The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-12-06
Bucket Shop Monuments.

Some Of our contemporaries are play
ing dirges near the resting place OF the
departed but not lamented bucket shop,
and a few are inclined TO execute a war
dance over It's sepulcher. Under the cir
cmnstances il is not surprising that peo-
ple in general should rejoice over the
death OF this barnacle on the ship OF
progress. The Brattleboro Retormer
well sums up the situation when 1t says
"The good accomplished through the
eradication of the bucket shop IN Yer
mont is greater than many people real
lie for the reason that few have much
conception OF the evil influence of these
establishments Gambling in stocks
seems to have strong attraction Tor
young men and ii the result OF their
first flyer happens to be fortunate the
temptation 10 continue increases. Buy
ing on margins in the hope that turn
of the wheel will bring them something
for nothing appeals to many young men
as remarkably manly and audaclous
thing, and SO they squander their SUD
stance in a game which is less honor
able and more dangerous than poker,
The local brokerage office which recently
closed its doors was bad thing for
Brattleboro. Ii was as nearly an out
and.out bucket shop as is possible under
the present law, and more than one
Brattleboro young man dropped con
siderable bit of money through mis-
placed reliance on his knowledge OF the
market. Ii is fortunate, perhaps, that
these misguided ones We're given taste
of the bitter instead OF the sweet, Tor
the medicine may have salutary effect
on their appetite for speculation. II Is
lust as well, however, that the place
where this appetite was fed IS no longer
in existence, for the desire is one that
is difficult to queneh.'
We have had legislation against the
bucket shop for some time but the Ben
nington Banner well says: -.
BY far the larger share OF the credit
for our present immunity from the buck
ct shop evil is due to the strenuous fight
in the courts made by S. HOLSTER Jack
son. the young Barre lawyer, whose gen
eral fitness was recognized by Governor
Proctor in an appointment TO the state
board of railroad commissioners. The
Washington county bucket shop case
which jackson as states attorney, car
red through so successfully and the SUIT
which the defeated operator brought
against the prosecutor in revenge Kept
the subject in the limelight OF publicity
with the inevitable result.
1t ought not to have been necessary
for either legislator or prosecuting officer
10 intervene to temper bucket shop
breezes to the shon lamb. Scattered
along the path of experience with these
seductive shops are monuments TO their
victims innumerable which should serve
as warning to all aspiring imitators:
These monuments are in some cases OF
enduring stone in the shape of handsome
residences and substantial business
blocks. sacrificed by victims OF the
bucket shop habit. Still other less ma
terial but more pathetic reminders are
to be found in the shape OF tlourlshlng
business projects ruined by devotion to
marginal speculation and lives hopelessly
blasted by the feverish craze over stock
gambling.
Burlington has so many warning mon,
uments of this character that one would
hardly expect successful bucket shops TO
flourish here, but not until restrictive
measures were enforced did these tinan-
cial blood-suckers let go their hold on
| this community. 1t is reasonable TO pre-
sumo that other cities and towns IN large
number have undergone similar expeu-
ences.
| Under these circumstances we may
well revise the customary sepulchral IN
scription and substitute for rest IN
peace" for the bucket shop the words,
rest in perpetuity."