The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-10
THROWING OF DICE
MAY BE LOCALIZED
Supervisors Committee Favors
Hooks Proposed Ordi-
nance as Amended
Bill Defines the Cubes and Cuts
Proprietor Out of the
Game

Dice throwing for the drinks. cigars.
etc. In places of public resort will be
legalized by the board of supervisors
II the members follow the recommends
ton of the police committee made yes
terday. Hooks colleagues, BaIcom and
Connolly. agreeing to his bill after he
had accepted the amendment they pro-
posed
THESE changes were directed to ex-
Guiding the proprietor of any saloon
or cigar stand from participating in
the dice throwing and to defining that
the dice to be used should be the usual
SIX sided, poker sort, and not any spe-
cially contrived substitute for the slot
nachlnes, recently prohibited.
Inc committee decided also to intro
ouce an ordinance making 1t a misde-
meanor to have distributed business
cares advertising abortionists and de-
clar1ng the distributed card itself bear
ing the name of physician" or firm
should be considered prima facie evil
dence that the person or firm advertised
was responsible for the distribution
Chief Cook told the committee that
conviction under the present law was
almost impossible, prosecution being
directed against the distributors, who
could seldom be caught, instead of the
real perpetrators, the parties adver-
Using He said a lot of cards of this
character was recently thrown into
the yard of convent and that many
families had been annoyed by similar
solicitations.
Attempt to Enioin Police
The constitutionality of the city ordi-
nance adopted in 1903 prohibiting the
throwing of dice and games of chance
public view was argued before Judge
Murasky yesterday. Attorney J. J.
Greeley, representing half dozen cigar
dealers who wish to have the police
enjoined from interfering with the rat
Ting of dice for cigars, endeavored to
show that the ordinance was invalid.
Assistant District Attorney Harrison
opposed him, and Judge Murasky UNI
dertook to render a decision at an
early date.
Greeley contended that the charter
was mandatory that the title of an
ordinance should be an index of every
thing in the body of the ordinance.
The title of this dice throwing ordi-
nance referred only to games for
money whereas the ordinance spoke
of money, things in action. property
Therefore, argued Greeley, the ordi-
nance was unconstitutional.
Harrison replied by quoting the de-
cision of the supreme court in the case
of Herbert E. Law against the city,
to the effect that the charter provision
was merely directory and not man
datory.
Harrison also argued that a cigar
dealer shaking dice with a customer
was shaking for money
Greeley contended that the ordinance
was not intended to apply TO shaking
dice for cigars 1t was meant to pre-
vent crap shooting, he said adding
that the supervisors who passed it
told him so.
"Of course. if the supreme court says
1t is not mandatory that the title of
an ordinance shall be an index of all
in the ordinance. that settles the mat
ter said Judge Murasky in taking
the petition under submission. But
it is evident the trainers of the char
ter intended that it should be manda-
tOry''