The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-03-17
COMMON COUNCIL in
SESSION
REPORT OR COMMITTEE OF
FIVE TO INVESTIGATE ON
GAMBLrNG-RoUTINE WORK
MAYOR STILL ABSENT.

mayor
Il The minutes OF the last ulcetins
we're read and approved.
The repor, OF the committee on al
legged gambling is as follows;
astoria, Ore. Mar. 10, 1908
To the Honorable Mayor, and Com
mon Council, OF the City D
ASTORIA.
| GentIemens-Your special Commit
tee to whom was referred the follow
ing resolution, to wit:
| Whereas. Many rumors have beer
circulated to the effect that opeF
gambling has recently been allowed
in the City OF Astoria. and that pri
va,e graft and black-mail has beer
levied upon those conducting shs
gambling games, and,
Whereas, At the present time the
general public has been led TO believe
that the evils OF gambling are being
| suppressed and prohibited, therefore
be it,
Resolved, BY the Common Council
OF the City OF Astoria, that the Mayor
appoint Committee OF five members
OF the Common Council. to investig-
ate such rumors, and TO employ a
stenographer 10 take the testimony,
and report the evidence 10 the Com
mon Council,
Begs leave to submit the following
report:
Your Committee has held four
| meetings for the purpose OF taking
testimony. the detailed minutes of
| said meetings being hereto attached
Your Committee has employed
Miss Lenora Benoit as stenographer,
has summoned and sworn witnesses,
a transcribed copy Of their evidence
being hereto attached. A summary
OF the evidence and conclusions de-
duced therefrom, is as follows:
In the City OF Astoria, prior to
| August IS, 1907, gambling was con
trolled by the Police Department by
a system OF fines, the aggregate OF
such fines amounting approximately
to the sum $isOO000 per annum
Under this system, gambling was con-
fined very largely to Astor Street
The police had eognizance of and
control OF every game carried on in
the City, and the City derived rev.
enue to the amount before mentioned
which amount went toward lessenine
the burdens OF the taxpayers OF the
City.
On the date above mentioned, viz.
| August IS, 1907, there having been nc
conference between the officials con.
trolling the City and those control.
ling the county, there emanated from
the office and hand Of the Distric,
Attorney OF the Fifth Judicial Dis.
trict Of the State OF Oregon, perem.
tory order, directing the Deputy Dis
trict Attorney, John c. Nc Cue, and
| the Sheriff, M R. Pomeroy, to pro
hibit and suppress all gambling in the
City Of Astoria, as well as in other
precincts Of Clatsop County On the
PRONUNCIATION Of this order, the Police
Department of the City OF Astoria,
deeming the Deputy District Attor-
| ney and the Sheriff Of Clatsop County
were superior officers, from that time
| refrained from any attempt to pro-
hibit gambling in the City Of Astoria
by arresting and fning gamblers
but left the matter in the hands of the
| above named officials. The order
from the District Attorney directing
all gambling to be prohibited and
suppressed in Clatsop County, has
never been Withdrawn or modified in
any way, but is still in the hands Of
the officials to whom it was address
sed, and presumably, so far as the
District Attorney himself is concern.
ed, he being nonresident in Clatsop
County, his duty in this connection
deyolved upon the Deputy District
Attorney.
We find that so far as the prohlbi-
ton or suppression Of gambling in
the City of Astoria is concerned, that
at the present time there is fully az
much gambling in progress in the
City excepting slot machines and
banking games, as at any previous
time in its history. The order of the
District Attorney and the laws gov
erning the same, being fagrantly vio-
lated That whereas formerly the ma
jor part of the gambling done in
Astoria was confined to the classic
precinct Of AStor Street, it is now
diAused through Commercial and
Bond Streets, the retail and shopping