The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-10-01

prosecution is not always able TO get
players to turn their evidence in favor
of the prosecution for a promised i'm
munity The difficulty lies in any
police officer being able to reach the
scene of the gambling through the
various barbados erected, until after
all the gambling has ceased.
The remedy of constant raids with
the publicity incident thereto is sug-
gested, even if the raids be unsuccess
full in obtaining evidence sufficient to
convict. This is at best only a tenn
porary remedy.
The real weakness of the statute as
it exists today lies in the practical
difficulty of obtaining sufficient legal
evidence that there was gambling go
ing on. or that a man was present
where gambling was actually in prog
ress. 1t is not sufficient to prove that
a man was present where all the lay
out is in plain view. He might have
come in after the players ceased to
operate.
Realizing this weakness and to make
themselves more secure, the bank
presidents or whatever the profession
call themselves, have established their
tables or lay-outs in third stories OF
buildings, in inaccessible rooms, be-
tween great, powerful doors, erected
to prevent easy access by the police
without the knowledge and consent of
those behind them on guard.
The banker knows that by the time
the police have battered down his
doors, his depositors will have had
time to group themselves in innocent
poses about the room, If not to es-
cape. No police officer has been able
to get near enough to see any gam
bling going on. The persons present
may have arrived after the gamblers
have departed.
There may be gambling implements
and tables about the room, but the in
nocent Cinnamon about the premises
are likely to swear that they dropped
in on their way home from church and
were enjoying a social smoke. They
may say that they saw no gambling in
the room, and have done no gambling
themselves since they started to Sun
day school, years back, and volunteer
the opinion that gambling is very
wicked, when you get caught.
To remedy this difficulty in obtaining
proof, let US strengthen the hands Of
the police by creating a new misdeme-
amor, which does not depend on the
proof of the fact that gambling did
actually occur in the presence of the
accused. Let an ordinance be passed
by the Board of Supervisors making
the exposure of gambling implements
to view in a place barricaded and
made difficult of access to the police. |
the substance of the offence, and also |
the being present with two or more |
others where such implements of gam |
bling are exposed to view.
By this means the worst difficulties |
in obtaining evidence are overcome.
The banker is either met by the new
statute if he continue in his fortress
to expose to view his implements, or
to keep his place readily accessible to
the police, where they may raid with
greater ease and in less time reach the :,
scene OF action
Ordinances covering these points
have been in operation in San Fran
cisco and in Sacramento for few
years past. I hope to see the Board
Of Supervisors here pass such an Or
finance here as a police regulation.
In San Francisco, All Sin, a subject
Of the emperor of China, was convicted
of being present with two or more
0.-9.0-sG,.-S-.&S.&