The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-02-10
MIR. BRYAN OK GAMBLING.

One of Mr.. Bryan's most eloquent
addresses was that delivered in Car
negie hall, New York, last Tuesday
night when his text was Thou Shalt
Not Steal" 1t was for the most part
terrific arraignment of gambling.
directed particularly at the transac-
tons of the stock exchange. "Gamb-
ling he said, lis one of the worst
of vices, and gambling in stocks and
in farm products is the most destruc-
tive form in which the vice appears.
Measured by the number OF suicides
caused by the New York stock ex-
change, Monte Carlo is an innocent
pleasure resort by comparison
Measured by the amount of money
changing hands, the contrast is still
greater in favor of Monte Carlo; and
measured by the influence upon
those who do not gamble the evils
of Monte Carlo are insignificant
when compared with the evils of
NtW vi Iolh tlal 6oLhpiiho
| houses. The New York stock ex-
change has graduated more embez-
zlers than Fagins school did
thieves"
These blistering words, says the
Houston Post, were enough to cause
New York to take notice, following
as they did the equally strong Ian
guage of the presidents message
| upon the same evil. Never has pub
lie sentiment been so strongly
aroused against the stock exchange
as at present, and if the managers
of that institution do not see the
| handwriting on the wall they are
strangely blind. 1t may require
| long fight and hard fght-so it did
| to suppress the Louisiana lottery
but there will be no backward foot
steps. The stock exchange must COM
pletely revolutionize its business
methods or it will go out of business
before the American people get
through with it.
1t is a New York institution, it is
true, but it's evil influence pervades
| the whole country and the whole
country will be heard from before
| the fight is over, even if it's govern
| Legislature of New York, which is
not likely. AS strongly intrenched as
the stock exchange is, there are null
! tiplied thousands in New York who
would rejoice to see it suppressed
| and some strong journals of that
city are being enlisted in the war.
If the people of the United States
were informed as to the character of
| dealings engaged in on change, the
suppression of the stock exchange
would be a national issue this year.
That it will reach the dignity and
| importance of a national issue by
1912 there is not the slightest reas-
on to doubt. The only thing that
| lends even trace of responsibility
to stock exchange gambling is the
volume of the business, the social
standing of hundreds who engage in
! it, and the methods. In effect it is
| worse than any form of gambling
| that law has ever attempted to sup
i press AS Mr.. Bryan told them in
| New York, the men in charge of
| the lottery never did 1.-THE of the
| harm that the grain gamblers and
the stock gamblers of New York do
every day, nor did they ever eXer-
| fluences over politics. 1t has been
asserted without denial that 80 per
cent of the New York purchases and
sales of stock and of produce are
merely bets upon the market value,
with no intention on the part of the
vendor to deliver, or on the part of
| the purchaser to receive. This is not
! business; it is not commerce; it is
not speculation; it is common, vul-
| gar gambling and when to the Or
| binary chances that the gambler
takes are added the extraordinary
chances due to the secret manipula
ton of the market by those who are
on the inside, the stock market be-
comes worse than an honestly con-
Quoted gambling resort"
Tho D,lIoe Nauc cav ssCov Nroal