Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-02
F|CHf ON GAMDL|NG
CIemenceau's Struggle Against
BaCCarat and Roulette.
FRANCE TRIES TO SUPPRESS
"Clubs" of Paris and Casinos of the
Watering Places.
GREAT INTERESTS AROUSED
Will the New Prime Minister Succeed
When the Great Napoleon Failedp
Hungry Municipalities.
Special Correspondence of The Star.

Last week M. Clemenceau, prime
minister and minister of the interior
closed thirty Paris gambling clubs
| expelled fifty Be1gians of millionaire bac-
| carat combination; sent five American pro-
prietors-with gentlemany Mr. Draper at
their head-across the frontier; refused
their gambling permits to the new Beaulieu
| Casino and the Nice establishment; stopped
the game of the French territory concern at
Monte Carlo, and gave out that he would
| apply laws against public gaming gen
| orally.
| Great interests are astir. Will Clemen-
ceau succeed where great Napoleon failed ?
Today he is undergoing the combined re-
proachts and appeals of senators and depu-
ties from AK, Arcachon, Biarritz. Vichy,
Nice, Ccntrexeville, Pau, Trouville Uria ge
watering places on the coast, the noun
tains and the south-all terrorized lest this
reform should stop the flow of gambling
gold that brings prosperity and smartness,
gayety and culture, light and sweetness
to their otherwise forloTn districts!
Who can blame Clemenceau for having
begun with the Paris ''clubs?' The scandal
was so fragrant that I-who am really little
about town-was even steered into one of
the Belgian combinations gorgeous places
on the lure Of free afternoon tea.
Gloomy Outside; Bright Within.
Paris lay in a cold. drIzzly twilight Up
two flights, we passed into bright parlors,
in an atmosphere of pink-lit fairy lamps
and perfumed frou-frou, where the tinke
of iced cups and silver spoons on porcelain
mingled with the gurgle of beauty, the
rattle of an ivory ball and a croupiers
monotonous "Rien ne plus"
There were young actresses, beauties of
race track and Bots, young married women
nsr,tr So bow Co. i II.
almost shabby; Americans and English
residents and tourists. The roulette a SORT
of snap concession to the Ango-Saxons
who do not always understand baccarat
was of the French watering place variety
twenty-seven numbers, two zeros, a quar-
ter-moon and star, producing an adj
vantage of IL per cent, where Monte Carlo
is content with IL per cent rake-off.
The plunGing of two English tourist girls
amused the crowd. They bet $100 French
bank notes, stalking themselves from
grizZled and rudy old sport in happy
dotage. Quiet, smooth middle-aged men
won-wfe1 their chips were alone. Two
young Parsians lost heavily. Their morey
seemed to go, in a ricochet. to the quiet
smooth, middle-aged men, rebounding. as it
were, from the banker of the moment.
Certain smart girls won continually, but
tourists and girls accompanied by men
enjoyed an average of bad luck.
For fairness, any one could take the bank
as IN baccarat. A famous beauty, backed
by an American millionaire, declared 81 coo
bank, paid the onerouS commission and
took the roulette with it's advantage
She turned awkwardly; the public muir
INJURED for croupier and he came the
Belgian croupier, slick and suave. The ball
fell as by clockwork. Luck changed The
crowd buzzed gaily. Confidence Increased
with general winning. Even the club SER
wants smiled benevolently, as the crowd
got back a little of its money!
The Quiet Man Was Lucky.
Where were the aeros? Where the quar-
ter moon and star? All too soon the ia
nous beauty was rinced, cleaned and blown
up. But when one of the quiet middle-aged
men bid 5000 and took a bank at baccarat
he was quite fortunate. To him the crowd
lost back its velvet. What could be more
natural? Win, lose!
The Belgian combination ran some fifteen
clubs" in Paris simultaneously averaging
down the expenses enormously. All with
momentary common sense concession to
honesty were of the quick-action STYLE with
and obedient roulette. When an establish
| ment was finally ruined in reputation it
started up elsewhere.
If 1 speak of the Americans and Mr.
Draper in particular. it will be not to bury
them but praise them: in this, that first
In Paris they admitted ladies and trans
formed dry gambling shops to bowers of
| beauty. The Americans enjoyed a reputa-
| ton for observation-disclosures and even fair
| ness Rich players may have lost large
| sums to them; but the Queer transatlantics
| were. incapable of robbing women! Who
were grateful. Yet suave Mr.. Draper was
| the first to go-on M. Clemenceau's lad
ministrativc order''-exiled in a night, with
| no time to wind up his business, and what
| the magnitude of such a business may be
| in Paris you shall see.
| The "cluh's" rent will run from 81, 600 up;
a large apartment. well situated, high cell
| Ing, gaming hall, short cards room CONVEX
sation, reading, smoking and restaurant
J rooms and comfortable kitchen.
| Croupier Gets No Salary.
The croupier Cor two) enjoys no salary,
looks like humble servant. waiting on the
game, shutting cards and paying bets with
| his big paddle, Is enormously important.
When he is expert at the false shuttle. the
| false salad. building up with the paddle and
| the speciality Of ''etouffage'' he is allowed
to keep half his tips and percentage of
| the chips sticking to his fingers. Croupiers
| regularly grow rich and become proprietors
| of new clubs.
to 500 per month. ought to be a man of
| probity, authority and reputation even; he
is umpire to decide all questions, and If
anything Is crooked. he should stop tiff
| The cashier, q retired business man, must
| furnish from 10000 to $1O0, 900 real money
| to lend out at usury and stake friends of the
| house. when on the quiet they take a bank
here to pass du fricot 9tid-bits") is the
phrase of introduction. He draws from
| 10 to % per cent of the kitty" half of
| his usurious interest and a share of sfri-
| hand the money changer is poor devil
passing between the game and the CASH
| Ter. carrying chips and cash.
Finally. when the club has porly paid