The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-02-21
FAIR PLAY.

To the Editor of the Age-Herald.
 Ihe meeting of pastors and laymen held on the 18th inst, for the purpose or devising ways and means to defeat the passage of the Arlington pool bill, now pending in the legislature, has naturally attracted considerable attention, and oc- casioned much comment and discussions. The meeting was doubtless called for the purpose stated, but it is greatly to be deplored that it should have assumed the attitude of partisanship in a personal contest for office. The press reports of the proceedings show that several speeches were made in advocacy of the methods used by the present chief of police, who is a candidate for reelection and whose competitor has also been weighed and found not wanting" not only full weight" during sixteen years of service on the Birmingham police force, but full measure' in all of the relations of life. These speeches, so em- phatic in praise of Chief Austin, have added interest to the campaign and put enquiries into the mouths of many per sons. some of whom would be considered worthy and substantial citizens accord ing to the most exacting standard It was asserted in that meeting that Chief Austin was offered a bribe of $9O00 two years ago. Every good citizen was then and is now interested in knowing who the guilty ones are. Why this continued leniency and silence upon so infamous a matter as an attempt to bribe a public officer. The light should be turned on. Any man who has knowledge of such rascality and conceals 1t is an unworthy citizen.
 The fate of a pool selling bill is of no such consequence as the apprehension and punishment of men who offer bribes for immunity from the law. Pool selling for ten days would make little if any, change in the amount of money wagerI1. The spirit of gambling is abroad in the land and occasional spurts by some well meaning men who are 'hoo-dooed' by associate reformers must continue to fail, until every species of gambling and every game of chance shall come under the condemnation of the movement. The same spirit Is back of every "get some- thing for nothing scheme'' and however much people may argue and palaver about It. pool selling, dealing in futures craps, buying lottery tickets and card playing for money or valuable prizes are all on the same plane, and all who en- gage in any one of them violate the same principle.
 But real reformation in Birmingham Is all out of whack. Some folks can do some things and some cannot. Why is it that so many trophies have been capt ured and exhibited as a gambling mu- scum" and so few scalps taken? Is 1t the fault or insufficiency of the chief, the polise commission or the police force? If those whose peculiar duty 1t Is to ferret out crime are inefficient, in the name of right and justice, clean out the whole 'sshooting match and let somebody into the hunt who will bring in something be- sides the bears track and for some other purpose than to re-elect officials If the fault lies in an unhealthy public sentiment as to all forms of indulgence in games of hazard, let the ministers and other citizens whose hands are clean organize a crusade against every sem blance of this vice; and instead or sing ling out pool selling and card playing and concentrating all their energies on these make clean sweep of 1t: condemn, disci- pline and punish all who violate the prin- ciple involved. Let the lightning strike among the tall timber. Let the crusaders appoint a committee of enquiry and public safety and get at the bottom of the trou- ble. If this should be done I am satisfied some startling developments would be made and a condition of affairs would follow that would make 1t impossible for such concerns as Arnold & Go. (which l am informed had subscriptions here to the tune of $200.000) to victimize men of al- most every class. Ten days pool selling in each year for ten years in Birmng- ham wouldn't involve near so much money for men. and when money is risk
 
 ed on track governed by the American Turf congress the plunger backs his judgment on something he can see. The pool seller is only the stakeholder and I know of no law against betting on q horse race. To carry out the principle involved in this agitation, have the legis- lature to prohibit under severe penalties the hazarding of anything of value upon any game or scheme of chance. The very things that cause most trouble and exert the most pernicious influence are those least considered and least known; but if committee of safety can be appointed with some such good man as pr. Me Perrin at its head, there are numbers of people who in confidence could put the reformers in possession of substantial req sons why some viiators of the law go unpunished. T. G. HEWLETT
 Birmingham, February 20. 1903. ss'