The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-12-13
A pERNIclous VICE.

Gambling Is the most perniclous o
, all forms OF vice, II IL demoralizinl
In It's effects. is productive OF crime
any many young men are ruined Il
endeavors to make a living wtthou
work. This does not apply simply L
, those that play at the ordinary game.
|, lin vogue In small cities where gamb
!, Hing Is allowed. but In the great gamb'
Hing games conducted In the Chicag,
wheat market and on Wall street
The gamblers of the chicago wheat
pit. and on Wall street. are not con.
fined 10 young men who rob their EN-.
Iployers TO take risks against profes.
sional gamblers, but even by promi.
lnent members identified with the
churches of the large cities. business
men. and even laboring men, who can
i'll afford TO hazard their hard- earned
money against the sharpers Of the
gambling pit.
/ The dispatches announce that Thos,
Lawson OF Boston. author of "Frenxied
Finance" backed by John W. Gates,
and number of other grand larceny
thieves. cleaned up In one day on Wall
street last week $ll40o0. 900. In other
words they robbed hundreds OF men
out of all the money they had In the
world. Men We're ruined. families
thrown upon the cold charities OF the
world. and financial panic barely
averted. II Thomas Lawson and his
confederates in the gigantic swindling
scheme had their just deserts, they
would now be doing time at Sing Sing.
with other criminals, serving time for
less crimes,
There is no sympathy due the unfor-
Itunates who lost their all In the great
onslaught on Wall street last week.
They went into the game TO win, AMI
defraud someone else. Instead of win
ming they lost. and they are deserving
of the consequences. No sympathy
should be extended to any man VINO
bucks a gamblers game with the ex-
pectancy OF winning, and then turns
turtle and has the man arrested for
violating the law the same law that he
was violating. Had they won from
the gambler not world would be said,
but when they lose. howl goes up:
appeals to officers are made and in
many instances the gamblers are COM
PEELED to disgorge the amount won.
! If 1t were not for gambling the
crusade against saloons would not be
as bitter. II gambling were not tole-
rated. there would be no advocates OF
local option laws. As rule the gamb-
Ter who robs those who play at his
game is not as bad as the player. No
man ever plays at game that he
does not expect to win. but when he
loses he appeals to the officers of the
law for reimbursement, and to the
moral element to close up the games.
This is similar to deathbed repentance.
a
with the result that gambling has been
prohibited in many cities and towns
In oregon. and the crusade IL persisted
in will soon wipe gambling from every
city. town and hamlet in oregon. But
as long as gambling Is permitted in
Wall street, and my the leading men of
the country, just so long will petty
gambling be tolerated in small cities
and towns.
In this age. and generation mankind
shows selfish disposition which be-
comes more intensified by efforts to
prohibit gambling. They talk about
the inalienable rights of man, and they
quote from the declaration Of inde-
pendence, that "all men are created
equal and endowed with certain in |
rights, such as life, liberty
and the pursuit OF happiness" and the |
pursuit of happiness is the foundation
stone of the gambling fraternity. They
are happy when they are robbing some
poor man out of money that he needs |
for the support of his family and the
of his children. The example |
s set by the wealthy men OF the ma
lion, without a word of objection from
either clergymen or the lawmaking
power, and as long as grand larceny is
permitted, petty larceny is certain to
,xist.
Richard Garfield. the patrician
gambling house proprietor of New
York, whose gambling established Is
'egarded as the most aristocratic In
nat city, was recently convicted and
ined $1,000 for maintaining gambling
louse. There is a lax sentiment upon
he subject of gambling, and the pro-
libition of 1t, all over the country that
s a curse to society and will continue
o curse society until 1t is rooted out.
rhe Garfield conviction may mark
merely an isolated and sporadic revul-
ion against the sentiment of the "open {
own,' which sentiment prevails In {
Iearly all the great cities. 1t proves, 9
evertheless, that at the base Of the
american theory of government is a '
rue view of public morals and public q
olicy, and 1t indicates that there Is
lways a danger Of its coming to the c
ervice, to the cleaning up Of the So 1
iaI and political house and the inaug-