The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-31

in any one addicted 10 this vice. The
Union Surety Company Of this city always
demands that an applicant for a position
OF trust give some reputable citizens 10
whom reference is made as TO his charac-
ter. Among the questions 10 be answered
by the referee is this: Has he ever been
addicted to gambling How long do you
suppose any man could retain a position of
trust If il were known 10 his employers
that he INDUCED in this vice?
HONEYCOMBED WITH GAMBLING.
This community is honeycombed with
gambling Of various types. Some of II can
be stopped by law. some OF il cannot. The
law does not reach that respectable class
who deal in margins. and Yet here is the
place where fortunes are made and lost in
a day. Hundreds of men have been ruined
in the pit, and in this arena many have
trailed their characters, won by years of
honest toll. until the stains of dishonesty
covered them. The young men of this age
must learn that the only moral and safe
way 10 win a fortune lies in honest meth
DDS, which are sometimes tedious and slow,
but nevertheless sure and permanent and
satisfying. and which have in them no
signs Of broken hearts and no ghosts of
slaughtered innocence. Another form which
stands out in bold relief is the lottery. A
State statute makes II an indictable Offense
TO sell. purchase or offer for sale the ticket
Of any lottery. Under this head comes pol
icy playing. This form Of gambling APP
ptdAC SpCNAoAAS ~ AA'S "a AhiNC oRANO
and hundreds of our people have been en-
gagged in il. For a time it hourished, but
the healthful and just verdicts of the last
two juries in the Criminal Court has had a
happy effect. Eternal vigilance in watch
ing this phase Of the question. together
with a determination on the part of the
officials to enforce the law, will drive IL
out Of business. Many Of our club-rooms
are mere places Of poker playing. where
the select few may indulge in comparative
safety. At the head Of the procession are
the ~well-known gambling promoters. whose
business is to fleece the unwary. and whose
names and business is we'll known 10 the
police.
But there are minor phases of gambling
leading to greater evils. 1t Is contrary to
a state statute to play a game OF billiards,
the loser to pay for the game. Yet almost
every game Is played in that manner. Ii
the proprietor Of the billiard rooms has
knowledge of this he is liable 10 the law.
is to be seen every day. Another law upon
the statute books.- almost absolutely ig-
nored. forbids the Congregation of minors
in a billiard hall or poolroom whether it
has a saloon attachment or not and whether
they play or wager on the game or not.
This law is broken every day, and is
doubly violated every sabbath, for on this
day some poolrooms in some of the most
prominent places of the city run in full
blast and the spectators and many OF the
participants are mere schoolboys. For this
offense the proprietor can be prosecuted
under both the law already mentioned and
for violation of the Sunday law as we'll.
Recently several young men who have not
as yet reached their majority have been
before Judge Stubbs. They were arrested
in a row which occurred IN a prominent
poolroom on Massachusetts, avenue. Every
scheme for the division or disposition of
property or money by chance or any game
of hazard is prohibited by law. The wom-
an. therefore, who offers a quilt at a rattle
or the fraternity who disposes Of any arti-
Gle in that manner are violators of the
law.
sEA1 tba LOW trDdpr ubfab ConobIip1
comes are headed. Laws for the public
policy showing that wise legislators recog-
nize the far-reaching social effects of this
vice. It is conceded that only compare
lively few are convicted of gambling who
are guilty of this offense. But in order to
demonstrate the prevalency of the vice in
the community look at the Police Court
records for a moment. During six months
there have been in this court 100 convic-
tons for violations Of the gambling law.
These 100 people have paid fines amounting
to 81, f91. OF these nineteen were policy
cases. Some of these in addition TO their
fines served workhouse sentences. 1t would
be perfectly safe to multiply this by two,
which would give in round numbers 900
cases for the year, with a total Of 5000 of
fines collected. How many homes does this
represent. made all the poorer in every
way by this vice?
THE mayor of the city announces his de-
D termination - sup 6aulDlluS. INIT
mination can be demonstrated by the effect
produced within the next few weeks, for
a vigorous effort. aided by the law. will
surely ~omp the result desired by
every moralist. We have all the legal ma
chinery needed; all that is wanting is the
moral driving power behind IL to keep it in
motion.
Gambling is a grievous sin-an ugly blot
upon the fair face of our lovely city. Any
nation that tolerates IL as France tolerates
the lottery business has upon her bosom
an angry cancer which will by and by eat
away her national life: and any individual
who allows himself to be enticed by this
monster will surely be the recipient of an
adder's sting.
And so we lift the warning voice TO our
young men. There are innumerable pleas
ures which are healthful and delightful
without danger attaching. There are others
which lead to disgrace and death. These
do not belong TO the children of the King
in whose veins flows the purest blood of
the highest royalty, whose citizenship is in
heaven"
The subject of the next lecture will be
THE Saloon as Revealed by Its Fruits"