Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-21
Prince George and the Pool Room.

One of the most extraordinary develop
ments Of the Kenilworth pool room case is
the production of petition to the county
court signed by a number of residents who
express their desire to have the pool room
retained on the ground that 1t is great
benefit" to the neighborhood. This great
benefit it appears, consists in the alleged
Improvement in the car service between
that suburb and the city and the reported
promise of the proprietors Of the gambling
establishment to improve the roads of the
county in that section.
1t is impossible to credit the signers of
such a petition with entire sincerity in
the premises, unless they have been totally
deluded as to the truth of the case. Not
even If the pool room proprietors spent
$4,000, or several times $50, 600, in effecting
improvements. not even If they built a
street railroad line of their own to town.
could the benefit offset the evil of the
presence of that Institution in the COM
munity. There is, in fact, no conceivable
advantage to the honest residents of Prince
George county to be derived from the shelf
ering of a gambling joint, which inevitably
in the end. as all the local records demon
strate. draws a rough and disorderly crowd
from Washington, induces drinking, de-
hood. prostitutes the constabulary and
demoralizes the whole social organization.
1t is necessary only to consider the past
history of Roslyn, Jackson City and st.
Asaph's Junction across the Potomac river,
to find forbidding examples of the evil eff
feet Of pool room connections. All of those
settlements have suffered from few years
of association with. or rather dominance
by- ha oil
whole of Alexandria county, indeed. was
brought to a low state Of public morals and
bad government in consequence of the law
lessness of these people. 1t has been only
within few months that the residents of
the county have been able to hold up their
heads with pride in their organization,
now that the pool rooms have been closed
and the drinking places deprived OF their
licenses.
If Prince George county wishes to become
as Alexandria county was it has but to
tolerate the gamblers and to accept their
gifts. 1t is. of course, much larger than
Alexandria county. 1t has a greater power
of resistance against the evil elements. But
that power of resistance will be greatly
weakened if this comparatively small be-
ginning is tolerated, and the way Of the
gamblers will be correspondingly made
easier. For as soon as it is assured that
the Kenilworth establishment is immune
from the law others will spring into being
along the edge of the District, and 1t is
inevitable that in the course of few
months all rapid transit passage ways be-
tween Prince George and the District will
be marked by gambling institutions of all
kinds
Even If few of the people of Kenil-
worth, blinded by specious promises about
good roads and fiimsy claims about better
car service, do think that the pool room is
a desirable feature of their settlement. the
other residents of the county have stake
in the case. And those other citizens,
instead of signing a protest against an
extra session of the grand jury on the
score of the expense, would better, for their
own welfare. move for an early disposal
of this test case, upon which the prosperity,
happiness and safety of all classes Of In
habitants depend.