The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-05
The LID DOWN In SARATOGA
NOT a GAMBLING HOUSE OPEN
~ TIE VILLAGE.
Gov. Huwbcs's Methods Seem tn Have Been
Adopted If . Man In We'll Enough
known lie May. N he Looks Harsi. FIND
a rtace Where the wheels 60 Round.

SARATOGA. Aug. 4.-Onoe upon a-time
there was a mighty man In this country
and his name was Hughes. And he
but what's the usep TIL shows begun,
the curtains up and the lid lie down. And
that's the Saratoga situation in this day
and year OF grace.
II, without the slightest motion Of his
own the personality Of Gov. Hughes can
penetrate the nlidet. as IL we're. Of a resort
like this in August, IL is not difficult to
understand how the same personality
penetrated the midst OF the old guard In
Albany last winter.
So far az anybody knows in these dig
gings Gov. Hughes is in the Adirondack,
and also. 80 far as IL 10 known here. he
in giving himself no more concern o
affairs in this lively village than about he
affairs of any other Municipality In the
State. Nevertheless, Gov. Hughes's
methods seem to be extremely popular
here. Every gambling honse in Saratoga
Is ready to do business. hut not n Of
them IL open and not a proprietary soldier
of fortune. from the Hon. Richard Albert
Garfield down, knows whether the wheels
are going TO go round or whether they
aren't.
And right here is where the Saratoga
adaptation of HughesIs methods comes in.
In former years there has been some sort OF
council Of the powers that we're a day or
two before the racing began to determine
what should he the policy regarding gam
bling. This year there has been nary a con-
~slltation. The correspondent OF THE Sun
had a talk this afternoon with a particularly
influential citizen In governmental affairs
in Saratoga. Lest there should be some
bad guessing it may be well TO state right
here hat his name was not Bracket. This
man was asked, What about the gambling
situation this summer"
Don't know anything about any such
situation" was the answer.
Fudge" said The SUN man
And there isn't any fudge about it. either.
said this member OF the inner circle of
the powers that be. Il am not such an ass
az 10 pretend that I dom know what you
are talking about, but ! mean exactly what
l say. For the first time in years. 50 far az
I know, there has been no discussion on the
part of anybody in Saratoga relative to the
policy to be followed in dealing with the vice
Of gambling or any other vice. Moreover,
I do not believe there viii be any such dis
cussion."
Are the gambling houses going TO open7"
ask ed THE SUN man.
81 haven't the slightest idea about what
the gambling houses are going to do. Better
see the men who run them"
Suppose they open?"
~ would imagine you would better put
that question to the commissioner Of police,
! am very willing TO tell you what ] would
do IL I were police commissioner n |
could catch anybody running a gambling
house ! would close the place and cause the
arrest of the proprietor. But ] would not
make any arrest until j had evidence that
would hold before a Grand and a petit
jury. Then I would make il my business
10 see that the man Was indicted. and on
the evidence ! would present ] do not think
there would be any doubt about securing
n conviction. There nave been a grear
many bluff arrests Of gamblers in this town
out Of which nothing came. ] think IL II
time that hat sort Of business stopped.
If a few Of these gentlemen were convicted
we would have less bother with them in
the future. That's what ] would do If
| were a police commissioner, and in my
judgment that is the course that will be
followed by the present police commits
sioner. Mind you. however. ] have abso-
lutely no authority TO speak for him or for
any other mepber Of the Saratoga mu-
nicipal government.
III tine non. JOnn Ilailec CdH Iuhht II
better adaptation Of the methods of Gov.
Hughes let him enter the lists. Saratoga ia
quite willing to ioust with Canandaigua.
The general opiniona about the hotels Tonight
seems to be that never again will there be
gambling here Of the old simon pure, wide
open, Saratoga variety. On the other
hand the general opinion seems to be that,
beginning tomorrow. il a man wants to
cavort on the field OF the cloth Of green,
IL he looks hard enough and is we'll enough
known at some place he may find, he may
enter therein and list en- to the soft, seductive
music os wh;rling spindles and turning
wheels and the lisp Of the cards az they
fall from the deal box. In other words,
there may be. and probably will be, gamb-
ling in Saratoga this summer, as there is in
Albany, under the very shadow Of the
Capitol, and as there is and always will be
in every large city OF the United States,
but il will be hidden under a rose with
expanding and impenetrable petals. At
any rate the lid Ia down tonight. IL may
be lifted a little tomorrow, but tomorrow
is another day.