love TO
gamble occasionally if not frequently
People who have never had much ex-
perience in gambling houses imagine
that people gamble in the hope of getting
something for nothing but that is a
mistake. People gamble for the love of
taking chances and for the excitement.
Gamblers as rule are the most lib
eral nen in the community. No widow
and orphan suffering with hunger or for
want Of clothes ever appealed TO the
genuine sport in vain when he had any
money. The only person that he ever
turns away is the professional tramp.
He has no use for man who will not
work and who is a professional beggar.
lie has more sympathy with the baak
rohber than the tramp,
The man who fits up an expensive
gambling house and pays men big salar-
les Tor running the different games are
supplying a demand just as much as
the man who runs dry goods store or
butcher shop. You may say that he
is supplying an unhealthy demand. That
NAV he true, but so is the book store
which sells books Of fiction and the jew
CRY man which supplies diamonds and
gold and silver ornaments.
Labor keeps the professional gam
hlers JUS as it supports the merchant
and the printing office: II the profession
ais al samhled among themselves. they
would live M all the money they had
and they would starve or have to go 20
work The supply OF money in the gamb-
ling rins is kept up by the laboring men
dropping in their niczIes and quarters
t-iA IA ne AhtS fiNL QAUp III TIE StNL the
business or the professional man gets
the Ricdes or the quarters from the lab
oring men and drops them in.
You viii often hear people say that the
laboring man and the business man ought
not 70 gamble because The 1ormer loses his
money and the latter loses his credit by
gambling. If you would persuade these
two classes % quit all the gambling
houses would eventually ciose UP.
THE women as a rulo ere the worst
haters Of the gambling houses. and fer
an that it takes very little persuasion
u induce one of them 20 bug a ticket in
the Louisiana lottery or some other fake
chance game where they have one
chance in ten thousand to win a prize.
And if some store puts up goods in pack
ages and sells tickets that viii insure
pr.ze OF ten per cent Of what the ticket
cost ana chance in ten hundred To win
a prize of ten times the cost Of the
ticket the women will tumble over one
another 20 buy the tickets. There are
no such chances against the man who
plays the games in a modern gambling
house,