Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1904-01-14
GAMBLING HAS STOPPED
Grants Psss Has Had q Cleaning
Out.

Promptly upon the Inauguration Of
Mayor Gilkey and the new city
council, new regime was ordered in
the conduct Of city affairs and very
favorable start was made toward car
rying out the sentiments to which the
mayor announced himself prior to his
election general cleaning up of the
town. One of the first acts Of the new
mayor was to instruct the marshal to
enforce strict observance Of the
ordinances regulating gambling and
the Sunday closing Of saloons. Thurs
day evening, Marshal Stevens made
the rounds and warned the gamblers
and the prOprietors Of the places
where gambling was being carried Oh
that the end was at hand and to have
all evidences of the traffic out Of sight
by morning. There was ho attempt
at raid or for any spectacular effect.
The gamblers were quietly given
nAAlAAlNlN iDAARN W kNaoN AtiA tAaAAAN
and all complied rea dily and quietly
10 the authority. All slot machines,
roulette wheels and gambling equip
ments Of all kinds have disappeared
from 1he saloons and other places of
resort as If by magic. One cigar
store has Its little slot machine at
rest on the highest shelf in the room,
draped in mourning and bearing the
inscription, "Died January 7, 1904. -
The ordinance regulating gambling
also by its terms places ban on he
playing of cards for checks or cigars,
practice which thrived at several OF
the cigar stores. The enforcement
Of this provision was not received
with a welcome in all quarters and
the solo players consider it excessively
severe, yet it met with no direct OPP
position and the new order has been
IN all cases quietly accepted when il
was shown that it was really IN ac-
cordance with the city law.
On. Sunday, the saloons were tightly
closed and no back door traffic was
carried on. One saloon proprietor
only, August Fetsch of the corner
saloon openly declared that he would
keep his "sitting room" open, which
he aid. On Monday morning early,
however, he appeared before the
mayor and asked that no charge be
made and promised to observe the
laws. He was told that this charge
would be brought up if he was again
guilty and n third offense would re
woke his license.
The Sunday closing Of saloons
is an object which it has hith-
erto been found difficult to ac-
complish for more than few Sun
days at stretch. The methods Of
the new mayor give promise Of more
effective enforcement of the law.
Some, at least, Of the saloon men
themselves favor Sunday closing, as
it gives them the Test from business
that is enjoyed by men in other lines,
but no one wants to close unless the
closing is general.
Marshal Stevens has been carrying
out the instructions of the mayor very
effectively and completely and is Ell.
forcing the ordinances to the letter
The mayor says he finds a disposi-
tion to comply with the laws very
much in evidence and the new orders
have been accepted readily and with
out much opposition.
The provisions Of the charter and
the ordinances make the SALOON bust
ness very much at the disposition of
the city council. The ordinance
regulating saloons is iron clad in its
terms and the power which is given
the council to revoke licenses on oc-
casiou is calculated to make saloon
men extremely wary of going CON
trary to the will of authority.
At the present time, if there is any
gambling being carried on, it is with
the utmost secrecy and behind lock
and key, There is probably no gam
bling whatever now at the saloons.
1t is next to impossible to completely
put stop to all gambling but all
public gambling can be stopped and
has now ceased in Grants Pass. The
traffic which has flouirshed luxuriant-
ly for some time past is at an
end and the town now has an oppor-
tuuity to recover from the uneuyiable
reputation which it was acquiring as
u wide open town There has been
IN the past few days quite an exodus
of gamblers and the town is iln-
measurahly benefited by their depart.
ure 1T is not only the gambler, but
a still lower stratum Of society,
thugs, thieves and human yermin Of
all classes, that swarm to "a wide
oucn' town. What we lose in
quantity, We gain in quality.
The stand taken by the mayor is
viewed with a great deal of S,tisfact.
ion by q majority Of the citizens and
the prospects are bright for Grants
Pass to De cleaner better aud more