The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-05-28
De BOLT SCORES
BRIDGE PLAYERS

If you have ever played bridge whist
or any other card game and accepted a
prize for your cleverness, you are in
the same category as a Chinese gam
bier, and ought to be hailed before the
District Court for punishment
This, in brief, is summary of the
statement that fell from the lips of Cir
cult Judge De Bolt yesterday in con.
nection with the gambling cases on APP
| peal from the District Court against
Yong See and thirty-three fellow coun-
trymen.
Judge De Bolt expressed his contempt
for what appeared to be a 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 IS indictment of bridge
whist and other card games for prizes
was as follows:
"As / have often had occasion to
observe in these gambling cases, it
seems to me that the law, which is i'm
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 whoms0ever 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.
"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 / can assure you that they
will be punished
cone 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 l do not OBJ
.ect to; l 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 feeling that
the law is not just; that it is not inn
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-
CARELESS of his position, regardless of
his nationality, race, creed or colr, ac-
cording to the evil that he has COM
mitted, then there will be a respect
created in the minds of all for the law,
i 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.
I 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 will deal with us according to
law. The law is no respecter of per
sons, no matter who the person may be
r Many of our socalled best citizens and
leaders of society are conducting these
gambling games-that is what the law
calls it. Bridge whist and other such
heightened games for money and other
things of value they think nothing of
They call it gambling, though, in the
Chinese, when they play their national
games, games that are almost part of
F their nature. They call that gambling
and as to the corrupting and wrong in
fiuence upon the morals of the people
r particularly the young, L think that
/ those who are carrying on these games
, among the higher members, socalled, of
society are more corrupting in their in
fluence and effects than games of this
, kind.
, 81 wish, however, what 1 have said
, not to be understood in the least as
2 mitigating gambling in any person oil
i'll any form whatsoever. Now, what
\ have said in regard to gambling in gen
a eral and with reference to Others is moi
= intended to lessen in the eyes of the
,, law the gambling of these defendants
a They have violated the law. Judg,
! Humphreys has referred in his remarks
! to the Chinese gambling in their owl
q country and lotteries being part OF
q the social system, perhaps you nigh
. term it, of the Latin races, and tina
they do not look upon it with the SANE
Z degree of disapprobation as we do
3 That may be true, but whoever come
, to the United States or any portion o
= the United States, whoever comes with
i. in its jurisdiction and under the in
Il fluence of its laws, no matter wha
# their previous training may have been
= they must conform to the law of thi
I. country. 1t may be little difficult 70
e " - ), " y y " ~ " - - " - - " - y
s, been determined. If he wins anythin
IS from Congress, by, his new policy o
\ nterference-which was the estaf
h lshed policy by the way up to tn
# time of the Roosevelt administration
A. the President will gain something
r | nrast na and will he ztronOer yVhan n