The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-01-11
ADJUSTMENTS TODAY.
THOMPSON AND THE GAMBLERS

THOMPSON AND THE GAMBLERS.
If Mayor Thompson had never served
as the city's executive. it might be pos
sible to believe that the move to close
gambling is sincere and permanent. 1t
Is hard to forget however, that when
the same man was mayor after being
elected ON a specific promise to close
the gambling houses, the city had more
games and meaner than it has ever
had; that the city got no revenue from
the houses which ran under police pro-
lection, and that ideuticaIly the same
men were in control of Thompson's pol
icy then as now
While the gamblers themselves are
not always good authority, they are
not usually far astray as to the inten-
tions OF candidates in city elections.
To a man they voted for Ezra Thomp-
son: to a man they believe now that
the closing order is meant only to shut
down all the houses so that the favored
few who are on the inside" may be
permitted to resume on the old con-
aitions which would mean an opportu-
nifty for graft on one side and license
20 rob the Unwary without mOlestation
on the other.
Whether the terms of this deal which
the gamblers think has been made can
be carried out. remains to be seen. If
the police are lax, as they were under
ThOmpson's former administrations.
there still remain the county authori-
ties with ample power to enforce the
law; and if report is reliable, the full
authority Of these officers will be called
into requisition to see that the mayors
closing order is made effective and con-
tinuoUs, whether he means it so or not.
AS with other forms Of common vice,
gambling may be handled in one of two
ways: it may be licensed and super
vised, paying Il large revenue to the
city in the form of fines; or, it may be
suppressed nominaIly and run behind
guarded doors. paying no license, de-
bauching the administration of the law.
robbing victims and paying official
blackmail for protection. Mayor Nor
ris believed in restricted gambling sub
ject to heavy fines and with doors open
so the police could see that it was kept
within limits; during his two years of
office as mayor. the gamblers paid the
city nearly $4,000 in license fines: in
the four years preceding, they had paid
less than $1,000, and they had been
free to run their games as they pleased.
The new move promises to prove
whether the Thompson system or the
Morris plan is the better; and unless
the new mayor has changed his point
OF view, there is little room for doubt
that the last state of the game will be
much worse than the regime just
closed.
incidentally, it may be observed that
the slot machines have, so far, been
exempt from the Thompson-S Sheets
closing order, The average slot
machine is what is commonly known
as a ''cinch" game. with more than
gamblers percentage against the play
er. II is worse. too. in that boys are
permitted TO play, and the whole ten
dency OF the machine is to give an air
Of responsibility to game which has
no legitimate place in any business
house. much less as a device to entice
boys and young men into a dangerous
habit. While the new mayor is closing
gambling, he ought to shut down the
slot-machines and make a clean sweep.