The Washington herald., 1908-02-05

lamount OF generation and that many VINO
lvehementiy deuounce gambling IN a BACK
room where winnings and losses are
small. remain strangely silent IN the pres
+ ence of the enormous games that are
played upon the stock market, often with
! loaded dice.
Gambling is one or the worst of vices,
land gambling IN stocks and In farm
products is the most destructive form In
which the vice appears Measured by the
/ number OF suicides caused BY the New
York Stock Exchange, Monte carlo is an
innocent pleasure resort by comparison,
/ Measured By the amount OF money
changing hands the contrast IS sun
! greater i'm 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 New York S commercial
gambling houses The New York Stock
Exchange has graduated more embez-
Zlerg than Fagins school did thieves.
! When a group OF men gamble AZ wheel
/ of fortune on at game OF cards the
injury done is confined 70 them and TO
those Immediately dependent upon them,
! but those who gamble IN the grain pit or
/ on the floor Of the stock exchange deal
! IN commodities or securities IN which
/ so 100000 of people are directly or indi-
lrectly interested Farm products are
/ juggied up or mggled down. stocks are
boosted BY tine bulls or depressed by the
bears. and the whole country feels the
effect
Natural Laws suspended.
The natural laws OF supply and de-
mand ought TO regulate prices. but these
! laws are entirely suspended when "a few
men can by their bets add millions or
/ dollars TO the market value Of one pro-
duct or take millions Of dollars from
the value If another product. After a
crusade which c0nvulsed "a State and at
/ last Impressed the thought of the nation,
We got rid of the Louisiana lottery and
/ then we congratulated ourselves upon
our virtue. The men ia charge Of the
! lOtter never did a 1.-THE Of the harm that
the grain gamblers and the stock gamb-
/ lers Of New York DO every day. nor did
they ever exercise anything like the cor
/ rupting influences over politics u has
/ been asserted without denial that % per
/ cent OF the New York purchases and
sales Of stock and Of produce are merely
bets upon the market value. with no in
tentiOu on the part of the vendor 20 de-
/ liver. or on the part of the purchaser 90
! receive. This is not business It Is not
commerce. DO is not speculation. IL Is
( common. vulgar gambling. and when %
! the ordinary chances that the gambler
takes are added the extraordinary
/ chances due 10 the secret manipulation
LOT the market by those who are on tile
l-i~ittEr L4tt STOCK iit4I ttl ifEiil4lLfe worse
/ than an honestly conducted gambling re-
sort. II "a man takes a chance upon a
wheel of fortune. he knows just what
bis ChaHce IS. and he knows that the
owner 81 the wheel has percentage OF
chances in his favor. but when "a strau-
ger CANDLES upon the stock or grain
market. he IS az the mercy OF those who.
by obtaining control Of the visible sup
ply. can destroy every natural law Of
! business rule which the outsider knows
Must BE Educated Public Opinion.
/ While the laws OF each State and the
laws uI the nation should prevent, as Ear
as laws can. the use of these commercial
activities for gambling purposes. there
/ must be back OF the law au educated
public opinion, and ! beg the spiritual
advisors or our great cities 20 consider
whether they cannot advance religion as
wei as f1rWalty mv pointing out that the
/ commandment Thou shalt not steal Is
openly and VIGOROUSLY violated .u the
stock market and in the grain pit by
those who profess o. believe I'm the Bible
and 10 have respect Tor its teachings II
time permitted. I would call attention 20
the aduter3tiJn of food which some
times Involves violation u the com
Imauumeut against killing 4s Well as the
commandment against theft
But law finds It's foundations iu morals
ana back 81 WroGgd0ug lS ID false con-
ccptipu of life. / have not exhausted the
field Of Illustration. 7 have not applied
my yeNt iu ali tho multitude of ways lu
which b. can bee applied but J shall con-
Clude the discussion for this time les
calling attention 90 the fundamental con-
ceptlCu or lie that more than anything
else Is responsible for the various forms
pi larceny 20 which / have referred. Ir
our haste 10 make money we have cult
waited the impression that life ig 10 DO
measured hy Us income and that men ars
I worthy OF respect ln proportion as they
have accumulated. If ] were delivering
a religious address 7 would insist thai
life should be- measured by its overflow
rather than hF IFS income 7 would iu
slst that % Isl what We put into the world
and not what We take out OF IL that de-
I termiues the success of "a life But f0I
the present 7 shall content myself witt
presenting au economic standard rather
than "a religious one and say that the uuly
economic rule for accumulation IS that
one shall draw from society in proportion
as he contributes 10 the welfare Of So
ciety
Citizens Deserve Security.
Forms Of government. methods Of ad
mnistr8tiou and legislation an should
have for their object the securing 10 eacl
citizen Of the rightul and legitimate re-
wards for his toll Society cannot SAY
10 p man that Dee m4st as matter OF
he takes from society, nor can 10 with.
out violation Of individual rights say q
q man that he must give 10 society more
than he gets from society. The either
owes q certain obligation 20 the govern
mont ana the government owes certain
obligation TO the citizen. and these obi
cations are equally binding The gov
eminent can have no favOriteS, it cannot
put the burdens upon some and offer The
rewards 90 others The best government
rsHf.. j.. F-H ..-.
the most perfect security against every
arm uplifted for his injury and which, 10
so far az 10 enters upon cooperative
( work. distributes with equity both The
ajlou. perfection Is not 10 be expected
in government hut the desire for parfec
ton ought 10 control the citizen i'm his
civic work as 81 controls him In his owT
life. jefferson taught this conception ot
/ government when he insisted upOu the
privileges 90 none" Lincoln had thi.
purpose of government in mind when ht
said at Gettysburg that those who as
/ sembled there should resolve that e
and for the people should not perish from
the earth" and Jackson gave eNpressloT
10 the same thought when he said In one
of his messages:
Distinction in society will always
/ exist under every Just government
Equality Of talents, of education, or of
wealth, cannot be produced by human
institutions In the full enjoyment oI
the gifts of heaven and the fruits OF su
periOr industry. economy and virtue
every man is equally entitled to protec.
ton ~ law
Have Right to Complain.
But when the laws undertake 20 add Il
those natural and just advantages arti.
fetal distinctions-to grant titles, gratui-
ties. and exclusive priv.leges-to make tht
rich richer and the potent more power
fui-the humble members Of sOciety-the
/ farmers. mechanics. and the laborers-
who nave neither the time nor the means
/ Of securing Ike fayOrS for themselves
/ have right 20 complain of the injustice
Of their government