The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-03-08
&c The War on French Gamblers -

! the "Bareme 49," and so on, with their
| KEYS" the great and secret speciality
of sorting lis packs of cards to make
| "a packs whose backs can be read
without a single mark having been put
| on them; and the expert process of
| side trimming in which short Sc
ouences are established under players
eyes account for the open clubs's' ex-
| traordinary profits.
Here is where M. Clemenceau will
have grave thing to decide. stop
crooked gambling in the open clubs, y
say senators and deputies from sea-
shore, mountains and the Riviera, 1--WE
approve you. But do not touch the
games of our watering-place casinos,
They are not clubs with expensive
rentals, gh-paid presidents, costly
restaurants and winerooms. They make
honest profits from their kitties'-and
find means to subvention our fetes, our
short racing season and our theater."
1t is a delicate question. Does M.
Clemenceau think that the games of
great casinos like Biarritz, Vichy, Ar
cachon, TrOuville, Flers, AK, Nice.
Beoulieu and French territory Monte
Carlo can be crooked? Does he wish to
stop crookedness, or public gambling?
Or both? 1t was here the great NapOle-
on failed in 1906. He suppressed pub
lie gambling in great cities; but he
could not withstand the combined ap-
peals of country politicians from all
parts of FRANCE. Thus the ''Pratique
de Droit' declares:
"The keeping of gaming houses is
absolutely prohibited; nevertheless
the minister of the interior, by virtue
of a decree of June 10, 1906, considered
still in vigor, exercises the right to
authorize, in casinos of watering
places, certain games of hazard, such
as baccarat, roulette and little horses
(Book III, paragraph 20)
M. Clemenceau is minister of the in
terror While he hesitates to attack
the revenues of fiourishing health re-
sorts all over France, he cannot under
stand the budgets of a large proportion
of them.
This is miracle. The watering
place grows up where its mineral
springs are found; it has no natural
resources; everything, from architect.
contractor workmen and building ma
terial to the daily food is brought by
Everything is dear-eXcept the
amusements! Where the hotel asks IS
per day, the casino, for subscription
averaging not so cents per day, af-
family theater, concerts, fireworks,
sumptuous fetes, gymkanas, flower
battles, balls and races! How do they
do it," is the natural exclamation of
newcomers.
The explanation is the gaming table.
For 50 they give any decent-looking
person staying at the hotel, a full sea-
son ticket to the holy of holes. There
fore M. Clemenceau is beginning to
suspect uneasily, the casinos problem
is not different fro mthat of the "open
club to give SO worth of value for
the sum of so cents!
There is worse. The gaming clubs of
Paris have the whole year to make
profits; the casino only has it's sea-
son of six to eight weeks-and rainy
intervals may mean disaster! The
'robbing machine must operate quick
ly.
Curious figures have been put before
the French prime minister. A flourish
ing casino corporation has a capital
Of 81 100000 plus $4,000 preferred shares
They rent out the casino for 100000
and farm out the gambling privilege
for $145 900. With these resources it
organizes the fetes, assures the func-
tioning of the theater with stars, mu-
sic and a brilliant program, pays the
symphony concerts, organizes the races
gives $4,000 grand prix-and at the
end of the season is just able to pay
four per cent dividends.