The Colorado statesman., 1908-06-13

selling liquor in defiance of the laws
in any part of Colorado when 1t shall
become evident that the regularly
elected peace officers do not propose
to keep the solemn oaths which they
have taken, and when evidence of
such violations of law shall be brought
to you by reputable witnesses who
will agree to give testimony in court
in such prosecutions.
The president of the Denver Cham
Der of Commerce has struck the right
note in insisting that the mayor shall
prohibit all gambling of every charac-
ter and that the saloons shall obey
the laws. Law-keeping citizens will
be glad to know that the Chamber of
Commerce has approved the brave
words which were spoken by Mr.
Scholtz. No commercial organization
can put itself on the side of law viola
ton. We say that we want the most
purposeful people to come to Colorado
and here make homes and here bring
up their children. We tell them that
the interest of the Colorado people in
law keeping and in education and in
everything which belongs to the
higher life is most commendable Can
we then in the same breath tell them
that we encourage race track gam
bling and that boys and men can be
wrecked here by wholesale in broad
daylight? No one pretends that book
making and betting at the ring-side
at a horse race has any influence in
improving the breed of horses Every
one knows that it degrades the breed
of men and boys who are intoxicated
with the game of betting on results
hi t0h D,.0 col IN bn fof 81, do
termined in advance
In the San Juan country a school
board treasurer lost more than $4O,-
900 in gambling dens. The bonding
companies made the loss good-and
notified the district attorney that the
bonding companies would withdraw
entirely from the San Juan country
unless the laws were enforced against
gambling. The gambling dens were
then closed by demand of the bonding
companies. The best citizens of that
section of the state have assured me
that other forms of vice were defin-
itely decreased when the gambling
places were closed.
We must make haste in Denver to
make race-track gambling impossible
or we shall be the last city in America
to wipe out this demoralizing vice.
The knocks against Denver and Colo
rado have filled the yellow papers of
America with a riot of misrepresenta-
ton of this city and this state. If we
permit race track gambling, what can
we say in rejoinder to +hese deroga-
tory stories.
From the most reliable source l
learn that Hamilton, Canada, main
tains two big races each year and that
no betting at all and no bookmaking
is permitted. All tie state fairs in
the nation have now excluded betting
and bookmaking. States like Ken
lucky and Texas which have been con-
, spicuous in permitting betting and
bookmaking, have now made an end
of this vice. Surely the city of Den
yer and the state of Colorado, now
attracting the attention of the nation
as never before, need to put them
selves squarely and definitely on the
side of decency and law keeping.
Since you have no officer whom you
can send to secure evidence, and
since l have no officer whom 1 can
send to secure evidence, we must
therefore wait until reputable wit
nesses shall present evidence to you
that the laws have been violated.
WHEN SUCH e'lueilCe vi Tue Nloiallon
of the laws against gambling and
prize fighting and illegal liquor selling
shall be presented to you by reputable
witnesses who will agree to go into
court and testify to such violations of
law, then and in those cases require
you to proceed to prosecute any per-
sons who may be guilty of such viola
tions of law provided it is clear to you
that district attorneys and peace Off
GERS are neglecting to keep the oaths
which they have taken.
Very sincerely,
HENRY A. BUCHTEL,
Governor of Colorado