The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-05
Gambling in Stocks is
Form Of Larceny, He
iDeclared.
MONTE CARLO MILD.
TO NEW YORK CITY
Asserted That Stock Exchange
Had Graduated More Embez-
zlers Than Fagin's School
Had Turned Out Thieves.
Dcnounces Trading in
Produce.

NEW YORK. February 4.--Taking
the Eighth Commandment as HIS text
William Jennings Bryan pointed out
to the Civic Forum tonight the pos
sibilities OF larceny in violation of the
/. law and-what he said was of still
greater mportance-larceny through
the operation Of the law.
The stock and produce markets came
in for, most bitter denunctation. He
said the New York Stock Exchange
has graduated more embezzlers than
lSagan's school did thieves; that
measured by the number OF suicides,
Monte Carlo is an innocent pleasure
resort as compared with the New York
institution. and that the men who once
had charge OF the Louisiana lottery
never did tithe of the harm that
I the grain gamblers and the stock
gamblers Of New York do every day
Carnegie Hall. as usual at the gather
ings of the Civic Forum. was filed by
an audience representative OF business
flected the. various shades OF public
| opinion. Edward NJ Shepherd In
itroduced Mr.. Bryan, who was received
| with spirited hand-clapping. the ap-
plause being frequently renewed dur
ling the course OF his address.t Mr..
!. Bryan. said IN part:
When a group of men gamble at a
wheel of fortune or at game OF
cards." said Mr.. Bryan, "the injury
done is confined to them and to those
Immediately dependent upon them.
or on the floor Of the stock Exchange
! deal In commodities or securtie- IN
which so:oo0.o00 Of people are direct
ly or indirectly interested. Farm pro-
ducts are iuggled up or juggled down,
stocks are boosted by the bulls or de-
pressed by the bears. and the whole
country feels the effect. The natural
| laws OF supply. and demand ought to
entirely suspended when few men
can by their bets add millions of dol
tars TO the market value of one pro-
duct or take millions OF dollars from
a crusade whI hIch convulsed q IS sate ss,a
at least impresse ed TIE though OF the
nation. We got rid Of the Louisiana
ourselves upon our virtue. j h. zen
In charge Of the lottery never did a
istithe OF the harm that the grain gam
fblers and the stock gamblers of New
exercise anything like the corrupti e
influences over politics. It has been
INSERTED without denial that 80 per
cent. Of the New York purchases and
merely bets upon the market value.
with no intention on the part of the
svender to deliver. orr on the part OF the
purchaser to receive.
Not Business, But Gambling.
This is not business. 1t is not com
mon. vulgar gambling, and VIXEN to
the ordinary chances that the gambler
takes are added the extraordinary
chances due TO the secret manipulation
Einside. the stock market becomes
worse than an honestly condu.ted
gambling resort II a man takes "a
change upon the Wheel Of fortune he
knows that the owner OF the wheel
has a percentage of chances +,
favor. but when stranger CANDLES
apgh ene r.See
ing control of the Visible supply, can
destroyssevery natural law or bu mess
rule that the out ider, knows. While
OF the nation should prevent. as far
as laws can. the use nf these COM
mercial activities for gambling pur-
poses. there must be. back OF he law
the spiritual advisers lf our. great
cities to consider whether, they cannot
/ advance religion as we'll as morality
! by poirting out that the command
and notoriously violated In the stock
4 market and In the grain pit by those
who profess to believe In the Bible
and TO nave respect Tor It's GtedCllHSs.S,
4 Thou Shalt Not steal.'
Mr. Bryan,z subject. was Thou
the subject With any inten,lon of pre-
scnting an argument against stealing.
( he said, but it was his purpose. rather
to- apply !! rcommandment 70 pre-,
three ella ses-petlt, fr4nd and glor.
ious. BY g or Gus ] 5rceny he eferred
Ito tho tendency to regard stealing ups
on larf;1cale {, as y pr
| has led to8t the sugge ton that the
commandpent be amended n read:
) Thou shalt not teal3on smallHscale.. !.
the. tax laws to Illustrate what he
called larceny In violation of law.
IF two men live side by side, said
lie, and one ntributes in taxation
y $40 when his Just share Is sspnly IS, and
the other only pays five when he
ought to pay ten, one loses is that lie
ought to keep. while the other keeps
$5that he ought to giye TO the govern.
the same as ifzone man5took the other
own own use, ,The fact that the govern M,
n,ent getting as eoileetor to9ls { the
!, gave 1t to the man who $ls ;underburd-
4 ened, does not change the egclaracter 0t
1.-THE transactions. The subject of pri,
yste monopoly furnishes another y.
petit larceny or even grand larceny; II
rises to the proporttons of q GLORIOUS
Klrceny, not only . because Is Of the
4 spectabilityof those who received tic
Istolen goods. = 5 M III istj5 "a lss- E
no ,Ionopoltst, Al iIis,wayn,un.
."rho object of a private monopoly is
/ to control the prices of the Things
sold It lis TO cornerf. the market. Tic
1 him CertAtnG /, l,} }nl