The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-05-26
DE BOLT SCORES
BRIDGE PLAYERS
Declares Society CANDLES With
immunity From Any
Punishment.

! prize for your cleverness, you are IN
! the same category as Chinese gam
| bier, and ought to be hailed before the
| District Court for punishment.
This, in brief, is q summary Of the
statement that fell from the lips OF Cir
cult Judge De Bolt yesterday in con-
nectioR with the gambling cases on ap-
| peal from the District Court against
| Yong See and thirty-three fellow eoun-
/ trymen.
:! Judge De Bolt expressed his contempt
for what appeared to be discrimina-
| ton in the enforcement of the law
when it was applied against the division
of citizens which *style themselves as
| the cream OF society. -
Judge De Bolt S indictment of bridge
whist and other card games for prizes
was as follows:
As l have often had occasion to
observe in these gambling eases, it
seems TO me that the law, which is inn
partial in its purpose, is not impartially
administered. To my mind, there are
no mitigating circumstances in gam
bling; l am decidedly opposed to gam
bling in any form, shape or manner
whatsoever, and l am equally opposed
to any person whomsoever who CANDLES,
but | do think that the law should be
| administered without respect to per-
sons; it should apply to all alike; the
! law is no respecter of persons.
1.-THE sheriff and his officers seem to
have no trouble IN arresting Chinese
| and japanese, and it seems to me that
there ought TO be no difficulty to az
rest those leading members Of society
sometimes they are pleased TO style
| themselves as the cream Of society
| who entertain with bridge whist and
other high-toned gambling games, and
| l can assure you if the sheriff can ar
rest those people and bring them in
| here, we will deal with them according
! to law. We will deal with them i'm
partially; we will not severely punish
them, but l can assure you that they
will be punished.
| lone of the greatest things to create
respect for the law and for the officers
who apply and administer the law is
| to apply it equally and impartially to
all alike. Now, the fact that Chinese
are constantly being arrested and
brought In here-which I do not OBJ
ject to; 1 have nothing to say in their
| behalf for violation of the law. but If
| they are being constantly arrested and
brought IN, if guilty, of course, it is
! the duty Of the court to punish them
/ but that creates in their minds; it
| creates In the minds of others perhaps
occupying like positions in life, dis
respect for the law or a feeling that
/ the law is not just; that it is not i'm
partially administered. Now, that is
| not what we want. If every person.
| rich or poor, foreign or citizen, feels
that the law will be applied to him re-
| gardless of his position. regardless of
| his nationality, race. creed or eolr. ac-
:, cording to the evil that he has com
mitted, then there viii be a respect
created in the minds Of all for the law.
which is right and which should be.
A Judicial Poker Game.
Now, there are many places, doubt
| less, where the sheriff could find gam
bling going on. and wherever he finds
| It, arrest them, no matter who they are.
If the sheriff should find me playing
poker in the Pacific Club or in the
/ basement of Central Union church, with
| the Chief Justice of this Territory. WHY
| arrest both of US, bring us in, and |
/ think that Judge Robinson or Judge
/ Whitney viii deal with us according to
| law. The law is no respecter of per
! sons, no matter who the person NAV be.
Many Of our socalled best citizens and
| leaders OF society are conducting these
| gambling games-that is what the law
calls II. Bridge whist and other such
!! h1gh-toned games for money and other
| things of value they think nothing of.
| They call it gambling, though, in the
| Chlnese, when they play their national
games, games that are almost a part of
their nature. They call that gambling.
and as TO the eorrupting and wrong in
huenee upon the morals of the people,
| particularly the young, I think that
those who are carrying on these games
among the higher members, socalled, of
society are more eorrupting in their in
| fuenee and effects than games of this
kind.
wish, however, what I have said
not to be understood in the least as
| mitigating gambling In any person o,
| In any form whatsoever. Now, what
have said IN regard to gambling In gen
eral and with reference TO others is not
intended to lessen in ths ewes of the
| law the gambling Of these defendants
i They have violated the Law. Judge
Humphreys has referred in his remarks
TO the Chinese gambling in their own
country and lotteries being a part OF
the social system, perhaps you might
/ term It, of the Latin races. and that
they do not look upon It with the same
degree Of disapprobation as we do
That may be true, but whoever comes
70 the United States or any portion Of
the United States, whoever comes with
III It's jurisdiction and under the IN
| fnence Of its laws, no matter Ahat
their previous training may have been
they must conform 10 the law of thu.
| country. 1t may be little difficult fen
them 10 do II, but they viii learn by
experience that il is better to obey
the law
| Assistant County Attorney Brown ap
I peared for the prosecution and Attor
| ney Humphreys for the defense
Humphreys entered a plea Of guilty 70
twenty Of the Chinese and Brown mol
pressed the remaining fourteen eases
Judge De Bolt imposed a fine Of 81.
each on those that entered a plea o
guilty. the charge being present at
gambling game.
Attorney Hrrarhyax-S v,a7a I1rr+ n