The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-12-13
SAME OLD STORY
OF POLICE GRAFT

Police grating upon gamblers has
stirred up Salt Lake City as we'll as
Honolulu The following article from
the Salt Lake Tribune contains much
of interest here: AS the Chief of Po-
lice, William j. Lynch, is SO anxious
to have a law-abiding city that he
sends out his sleuths to find a saloon
open on Sunday, he might with pro-
priety consider that not less than $50
men, who but for their passion for
gambling would be good citizens, every
day walk out of the city's gambling
houses without dollar, their earnings
having gone into the cash drawer of
men who live by the labor of others.
PLAYERS MUST LOSE.
Now and then man wins, but in the
opinion of those who have for years
made a study of gambling, out of a
hundred patrons of the games there are
twenty losers to one winner The rea-
sons for this are numerous, and are
not always apparent to the man who
is not familiar with the games. In the
first place there is an iron-clad and
inVariable percentage in favor of the
house This is the rule in every game,
faro, roulette, ''twenty-one," craps or
any other device that is used to fleece
cash from the dupes who foolishly eX-
pect to win.
LOSER CAN NOT STAY.
But there is another and even great
er percentage in favor of the men who
run the. games. The cash of the aver
age player is limited, and in case of a
few minutes losing he is left stranded,
without funds to play even though he
may be confident, that another deal
at the bank will change his luck. He
may pawn his watch, his Overcoat and
anything else that can be converted
into money, but he has no resources to
combat the practically unlimited CAPT
tai of the gambling-house.
HOUSE HAS a "CINCH"
One of the veteran gamblers of the
city said Wednesday, in a discussion of
the question: 1T is nothing less than
cinch that the steady patron of the
tables will lose. There is still another
and even greater per cent in favor of
the house. The man who is lucky is
usually satisfied with a few dollars;
the man who loses. as the majority
must do, will nine times out of ten
stay to lose every dollar that he has
in his pocket. or is able to raise"
OFFICERS ARE GUILTY.
BY the statutes of Utah the duty is
laid upon every police officer. sheriff
constable and county attorney to take
note of violations 'of the law against
gambling, and use every effort to bring
the guilty parties to justice. Section
4266 of the Revised Statutes reads:
/ Every prosecuting attorney, sheriff,
constable or police officer must inform
| against and diligently prosecute per-
| sons who they have reasonable cause
| to believe are offenders against the
provisions of this chapter, and every
| such officer refusing or neglecting so
| to do is guilty of a misdemeanor.
| The chapter referred ito is the one
| providing penalty for gambling.
NEGLECT IS NOTORIOUS.
| Not a day passes that a uniformed
! policeman can not he seen in the vari-
| Gus gambling houses of the city. but
| no one hears of any efforts on the part
! of the police department To comply
| with the provisions of the statute. AS
| part of the proceedings in suit now
pending in the district court, four dep