The Nome nugget., 1903-01-21
PASSING OF GAMBLING.

The closing down of lhe gambling games in Nome was to be expected. 1t not thought, however, that the law would he enforced during the season, when the country i, completely isolated from the outside world. A wave oi moralIty--or alleged nor llItE->ecn~ to have struck these northern regions. Just about year ago thr officials of the Yukon terri tory ui Canada, acl9 under instructions from their fedetal government instituted war upon gambling hoU-c~ loU~c7 oi ti-fame and the like. The pie thUs a't seems To h"ve been contagious Last Octo- Ter Judge Brown, oj the first judicial division of Alaska. at SHa2vay, delivered severe lecture from the beucn in which he arraigneI the axity of the observance oi the law in relation to gambling, pyosi- tuton and sunday closing. Probably he, too, was acting under instructions received from Washington Hc re~'lt oI u~ actions looking toward the suppress sion of gambling We oo not know.
 'Iho ac.u. d..lric: attorney of this judicial dyis- ion has rroe.ved his instructions. They are to enforce the ,a5 against all forms of gambling He E"s acted, and today Nome is q closed olyn so far as actual, visual gambling games are coue erl ed. 1t nr4u- that many thrown out of ciu} lol ment his is 'roush' on the men so employed, but they must submit t, because no oIer recourse is ltlt open to thenl
 Ii the people of Alaska were asked to decide whether they would would not tolerate gambling. are sure that while there would be diversity of opinion there would, perhaps, be a ma orty avoling it. l his country iS stmctIy 'on the frontier" and people who i've here that Is, the ma ority of people, do not take kindly to the application of "blue laws" Perhaps there is no adequate why they should not bat such Is tie case. One of the most apparent oI jtoljons 10 gambling in Alaska, and in this per hap@ may br found the reason for the attorney gen erals instructions to the district attorney of this judi cial divI,ion is that certain who have visited this section of Alaska from stad and placid sections oi the sae-" have fit to characterize Nome as every wicked city,' in which gambling prevails and dance houses aboumd.' But the average resi- dent of Numeha occasion to feel ashamed of the towns record. Gambling on much larger scale than s found in Nome prevails in New York, Chicago, Boston, san Francisco Seattle and or more Of other cities in the very heart of civilization" Yet tn itjucrant persons, doub thinking that Alas ka is long way off, may visit this section, be given he glad hand by it's people, he ranmcled, yet decent life ot frontier community, and then return to their homes and write lomiles the wickedness that they have ob,erved. At the same time hun dr,d gambling Geus may flourish and vaunt them selves in their home cities. We not defending gambling the gambling habit, but we protest against the utter hypocrisy and insincerty of the system which makes fish of one and e>h of another" Ii the United States were one vast Sunday school we nj ght rejoice.
 If the Alaskan code is to he enforced to its umos, let it be done. Alaskans arc patriotic and law-aLl- ing and all that ask is that the laws be administered equitaby and decenly